The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams were back in the pool this past weekend, swimming at the Wisconsin Private College Championships at Carthage College. While the host team won both the men’s and the women’s competition, the Lawrence teams held their own against everyone in the pool, with the women taking third place, only six points behind second-place Carroll University, and the men taking second place, falling only to Carthage.
Hayley Vatch got the women’s team started early, with a victory in just the second event of the day, the 500-yard freestyle. Not only did she earn a victory for her team, she set a new Wisconsin Private Colleges record, breaking her old record from last year by half of a second and finishing in 5:21.96.
In the 50-yard freestyle, senior Sam Szynskie took third place in 26.78 seconds. Vatch and Sara Bostrom added to the point total for the women’s team, taking third and sixth in the 200-yard freestyle, swimming a 2:03.68 and a 2:10.07, respectively. Becca Hamlyn continued the women’s great day with a strong fourth-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly, swimming the race in 2:32.88, just barely missing third place.
The 200-yard freestyle relay team took third place with 1:52.14. Bostrom, Kelsey Gray, Chrissie Nelson and Allyssa Bosse made up that relay team. The 400-yard freestyle relay team took second place. Szynskie, Bosse, Emily Mohr and Vatch swam the relay in 3:58.66.
Vatch set another pool record, again breaking her mark from last year by more than 12 seconds in the 1,650-yard freestyle, swimming in 18:12.81.
As for the men, they got started quickly as well, with the 400-yard medley relay team finishing in second place in 3:57.96. Nate Kontny, Nick Johnson, Tom Smith and Jared Blommel comprised that team. Collin McCanna and Kontny took fourth and fifth in the 50-yard freestyle in 23.93 and 24.07, respectively.
Taylor Brengel gave the men’s team another great race as he won the 100-yard backstroke in a time of 54.65. Peter Brengel followed that up with a third-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle, swimming a 1:50.97. Smith continued the string of strong races with a second-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:03.80.
Taylor Brengel, McCanna, Peter Brengel and Smith took second in the 200-yard freestyle relay in 1:33.48. Matt Yauch took second place in the 200-yard butterfly in 2:23.86. Peter Brengel continued a great individual day by taking first place in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:00.52. The last relay of the day was another great race for the Vikings as Kyle Griffin, Nick Johsnon, Blommel and Peter Brengel took second in the 400-yard freestyle relay in 3:29.32.
The Vikings have the weekend off as they taper in preparation for their conference meet, which is at Grinnell College Feb. 13-15.
Swimming holds their own at Carthage
