The Matador swim teams recently began the 2005-06 season, with the men’s team at 0-1 in head-to-head dual meets and the women’s team at 0-2.

The men’s team began their season at the Big West Shootout, held at UC Irvine’s Anteater Complex from Nov. 4 to Nov. 5. CSUN went 1-2 on its first day of competition, defeating Cal Poly 81-51 but losing to Irvine 102-33 and Washington 96-26.

Brian Sawyer finished second in the 1,650-meter freestyle event with a time of 16:10.12 and finished third in the 200-meter butterfly with a time of 1:54.91. Jeff Hart finished third in the 50-meter freestyle (0:21.84) and Adam Beaton placed third in the 100-meter backstroke (53.32).

On the second day of the shootout, CSUN split its two matches, beating Cal Poly 66-39 and losing to UC Davis 80-31.

Sawyer won two events, taking the 200-meter butterfly (1:54.32) and the 500-meter freestyle (4:39.55). Beaton finished third in the 200-meter backstroke (2:00.70), Hart finished third in the 100-meter freestyle (0.48.75) and Matt Sulkevich finished third in the 1,000-meter freestyle (9:51.82). Overall, CSUN finished 2-3 in the Big West Shootout.

On Nov. 18, CSUN matched up against UC Santa Barbara, its only dual meet at the Matador Pool. CSUN hung tough, but a Gaucho win in the 200-meter freestyle relay, the final event of the day, sealed a 109-96 Santa Barbara victory.

Sawyer won the 200-meter butterfly (1:52.67), Sulkevich won the 1,000-meter freestyle (9:39.46) and Clark Henson won the 200-meter breaststroke (2:10.60). CSUN’s 400-meter medley relay team of Beaton, Hart, Sawyer and Charles Frank also placed first in that event with a time of 3:33.95. CSUN trailed Santa Barbara 98-90 heading into the 200-meter freestyle event.

CSUN actually had three of the four teams in the relay, but Santa Barbara needed only one to win as Robbie Dane, Mason Edwards, Austin Luther and Robert Hansen placed first with a time of 1:26.70.

The women’s team also competed in the Big West Shootout Nov. 4 and against UCSB Nov. 18, but opened its season Oct. 29 against the University of San Diego at the USD Sports Center Pool. The Matadors wound up on the short end of the stick 161-125.

Sophomore Robyn Johnson won two events, capturing the 100-meter breaststroke (1:06.99) and the 200-meter breaststroke (2:26.39). Ashley Swart won the 200-meter freestyle (1:52.97) and the 400-meter medley relay team of Heather Van Hemert, Sanda Jukic, Megan Robles and Lindsay Love won with a time of 3:42.92.

CSUN went 1-3 on the first day of the Big West Shootout, beating Cal Poly 81-41 and losing to UC Irvine 106-32, Washington 110-12 and San Diego 75-60. Johnson placed third in the 100-meter breaststroke (1:06.61).

CSUN went 1-3 on the second day of the shootout, beating Cal Poly 68-27 and losing to Idaho 72-23, Pepperdine 74-37, and San Diego 63-45. Love won the 500-meter freestyle (5:23.10) and finished second in the 1,000-meter freestyle (10:57.13). CSUN finished with an overall record of 2-6.

After the Big West Shootout, CSUN made the trip to Loyola Marymount for the LMU Pentathlon on November 12. Jukic placed second in the Freestyle Pentathlon with an overall time of 15:06.26. Jukic won the 50-meter freestyle (0:25.36) and the 100-meter freestyle (0:55.19), second in the 200-meter freestyle (1:59), third in the 25-meter freestyle (11.70) and fourth in the 500-meter freestyle (5:20.74). Jukic finished behind Maggie Brophy, who won the Freestyle Pentathlon with a time of 14:57.30.

Against UCSB Nov. 18 at Matador Pool, the Gauchos proved to be a more dominant team, losing only one event and winning the meet 121-76. Simone Luker provided the lone victory for CSUN, finishing atop the standings in the 200-meter breaststroke (2:25.07).

Both the men and women’s team will make the trip to Las Vegas for the Rebel Invitational. The event will be held at UNLV from Dec. 17 to Dec. 19.

Ivan Yeo can be reached at ivan.yeo.80@csun.edu.