Alexandra Desotelle

Avery Wilson

The College of Wooster swimming and diving teams kicked off their 2015-16 dual-meet season by sweeping Wittenberg University, with the men producing a dominant 148-95 victory and the women defeating the archrival Tigers for the second year in a row, this time by a 129-108 score on Saturday in Springfield, Ohio.

The result of the men's meet was particularly impressive for Wooster, as the Fighting Scots improved 68 points, in terms of margin, from last year's 15-point setback to Wittenberg.

One of the keys to the win was Wooster's 1-2-3 finishes in both the 50 and 100 freestyle races. Freshmen Garrett Layde, Burke Poeting, and Griffin Campbell were within a quarter second of each other in the 50, sprinting to the wall in 22.85, 22.97, and 23.10, respectively, and in the 100, it was Poeting leading the way (51.10), followed by Ryan Campbell (52.02) and Avery Wilson (52.42).

A double winner for the Scots was rookie Cameron Gelwicks, who took top honors in the 200 free (1:48.75) and 500 free (4:59.02), edging a Wittenberg swimmer at the wall by 0.07 seconds in the latter. His older brother, Conner Gelwicks, won the 200 backstroke (2:02.01), and Zackary Pool seemed to pick up where he left off last season by finishing first in his specialty, the 200 butterfly (2:00.99).

Also among those adding to the Scots' commanding victory, Aaron Salzman emerged atop the leaderboard in the five-man diving competitions with scores of 222.15 on the one-meter and 192.05 on the three-meter.

The women's meet was closer, with Wooster's depth and relay success being the difference. A win by Alexandra Desotelle, Jamie Hibbs, Anna McGlade, and Maggie Layde in the 400 freestyle relay (3:45.92) clinched the outcome.

Individually, the Scots had a pair of double winners in first-year Emma Fikse and senior Sarah Litt. Fiske showcased her potential in the middle distance area with first-place swims in the 200 free (1:59.91) and 500 free (5:27.56), while Litt displayed her versatility by notching victories in the 200 IM (2:20.50) and 200 backstroke (2:18.41).

Desotelle touched first in the 100 free (56.22).

Wooster will be at Oberlin College next Saturday for another dual, starting at 1 p.m.