KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Kutztown's return foray into collegiate men's swimming was cause for celebration in 2024-25, but now in their second year back since 2009, the Golden Bears are looking for more.
 
Getting the program relaunched and putting forth record and top 10 performances throughout the season were notable accomplishments for the Maroon and Gold, but the cards were stacked against them in dual meets and at the PSAC Championships due to numbers.
 
All seven swimmers from last year's roster return along with six freshmen that should give the Golden Bears and head coach Tim Flannery more point-scoring opportunities in both dual and invitational settings.
 
Sophomore RJ Otten (Ballston Spa, N.Y./Ballston Spa) captured KU's highest individual finish at the PSAC Championships by taking 11th in the 400-yard individual medley. In doing so, he broke Morgan Wager's 2001 school record of 4:12.05 with the new program standard of 4:10.77.
 
Otten, from Ballston Spa, N.Y., also scored in the 200 butterfly with a 14th-place finish. He finished the year on five KU top 10 lists, including the 400 IM (first, 4:10.77), 200 fly (third, 1:55.68), 200 IM (fourth, 1:58.72), 100 backstroke (ninth, 54.66) and 200 breaststroke (ninth, 2:14.63).
 
Matheson Bair (Orwigsburg, Pa./Blue Mountain) set three program top 10 times and reached two finals at the PSAC Championships, combining to score five points in the 200 freestyle (14th) and 50 free (15th). Bair, an Orwigsburg, Pa., native, set the fourth-fastest 50 free (21.35) and 200 free (1:43.86) times in program history, along with the eighth-best 500 free time (4:48.66).
 
Junior Colby Orndorf (Reading, Pa./Governor Mifflin) swam the fourth-fastest 500 free time in school history with a 4:47.20 to reach the 'B' Final at the PSAC Championships and finished 15th overall.
 
Kutztown's return season also saw Theo Miksa (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks East) move into a tie for sixth on KU's 100 breast top 10 (1:00.90), the 800 free relay of Bair, Otten, Orndorf and Nigel Pizzo (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) go third all-time (7:06.74) and the 200 medley relay of Otten, Miksa, Orndorf and Bair set the seventh-best time (1:38.09).
 
After opening its dual meet schedule at home against Shippensburg tonight, Sept. 24, the Golden Bears return to Keystone Natatorium for a tri-meet with PSAC foes Bloomsburg and Edinboro on Saturday, Nov. 1. The home schedule concludes with a dual against Arcadia on Saturday, Dec. 6.
 
The 2026 PSAC Championships will take place at the Graham Aquatic Center in York, Pa., Feb. 18-21.