WILMINGTON, Ohio - After earning 14 first-place finishes in 28 events, the Wittenberg men's and women's swimming and diving teams left a tri-meet hosted by Wilmington with three wins in four dual decisions.
The Tiger women swept both opponents, defeating host Wilmington 195.5-57.5 and Transylvania 169-82. A split by the men's team gave the Tigers the edge over Transylvania 176-72, but saw Wilmington pull out the win 149-106.
Wittenberg picked up numerous top finishes throughout the day, starting with the first event. The women's 200-meter medley relay team of senior Erin Swardenski (Fremont, Calif./Washington), senior Madeline Kraft (Cape Elizabeth, Maine/Cape Elizabeth), sophomore Samantha Petruzzi (Medina, Ohio/Medina) and senior Erica Precht (Wauseon, Ohio/Wauseon) started the winning trend, touching the wall with a time of 2:09.48. The men's team of freshman Paul Salay (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South), sophomore Kyle Smith (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro), senior Steve Stuthers (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) and junior Nick Rittenhouse (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) just missed the top spot, finishing with a time of 1:54.67.
The Tigers took first-place finishes in both the men's and women's 800-meter freestyle as sophomore Nikki McCollum (Fort Myers, Fla./Estero) finished 10:08.02, just ahead of sophomore Courtney Speakman (Springfield, Ohio/Tecumseh), and freshman Sam Bott (Des Moines, Iowa/Dowling) took the top spot in the men's event at 9:19.21, just before freshman Hunter Busken (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) 9:22.23. The women's division of the 200-meter freestyle featured Tigers on top again with senior Dani Lacy (Louisville, Ky./Louisville Collegiate School) and junior Emalie Taylor (Ann Arbor, Mich./Dexter) leading the charge. Lacy and Taylor performed well in the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle events as well as they finished in the top spots in those events.
In the women's 100-meter backstroke, Wittenberg swept the top three positions as Swardenski bested the field in a time of 1:12.72, followed by junior Amy Schulz (Waterloo, Ill./Waterloo) and freshman Ashley O'Neill (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport Township). Kraft led the way in the women's 100-meter breaststroke in at a time of 1:19.22, while Smith finished atop the men's race in the same event in a time of 1:13.23.
Sophomore Lucas George (Brecksville, Ohio/Independence) finished the men's 200-meter breaststroke less than a second off the leader, and Petruzzi touched the wall first in the women's 200-meter butterfly in a time of 2:28.79.
The Tigers return to action on Friday, Nov. 13, as they welcome Ohio Northern for a dual meet at the HPER Center Natatorium.
Written By: AJ Meyer '15