The Washington University swimming and diving teams took on the challenge of the Wheaton College Invitational on Saturday in Wheaton, Ill. with poise and a determination to show what they are made of. The men took home first place in a field of nine teams, while the women came away with a third-place showing. It was a day where several University swimmers made the history books, breaking school records and qualifying for the NCAA Championships.
Winning with 742.5 total points, the men broke three school records and earned three automatic qualifying times for the Nationals. Seniors Eric Triebe and Michael Slavik led their squad to victory, pacing the field in a number of their events. Triebe won the 50-yard freestyle in 20.73 seconds, with teammate Slavik clocking a second place finish just 0.03 seconds behind him. Triebe earned an NCAA “B” cut, while Slavik registered an “A” cut with his time of 20.68 in the preliminaries.
The day didn’t end early for the duo, as Slavik also won the 200-yard freestyle, clocking a 1:40.38 time in the preliminaries, breaking the University’s school record and earning him an automatic qualification for the NCAA Championships. Once again, Slavik finished closely behind Triebe, as he earned a second place finish and NCAA “A” cut with his time of 1:40.68.
The men’s team as a whole found success in medley and relay events as well. Triebe and Slavik joined forces for the 200-medley relay, which won the event with a time of 1:32.75, garnering them an NCAA “B” cut. Other individuals stepped up the effort as well. Freshman standout and breaststroke specialist Julian Beattie registered an NCAA provisional qualifying time in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:07.80. Freshman Kevin Lackey also provisionally qualified with a time of 4:09.82 in the 400-yard individual medley.
The University women, who have been trying to claw their way back from early season struggles, made an impressive showing with their third-place finish. They, too, had a number of swimmers post NCAA cuts and qualify for the NCAA Championships. Sophomore standout Meredith Nordbrock earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships with her time of 58.31 in the 100-yard backstroke, and also led off the 200-medley relay squad (1:47.46) and anchored the 400-free relay (3:34.76), good for an NCAA “B” cut.
Senior Jenny Scott, who has been excellent for the Bears this season, took first place in the 200-yard freestyle, clocking an NCAA automatic-qualifying time of 1:53.37.
Freshman Kelly Kano earned two NCAA “B” cuts with her performances in the 1650 freestyle (17:34.07), which was a half a second away from the school record, and the 200-yard medley relay (1:47.46).
In all, the men’s and women’s squads racked up seven school records, seven automatic qualifying times, and 11 provisional qualifying times to the NCAA Championships over the weekend.
The swimming and diving teams have the next month off to prepare for their upcoming battle with Lindenwood University at home on Jan. 18. The Wheaton Invitational and their upcoming races will prove to be good warm-ups for the NCAA Championships, which will be held in Minneapolis, Minn., in March. Until then, the Bears must continue to work on their progress as a team and keep on showing the field their ability and desire to win.