The 13th-ranked Case Western Reserve University women's swimming and diving team and the 15th-ranked men's swimming and diving team celebrated Senior Day on Saturday with a sweep of Oberlin College at the Veale Natatorium in Cleveland. The Spartans defeated the Yeowomen 252-44, and CWRU defeated the Yeomen 226-68 as sophomore Emil LaSida set a school record in the 50-yard freestyle.
With the wins, both Spartan teams improved to 5-0 in dual meets. The Yeomen fell to 3-5, and the Yeowomen dropped to 2-6. CWRU combined to win 31 of the 32 events contested at the dual with the women's team winning 16 and the men's team winning 15.
LaSida broke his own record in the 50 Free, completing the race in 20.44 seconds to best his previous record of 20.58 seconds from a dual meet against Carnegie Mellon earlier this season. The sophomore also won the 100 IM in 51.25 seconds and teamed with senior Ethan Chuang, junior Ben Zuo, and sophomore Mason Bencurik to win the 200 Medley Relay in 1:33.33. Individually, Bencurik touched the wall first in the 100 Free, finishing the race in 46.78 seconds.
Junior Peter Meng added two individual victories and a win with a relay. He placed first in the 200 Free with a time of 1:42.45 and first in the 200 Breast in 2:05.92. Meng, Zuo, and juniors Jackson Pollard and Stephen Hogeman ended the day with a win in the 400 Free Relay in 3:09.25. Earlier in the day, Pollard tied sophomore Ben Borvendeg in the 50 Fly as each Spartan touched the wall at 23.12.
Sophomore John Drumm earned a pair of wins, claiming the 200 Fly in 1:54.02 and the 500 Free in 4:44.63. With a time of 24.59 seconds, sophomore Tyler Ahten won the 50 Back. A third sophomore, Julian Kim, won the 50 Breast in 25.87 seconds, and first-year Michael Boelens claimed the 200 Back in 1:55.35.
Junior Alex Waltman swept the diving events, scoring 276.68 points in the 1-meter dive and 265.50 points in the 3-meter dive.
For the CWRU women's team, sophomore Claire Kozma placed first in four events, winning two on her own and two as a member of a relay. She claimed the 50 Fly in 26.26 seconds and the 200 Free in 1:56.00. In the 200 Medley Relay, Kozma was joined by juniors Erica Rice, Kate Menzer, and Gabriella Chambers, winning in 1:49.14. For the 400 Free Relay, juniors Kelly Vann and Angeli Paull teamed up with Kozma and Chambers to place first in 3:37.02. Individually, Chambers won the 50 Free in 24.41 seconds, Menzer claimed the 100 IM in 1:00.02, and Paull placed first in the 100 Free with a time of 53.84 seconds.
Junior Abigail Wilkov swept the diving boards, winning the 1-meter dive with a score of 287.93 points and the 3-meter dive with a score of 284.63 points.
A trio of juniors, pair of sophomores, and two first-year swimmers added individual wins for CWRU. For the third-year swimmers, Amelia Myhrvold won the 50 Back in 27.73 seconds, Madison McDaniels claimed the 50 Breast in 31.61 seconds, and Elishka Bailey placed first in the 200 Back with a time of 2:07.30. Sophomore Lauren Valentine won a distance event, the 500 Free, in 5:21.22, and classmate Kailyn Smith claimed the 200 Fly in 2:14.13. First-year Erin Butler won the longest event of the day, claiming the 1650 Free in 18:24.22, and fellow first-year Lillian Paley touched the wall at 2:30.05 to place first in the 200 Breast.
Prior to the dual meet, the team celebrated its 11 graduating members as part of Senior Day. Team members who were honored included Ethan Chuang, Sydney Criscitiello, Emma Guarnieri, Elena Igic, Neeraj Javadekar, Zoe Michos, Rei Miyauchi, Maria Pritchett, Casey Slaterbeck, Alex Sorensen, and Sean Yetter.
The Spartans will race their final dual meet of the season next weekend, facing #1/2 Kenyon College on Saturday, February 3 in Gambier, Ohio. Action at the Steen Aquatic Center is slated to begin at 12 p.m.
