For the first time in 15 dual meets dating back to November 2010, the No. 14 nationally ranked Case Western Reserve University men’s swimming and diving team was on the losing end of the scoreboard, falling to No. 11 Ohio Northern University, 158-136, on Saturday afternoon at the ONU Sports Center. The women’s swimming and diving team fell to the Polar Bears 172-126.
The men fall to 10-1 for the season, while the Polar Bears improve to 12-1. The women dropped to 3-8 as ONU reached 11-3.
The men’s last dual meet loss came in tri-meet action with Kenyon College and Grove City College (Pa.) on Nov. 20, 2010. The meet was a day after the men and women swept Baldwin-Wallace College on senior night 166-90 and 165-110, respectively.
Diving events were key in Saturday’s result; the Polar Bears picked up 32 points combined on the one- and three-meter boards. The Spartans did not compete in either event as All-University Athletic Association diver Daniel Jacobson was out with an illness.
In the pool, sophomore Gus Bailey was a double-winner, with first-place finishes in the 50-yard freestyle in 21.75 seconds and the 100-yard freestyle in 48.46 seconds.
Freshman Alex Haufler also picked up two wins, in the 200-yard backstroke in 1:57.32 and the 400 individual medley in 4:16.62. Haufler placed second in the 100 back in 54.12 seconds.
In the final event of the afternoon, the Spartans won the 400 medley relay with sophomores Nick Clyde and Heath Hudgins, freshman Eric Haufler, and Bailey touching the wall in 3:13.41.
The Spartans are in action for the last time before the UAA Championship today, Feb. 3 at Notre Dame College at 6 p.m.
In the opening event of the afternoon, the Spartans picked up a win in the 400-yard medley relay as the team of senior Stephanie Campbell, sophomores Sara Tillie and Maggie Dillione, and senior Jessica Nuhfer finished in a time of 4:04.54.
Dillione picked up two individual victories, with a time of 2:11.70 in the 200-yard butterfly and 59.90 in the100-yard butterfly, in addition to swimming anchor for the winning 400-yard medley relay team in 3: 44.19 seconds with Campbell, Nuhfer, and Tillie.
Campbell won the 100-yard backstroke in 1:02.49 and the 200-yard backstroke in 2:11.82, while Tillie took first in the 200-yard freestyle, touching the wall in 1:59.71, and placed runner-up in the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:29.86.
Nuhfer won the 100-yard freestyle in 56.85 seconds.