The Case Western Reserve University swimming and diving teams each picked up wins in their season-opening competition on Saturday, with the women claiming a 273-22 win over Ohio Wesleyan University, and the men earning a 278-16 victory against the Battling Bishops.
Four Spartan women claimed wins in multiple events on Saturday. Junior Abby Halsdorfer won the 1,000-yard freestyle with a time of 10:51.82 and the 500-yard freestyle with a mark of 5:20.65. First-year Madison McDaniels finished first in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:08.83) and the 200-yard breaststroke (2:32.93), while first-year Gabriella Chambers won the 200-yard freestyle (1:58.33) and the 50-yard freestyle (24.86), and first-year Simone Vale claimed the top spot in the 100-yard backstroke (59.35) and 100-yard freestyle (55.02).
Also notching top finishes in the events for the Spartan women were first-year Kate Menzer in the 200-yard butterfly (2:12.54), first-year Elishka Bailey in the 200-yard backstroke (2:08.43), first-year Nara Lee in the 100-yard butterfly (1:00.39) and first-year Isabel Verheyen in the 400-yard individual medley (4:37.12). CWRU also had first-place finishes in the women's 200-yard medley relay of McDaniels, Chambers, senior Anna Smith and first-year Erica Rice (1:52.27) and the 200-yard freestyle relay team of Chambers, Vale, Lee and first-year Angeli Paull (1:40.62).
Senior Hailey Seibert won the women's one-meter dive with a score of 177.65, while first-year Jocelyn Schechter won the three-meter dive with a score of 210.90. On the men's side of diving events, first-year Nico Billoni swept the events as he claimed the win in the one-meter dive (216.85) and the three-meter dive (212.15).
In the swimming events for the men, three individuals claimed wins in multiple events. Senior Kelvin Tay won the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 53.40 and the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:58.29, while first-year Peter Meng won the 1,000-yard freestyle (9:43.88) and the 400-yard individual medley (4:11.98) and sophomore Ethan Chuang won the 100-yard breaststroke (58.32) and the 200-yard breaststroke (2:10.26).
Other first place finished for the CWRU men includes first-year Stephen Hogeman in the 200-yard freestyle (1:45.91), first-year Jackson Pollard in the 200-yard butterfly (2:00.15), junior Campbell Patterson in the 50-yard freestyle (21.57), junior Andrew Smith in the 100-yard freestyle (47.98), junior Xander Guerrero in the 500-yard freestyle (4:50.57) and first-year Ben Zuo in the 100-yard butterfly (51.92).
CWRU also won both relay events on the men's side, as Smith, senior Calvin Tecson, junior Anatole Borisov and first-year Jasha Heide won the 200-yard medley relay and then Smith, Pollard, Zuo and senior Connor Chignell teamed up together to win the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:27.43).
The Spartans will be back in action next weekend, facing Carnegie Mellon University in the Veale Natatorium on Saturday, October 30th at 1:00 p.m.
