DALLAS, Pa. – The University of Scranton men's swimming team turned in a dominant three-day performance to capture the Cougar Splash Invitational title this weekend, using depth across every event and a standout record-breaking swim to pull away from a strong multi-team field.

Freshman Jake Brunetti highlighted the meet by setting a new school record in the 200 backstroke with a time of 1:54.72, adding a milestone moment to an already impressive team showing.

The Royals opened the invitational with a surge in the distance events, placing four swimmers inside the top six of the 500 freestyle, led by Christopher Clarke (4:51.96), Jimmy O'Malley (4:53.63), Will Tagliareni (4:54.42), and Steven Detwiler (4:54.76). That momentum carried directly into the IM events, where Craig Clarke added a strong fourth-place finish in 1:59.53, keeping Scranton firmly among the early leaders. The evening concluded with a statement relay win in the 200 medley relay, as the team of Jake Brunetti, Sam Peters, Matt Sherry, and Owen Sherry clocked a winning 1:34.46 to put the Royals ahead entering Saturday.

Scranton maintained its pace throughout the second day, particularly in the sprint events. The Royals swept the top spots of the 50 freestyle, with Owen Sherry winning in 21.63, followed by Zach Leonard (21.83) and Matt Sherry (22.05) in second and fourth. Additional depth came from Adrian Agnello, who placed eighth in the 500 free (4:58.22), helping widen the team's advantage heading into the final session.

The Royals closed out the meet with another strong performance on Sunday, highlighted by Jake Brunetti's school-record 200 back. Scranton also added key points in the remaining distance and relay events, turning a narrow early lead into a convincing team victory.

Up Next: Scranton will travel to the Gettysburg Invitational on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 5–6, with competition beginning at 6:00 PM in Gettysburg, Pa.