Anna McGlade

Cameron Gelwicks

A relay quartet made school history, one of the oldest school records fell, and one of the newest school records was improved upon as both The College of Wooster men's and women's swimming and diving teams sit in fifth-place following the first full day of competition at the North Coast Athletic Conference Championships held at Denison University's Trumbull Aquatics Center in Granville, Ohio.

Wooster's men's team made the most noise on day one earning all-conference honors in the 400 medley relay, marking first time the Fighting Scots picked up All-NCAC honors in the event in program history. Junior Conner Gelwicks, seniors Andrew Pfeuffer and Zackary Pool, and first-year Garrett Layde teamed to place third at 3:27.52. Gelwicks improved upon his own school record in the 100 backstroke as the leadoff leg, lowering his program-best clip to 50.70.

Overall, the all-conference certificates are the first earned by the men's program since the 200 freestyle relay took third, and Luke Knezevich earned a pair of third-place scores in the diving well during the 2011 championships.

Not to be outdone was first-year Cameron Gelwicks, who had a standout championship debut swim of his own. Gelwicks turned in a 4:40.62 during the prelims of the 500 freestyle, topping W Association Hall of Famer Stan McDonald's 37-year-old record of 4:41.19 set back in 1979. Gelwicks would hit the wall at 4:42.98 in the consolation final for a 15th-place showing.

In the team roundup, national powers Denison and Kenyon College have separated themselves from the pack with the Big Red holding a 653.5-572.5 lead over the Lords and the Ladies currently leading by a 622-583 count over the hosts on the women's side. DePauw University ranks third in both standings with point hauls of 320 and 281 on the men's and women's side respectively. Wabash College (289 points) is fourth on the men's side, while Oberlin College (281 points) holds a narrow lead for fourth over Wooster's day-one score of 279. The Scots' men squad ended Thursday with 219 points.

Classmates Max Koch and Ryan Campbell backed the younger Gelwicks up following the new record-holder to the wall with Wooster top-10 times in the 500 free. Koch, who turned in a 4:46.26 in prelims - the seventh-fastest 500 free clip in program history - cut his time even more with a 4:44.71 in the finals to place 17th. Campbell cracked the top-10 list with a 4:45.20 in the finals, good for the eighth-fastest time in program history.

Layde also made a splash in his first conference meet in the 200 individual medley. The first-year clocked in at 1:57.84 in prelims, the fourth-fastest time in program history, and would go on to better his time by winning the bonus heat during the evening session at 1:56.65.

On the women's side, Wooster's best showing came via a fourth-place outing in the highly-competitive 200 free relay as first-year Emma Fikse, senior Alexandra Desotelle, sophomore Jillian Saccogna, and junior Jamie Hibbs teamed up to turn in a 1:37.75. In the prelims, Fikse's leadoff leg of 24.67 moved her into 10th on Wooster's all-time list for the 50 free.

Wooster's 400 medley relay was impressive as well with Desotelle, Hibbs, and Layde teaming up with senior Molly Laubernds to turn in a fifth-place clip of 4:02.11.

Fikse had a quick turnaround from the relay, also competing in the women's 500 free. The first-year was up to the task, turning in a NCAA Div. III "B" cut time of 5:09.69 to place 11th in the event. Junior Anna McGlade also turned in a "B" cut in the consolation heat with a 12th-place clip of 5:09.90.

Also of note, sophomore Maggie Layde turned in the eighth-fastest time (5:11.05) in program history in the 500 free in prelims, and placed 15th in the finals, while sophomore Sarah Padrutt took 18th.

The Scots' had a duo of sprinters under 25 seconds in the 50 free with Hibbs placing 16th in the event while Saccogna won the consolation heat.

In the diving well, junior Aaron Salzman and first-year Morgan Day took eighth-place and ninth-place in the men's three-meter and women's one-meter competitions respectively.

The NCAC Championships continue on Friday and Saturday.