Conner Gelwicks

Maggie Layde

The College of Wooster swimming & diving teams achieved another first in program history during the final day of the North Coast Athletic Conference Championships at Denison University's Trumbull Aquatic Center in Granville, Ohio while remaining in fourth- and fifth-place respectively in the women's and men's final team standings.

The women's squad made a big jump from last year's six-place conference finish. In fact, Wooster's point haul of 1,034 points from this year's meet, marked a 276.5-point improvement from a year ago, and pushed the Fighting Scots over the 1,000-point mark at Div. III's perennial conference meet for the first time since the 2004 NCAC Championships.

Kenyon College claimed the team title on the women's side with 1,957.5 points, followed by host Denison (1,787.5 points), and DePauw University (1,141.5).

The men's team, moved up one spot in the team standings from last year, with its 870 points being a 180-point improvement from a year ago. The 870 points marks a meet-record for the men's program, surpassing the old total of 808 from the 2007 championships (note: 2007 championships used 24-place scoring, 27-place scoring used 2014-present).

Host Denison won the men's title for the eighth consecutive year, with Kenyon (1,714.5), DePauw (1,113) and Wabash College (996.5) finishing ahead of Wooster.

Junior Conner Gelwicks made the biggest splash of the day, earning all-conference honors in one of his signature events, the 200 backstroke with a second-place, and NCAA Div. III "B" cut, time of 1:49.40. With his second-place finish, Gelwicks became the first Fighting Scot on the men's side to earn all-NCAC honors in a backstroke event. Gelwicks, who trimmed down his own school-record time in the even from 1:50.28, became the first Wooster men's non-diver to earn an individual all-conference certificate since Brandon DuGar (100 butterfly, 2007). Additionally, it was the first second-place individual finish by a men's non-diver at the conference meet since Wes Bennett's second-place outing in the 50 freestyle at the 2001 championships.

Earlier in the day first-year Garrett Layde broke the oldest school record, and the final record that was held by national-champion W Association Hall of Famer Stan McDonald. Layde turned in a NCAA Div. III "B" cut time 1:53.19 in the 200 fly prelims, besting McDonald's 27-year-old record clip of 1:53.65. Layde trimmed his time even more, going 1:52.56 en route to a seventh-place showing in the championship heat.

On the other end of the event Layde's sister, Maggie Layde, had an equally impressive showing in the 200 fly. The sophomore turned in a 2:08.58 in prelims, the third-fastest clip in program history to qualify for the championship final. Layde cut even more time, touching at 2:08.22 in the evening session for fourth-place honors.

Both Layde siblings had strong support in the 200 fly as Wooster seniors Sarah Litt and Zackary Pool qualified for the championship heats in the event. Litt, who's time of 2:08.56 was the fourth-fastest in program history in prelims, touched seventh in the championship heat (2:10.37), while Pool was ninth at 1:54.45, improving on his third-fastest time in school history in the event.

Also of note, first-year Kalla Sturonas continued to have a strong meet, missing out on the championship heat by just over a second. She turned in a solid 2:11.31 for 11th-place in the consolation final, cracking the College's top-10 list in the process. The women also had scoring contribution in the 200 fly consolation head from sophomore Theresa Dunne, who touched 20th at 2:23.79.

Junior Anna McGlade led a quartet of Scots to the finish in the grueling 1650 freestyle, with an eighth-place showing of 18:04.79, the eighth-fastest clip in the College's annals. Sophomore Sarah Padrutt backed McGlade up nicely, turning in a 10th-place time of 18:18.67, while Dunne and senior Molly Laubernds were 16th and 17th respectively.

Wooster scored significantly in the 200 breaststroke with senior Alexandra Desotelle turning in an 11th-place time of 2:28.69, and was backed up by classmate Erin Drake's 13th-place clip of 2:29.68, while first-years Abby Blinka and Rachel Mandel touched 18th and 22nd.

Litt had another busy night in the pool, placing 12th in the 200 back, hitting the wall at 2:11.05. Classmate Lena Smith also was in the consolation final in that race, touching 17th (2:16.97), while first-year Allison Clough and Laubernds contributed points in the bonus heat.

First-year Emma Fikse led a quartet of scorers that included Jamie Hibbs, Annabelle Hopkins, and Jillian Saccogna in the 100 free. Fikse turned in a 53.95 in the consolation final.

The Scots' capped the meet with a fifth-place time of 3:35.51 turned in by Fikse, Desotelle, Hibbs, and Layde during the 400 free relay.

In the diving well, Morgan Day (320.50) and Theresa Spadola (298.05) finished ninth and 10th respectively.

In the men's meet first-year Max Koch had a strong championship debut in the 1650 free, turning in a 10th-place clip of 16:37.26, the third-fastest in the school annals.

Wooster also had success in the consolation final of the 200 fly where senior Travis Burgess placed 14th with a time of 1:59.15, while junior Avery Wilson was right behind touching at 2:00.10.

Other consolation final swims were turned in by first-year Michael Crookshanks' 16th-place time of 17:19.02 in the 1650 free, sophomore Matthew Pech's 15th-place time of 2:00.72 in the 200 back, and senior Frayne Poeting's 16th-place time of 2:15.44 in the 200 breast.

Wooster's bonus heat highlights included senior breaststroker Andrew Pfeuffer who won the 200 breast bonus heat at 2:17.06. The Scots' also had bonus heat contributions from first-years Cameron Gelwicks and Griffin Campbell in the 100 freestyle, seniors Luke Mierzejewski in the 200 breast and Michael Sokolich in the 200 fly, and sophomore Emmett Werthmann in the 1650 free.

The men capped their meet with a sixth-place clip of 3:08.04 in the 400 free relay turned in by the Gelwick brothers, Campbell, and Layde.

Wooster finished with two all-conference certificates and six school records at this year's NCAC Championship meet.