Cody Nicely
SPRINGFIELD/OBERLIN, Ohio - The Wittenberg men's swim team played host to visiting Wabash on Friday Nov. 11. In a heartbreaker, the Tigers fell to the Little Giants, 119.5 to 121.5 which was neck and neck for a majority of the meet.
Neil Anderson (Lakewood, Ohio/Lakewood) and Cody Nicely (Knoxville, Tenn./Bearden) were the only double winners of the evening for the Tigers. Anderson was victorious in the 1000-yard freestyle, and the 500-yard freestyle. Anderson's time in the 1000-yard was approximately 30 seconds faster than the second place finisher. Nicely continues dominance in the 1-m and 3-m diving events, winning both events handily. Freshman Matt Erenpreiss (Columbus, Ohio/Centennial) took home second place finishes behind Nicely.
Other winners include: sophomore Ryan Hamilton (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Charisland Academy) in the 200-yard freestyle, junior Ryan Schramm (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon) in the 200-yard individual medley, and junior Brian Harris (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) in the 200-yard freestyle. The 200-yard freestyle relay team consisting of Hamilton, Anderson, Taylor Smith (Mansfield, Ohio/Mansfield), and Sean Wolf (White Lake, Mich./Walled Lake Central) was the only victorious relay team of the evening.
On Saturday Nov. 11, the men's and women's teams traveled to Oberlin for dual meet action. The men were victorious 126-60, the women won just as handily, 137-100.
Nicely was the lone double-winner for the men winning both the 1-m and 3-m events. Neil Anderson got another win under his belt in the 200-yard freestyle, while fellow teammate Brian Harris took second place in the same event.
The men's 100-yard freestyle saw the first three places go to the Tigers with first place going to freshman Taylor Smith. Smith was followed by Brandon Bock (Bryan, Ohio/Bryan), and Jeff Smith (Mansfield, Ohio/Senior). Robby McNeese (Cincinnati, Ohio/ Turpin)was victorious in the 200-yard backstroke followed by fellow teammate Corey Schramm. Finally, the 400-yard freestyle relay team consisting of Hamilton, Anderson, Harris, and Wolf were victorious with a time of 3:21.76.
While their were no double winners for the women, they consistently placed finishes in the top three spots in nearly every event. Senior Kathryn Spittler (Carlisle, Ky./Lexington Catholic) was the first winner of the day for the Tigers taking home first place honors in the 1000-yard freestyle. Freshman Kristin Elber (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick) was victorious in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 25.98.
The top three finishes in the 1-m diving event went to Wittenberg divers. Junior Courtney Roth (Gurnee, Ill./Lake Forest) took home first place honors, followed by freshman Lauren Stets (Westerville, Ohio/ Westerville), and freshman Megan Trainor (McMurray, Pa./Peters Township). The 3-m diving event saw similar results; Stets took home first place honors followed by Trainor, and Roth.
Freshman Adeline Brym (Mansfield, Ohio/ Lexington)was victorious in the 100-yard freestyle. Mackenzie Yamamoto (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) was victorious in the 200-yard breaststroke. Finally, the 400-yard freestyle relay team consisting of Elber, Kaitlin Clark (Wakeman, Ohio/ Firelands), Brym, and Janna House (St. Thomas, Ontario/Central Elgin Collegiate Institute) were vicotorious in a time of 3:44.97.
The men and women will be in action again Friday Nov. 17 at Ohio Northern in Ada, Ohio. Action will get underway at 6 p.m.