Grinnell Swims Ahead After First Day of Competition at Midwest Conference Championships

GRINNELL, Iowa, February 9. THE quest for a ninth straight Midwest Conference Swimming & Diving Championship got off to a solid start for the Grinnell College men women on Friday inside of Obermiller Pool. After day one, the Pioneers are atop the team standings with 415 points on the women's side. Lawrence sits in second place with 253 points. The Grinnell College men's Swimming and Diving team looks poised to win its sixth straight Midwest Conference Championship as it sits in first-place with 377 points. Lake Forest trails the Pioneers as it sits in second with 253 points.

The 200 medley relay team of Valerie Stimac '09, Emily Summers '10, Meghan McDoniel '10, and Erinn Croco '07 swam to victory in record fashion as it set a new MWC Meet record with a time of 1:38.84.

Alex Peitz '10captured third in the 500 freestyle, finishing in a time of 5:23.01. McDoniel then captured her first career individual conference title by winning the 200 IM in a time of 2:12.35. Amanda Keledjian '08 finished third in the event with a time of 2:17.95. The Pioneers then captured five of the top six places in the 50 freestyle, led by Stimac who won the event in a time of 24.92. Croco (25.26), Julia McHugh '07 (25.85), Chloe Moryl '10 (25.99), and Summers (26.06) took third thru sixth respectively.

Grinnell capped off day one by winning the 400 medley relay. The team of McHugh, McDoniel, Amy Hadow '10, and Stimac crossed the finish line with a new MWC Meet record of 4:03.12, breaking the old mark of 4:04.54 set back in 1996.

Andie Schrage '08 led the team with her second-place finish in the 1-meter diving, finishing with 368.25 points. Maggie Connolly '07 (351.65 points) and Jordan Allison '09 (328.95) captured fourth and fifth place respectively.

On the men's side, the Pioneers began with a runner-up finish in the 200 medley relay, as the team of Kevin Wood '07, Dan Neely '09, Tommy Olson '10, and Sean Warlick '08 reached the finish line just 36-hundredths of a second behind champion LFC, with a time of 1:27.61. Nate Wittnam '09 then captured the 500 freestyle event, finishing in a time of 4:45.05, with Paul Gagne '10 taking fourth.

Wood (2:00.65) and Nate Kimball '07 (2:02.08) took the top two spots respectively in the 200 IM before Neely and Warlick finished fourth and fifth in the 50 freestyle.

Olson, along with Mike Weslander '09, Kimball, and Wood, teamed up to place third in the 400 medley relay, reaching the finish line in a time of 3:39.38. Garnet Smith '08 captured the 3-meter diving crown with 425.10 points, while Nick Smith '10 placed second with 317.15 points.

The team returns to action on Saturday for Day Two of the Championships. Prelims begin at 10:00 a.m. with the Finals scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

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