The Observer, December 9, 2005
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 13
Swim teams place 5th, 2nd at Wooster Invitational
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The Case men's and women's swimming and diving teams placed well at the College of Wooster Invitational last weekend. The three-day meet has a format similar to the UAA Championships in February, making it a great opportunity to practice swimming fast before then. The men placed second out of 10 teams while the ladies placed fifth out of 11.
This meet was the last collegiate competition for swimming super star Chris Cook, and he started things off well in the 200 freestyle relay. The second place relay consisting of John Erickson, Seth Hazlett, Bobby Malinoski and Cook finished in 1:26.37, with Cook anchoring in a 20.79. Later in the day senior Pat Rodjom took first in the 200 IM with a time of 1:58.30. In the 50 freestyle Cook and Erickson finished third and fourth, respectively. As the first day came to an end, Case had a slow start, but maintained confidence knowing that the second and third days of competition contained the teams' stronger events.
Day two began with the 200 medley relay in which the men secured a solid first place finish. The team of Malinoski, Rodjom, Hazlett, and Erickson finished in 1:36.71. Hazlett was also able to grab a third place slot in the 100 butterfly with a 52.22. The 200 freestyle scored Case some big points when Justin Daggett and Cook placed first and second with times of 1:44.79 and 1:45.10, respectively. In the 100 breaststroke Rodjom once again blew away the competition with a first place time of 57.76, maintaining the distinction of being the fastest breaststroker in the UAA.
In the final relay of the day, the men's 800 freestyle relay team dominated the pool when they finished five seconds ahead of second place. This relay was lead again by Cook and followed by David Loomis, John Somerville, and anchored by Daggett for a time of 7:06.24.
On the women's side, the second day began with freshman Lisa McHale having an impressive seventh place finish in the 400 IM with a time of 5:02.88. McHale only had time for a few quick breaths before diving in for a second place finish in the very next event, the 100 fly, with a time at 1:01.14.
The third day of swimming is traditionally when Case really begins to shine, and this meet was no exception. Finals begin with the longest event in college swimming, the 1650 yard freestyle. This event is a challenge both to swim and to watch and is usually only raced a few times a year and competitions such as this. Daggett finished his mile in only 16:47.56 good for third place, less than one second behind second place. Daggett is optimistic about his performance at this point in the season.
"Being able to step up and swim big in the middle of season is really encouraging for conference play," he said.
Once again, Cook flew by the compe-tition in the 100 freestyle with a winning time of 47.34. Rodjom not only placed first in the 200 breaststroke, but he also earned another nationals B cut. Case's men also had a powerful presence in the 200 butterfly by earning four spots in the top two heats. Most notable was Hazlett's second place finish with a 1:57.34. In the final event Case's men came out on top, winning the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 3:12.34. Cook's last swimming per-formance was stunning as he moved the team up four places during his leg to secure the win.
In diving action, sophomore Bernie Jacobson scored big, taking first place in the one-meter and second in the three-meter. In the end, Westminster College proved to be too much for Case's men, but the struggle brought about some spectacular highlights for mid-season.
Day three for the women was a constant battle with Oberlin College, who had barely been ahead of the Spartans the entire meet. To begin the battle, Hannah Webber took fifth in the 200 backstroke with a solid 2:14.52. Later in the day, McHale moved her way into fourth place in the 200 fly, clocking in a 2:20.08.
As the final relay neared, Case's women knew that Oberlin was still only a few points ahead and this relay was their last chance to prevail. Case's "A" relay team of Webber, Winarski, Howe and Stahl was able to inch out Oberlin by less than one second for a fifth place finish in 3:48.68. Also scoring critical points was diver Becky Boeing, who placed first in the one-meter and second in the three-meter. The day three performances were enough to move up one place in the rankings and finish fifth place overall.
Next up for the Spartans is a grueling month of winter training before they return to action, hosting Carnegie Mellon University on Jan. 14 at 1 p.m. in the Veale Natatorium.
