Tigers Kick Off Spring Season

The Wittenberg men's and women's swimming and diving teams turned in solid performances in a dual meet at Denison University last Saturday, the Tigers' first meet since Dec. 5-6, 2003.

January 22, 2004

Blake Troxel

The Wittenberg men's and women's swimming and diving teams turned in solid performances in a dual meet at Denison University last Saturday, the Tigers' first meet since Dec. 5-6, 2003. The competition kicked off the second half of the 2003-04 season.

Sophomore Betany Yeakley (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington)led the charge for the Tiger women, who dropped a 146-114 decision to the Big Red, who are perennially in the top five nationally. Yeakley won a pair of individual events, the 200-yard backstroke and the 200-yard Individual Medley. In the backstroke victory, Yeakley touched the wall in an impressive time of 2:10.99, good for an NCAA "B" Cut.

In addition, sophomore Becca Searcy (Shelbyville, Ky./Shelby County) finished first in the 1000-yard freestyle in a time of 10:47.69. Searcy is also a candidate for the national meet with two NCAA qualifying times already under her belt. FreshmanJenny Mulligan (Cheyney, Pa./Delaware Valley Friends) was a winner in the 100-yard backstroke in a time of 1:01.04.

On the men's side, the Tigers were beaten 166-92 by the Big Red, a top-five finisher in the national meet in 2003. Top individual finishers for Wittenberg were junior Blake Troxel (Bluffton, Ind./Norwell), who touched first in the 200-yard IM in a time of 2:07.82, and senior Steve Rader (Concord, Ohio/St. Ignatius), who captured the 200-yard butterfly in a time of 1:59.47. Senior Kyle Dunaway (Warren, Ohio/Howland) also turned in a strong swim, clocking 0:57.48 in the 100-yard backstroke to finish third.

The stretch run of the season continues this weekend with a pair of challenging meets. On Friday, NCAA Division I scholarship program Wright State comes calling for the annual dual with the Tigers. And then on Saturday, Wittenberg competes in a tri-meet at the University of Kentucky with Transylvania and Emory, one of the top swimming programs in NCAA Division III every year.

The Tigers are working toward the North Coast Athletic Conference championship meet, which is slated for Feb. 11-14 at C.T. Branin Natatorium in Canton, Ohio.