Dan DaranciangThe Washington University swimming and diving team has been on fire in recent weeks, finishing in at least the top three positions in every meet dating back to Nov. 19. Both the men’s and women’s teams won their last two meets against Lindenwood University and Wabash College. The men’s team defeated Lindenwood on Jan. 13 134-97 while the women also won by a score of 144-96. On Jan. 14 the men’s squad upended Wabash 151-84. The win marked the team’s fourth straight top finish.
In the meet against Lindenwood, the Bears’ sweep was highlighted by top performances by the young swimmers on both the men’s and women’s sides. For the men, freshman Julian Beattie led the men to the 134-97 win, clocking a time of 9:43.62 in the 1,000-yard freestyle. His time missed the school record by just one second. In the same event, sophomore Ross Vimr, freshman Andy Flick, and junior Sam Haywood came in second, third, and fourth places, respectively, with times of 10:12.74, 10:24.67, and 10:32.00, respectively.
Sophomore standout Meredith Nordbrock and team captain senior Jenny Scott helped their team to victory. In the 50-yard freestyle, Nordbrock posted a University season-best time of 25.06. Classmates Nicole DeFord and Kristen Mann finished close behind in the number two and three slots, respectively. Scott won the 500-yard free in 5:06.04, an NCAA provisional qualifying time, as well as the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:56.39.
The Lindenwood meet also featured a number of victories by the strong relay squads on both sides of the pool. Freshman Kevin Leckey, senior Eric Triebe, sophomore Geoff Hart-Cooper and senior Alex Antilla rounded out the winning men’s 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:37.97. For the women, Nordbrock, freshman Kim Jenkins, freshman Kelly Kono and Scott led the women’s 200-yard freestyle relay to a victory with a time of 1:42.41.
Against Wabash, the men kept their composure and maintained their momentum that they’ve been riding since mid-November. Beattie rounded out his excellent weekend by provisionally qualifying for the NCAA Championships in the 1,650-yard freestyle event with his time of 16:22.53. He also took home the top slot in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:14.03. Freshman teammate Mike Scarparti finished close behind him with a time of 2:23.36. The University won 12 of 13 events in the meet, leading to its easy 151-84 win.
The University hits the water again as the Bears host the Washington University Invitational at Millstone Pool this evening and on Saturday, Jan. 21. Events Saturday will begin at 11 a.m. and continue throughout the day.