Cameron Gelwicks

Maggie Layde

GRANVILLE, Ohio – Junior Cameron Gelwicks lowered his own school-record in the 200 freestyle again in the morning session, and he became The College of Wooster's first All-North Coast Athletic Conference honoree in the event with a third-place time of 1:39.97 in Friday night's action at the 2018 NCAC Championships held at Denison University's Trumbull Aquatics Center in Granville, Ohio.

Wooster's women's team pulled ahead of DePauw University for third-place in the team standings, and the Fighting Scots carry a 23-point lead over the Tigers into the final day of competition. Wooster's 737.5 points trails Kenyon College's 1,252 and host Denison's 1,171.

On the men's side, the Scots remained in fifth-place with 526 points. Denison remains in first-place with 1,284.5 points, but Kenyon is right on the Big Red's heels with 1,278.5 points.

Gelwicks, who already lowered his school-record time in the 200 free to 1:39.98 as the leadoff leg of Wednesday's 800 free relay, broke that by a whisker in the prelims with a NCAA Div. III "B" cut time of 1:39.97. In the nightcap, Gelwick's time sandwiched in Wednesday's mark, and he was :00.03 faster than DePauw University's P.J. Desmet, to snare the final all-conference spot in the event.

Notable, Gelwicks' All-NCAC certificate is the first by the men's team in a freestyle event since W Association Hall of Famer Wes Bennett's all-conference honor in the 50 free at the 2001 championships.

Wooster's women's 200 medley relay consisting of first-years Hannah Langer and Brooke Brown, senior Maggie Layde, and first-year Lexi Riley-DiPaolo, also earned all-conference honors with the certificate marking the Scots' first all-conference women's relay since 2012. The quartet actually finished the race with the fourth-place time of 1:48.47, but thanks to Denison University's disqualification for an early takeoff on the freestyle leg, the Scots were elevated into third-place and the final all-conference spot.

Wooster, which had six student-athletes in the "A" finals on the night, placed two in the top nine of the women's 200 free. Junior Emma Fikse captured sixth-place with a time of 1:54.19, which marked over a second improvement from her prelim swim of 1:55.68. Senior Sarah Padrutt backed Fikse up with the eighth-place time of 1:56.09, and in doing so, improved on her own ninth-best mark in the program annals.

Junior Garrett Layde delivered a big night as well, as he shattered Wooster's school-record in the 400 individual medley with an eighth-place time of 4:07.20. Earlier in the day, Layde improved his own then-second-fastest mark in the program annals with a 4:08.84, at the time :00.32 off of Ryan Radtke's 2009 school-record pace of 4:08.52.

Sophomore Trey Schopen logged a busy night with points in three events, headlined by a seventh-place showing in the 100 butterfly at 50.63. Earlier in the day, Schopen scooted up to second on the program's top-10 list in the event with a 50.51 during prelims. Later in the meet, the multi-event specialist captured 15th-place in the 100 back at 53.95.

Brown's big day started in the morning session where the rookie earned a spot in the prestigious "A" final of the 100 breaststroke with a 1:09.17, and the first-year lowered that to 1:08.57 in the finals, good for ninth-place.

Wooster picked up key points throughout the night as the Scots logged 21 finishes in the consolation final and two bonus heat wins. The Scots' strongest consolation showing came in the 400 IM where sophomore Alison Hsu (4:45.53), junior Allison Clough (4:48.12), and first-year Kera Sells (4:48.62) occupied places 10-through-12, and the trio all shaved off at least :06 from their respective prelim swims.

Sticking with the women, Wooster logged a trio of consolation placers in three difference events as Layde (58.33), junior Kalla Sturonas (58.50), and first-year Anne Bowers (59.76) finished in 12th-, 14th-, and 16th-place respectively in the 100 fly. First-year Leah Jorn sprinted to the finish ahead of the pack in the bonus heat with a 59.32.

Later in the 200 free, Riley-DiPaolo (1:57.22), and sophomores Nell Kacmarek (1:58.19) and Avery Pearson (1:59.94) provided a strong complement to Fikse and Padrutt's "A" final efforts by finishing 12th, 13th, and 15th.

Clough picked up the women's second consolation final win of the night in the 100 breast at 1:08.98, and further down the times, junior Rachel Mandel checked in 14th at 1:10.20.

First-year Michelle Sayre capped the night by winning the consolation final of the 100 back at 58.71, the fourth-fastest time in the program annals. Langer backed that Sayre up with the 11th-place clip of 59.42.

On the men's side, Schopen and Layde joined juniors Griffin Campbell and Ryan Campbell at the start of the night for the 200 medley relay, where the Scots checked in sixth with a time of 1:35.60.

Speaking of the Campbells, Griffin's 59.32 was good for 15th-place in the 100 breast, and that was tied for the Scots' top showing of the session in a consolation final. Ryan's 1:43.05 in the 200 free netted the junior 16th-place.

Other men's consolation final placers featured junior Michael Crookshanks' 16th-place time of 4:18.73 in the 400 IM, first-year Craig Klumpp's 17th-place clip of 59.69 in the 100 breast, and junior Ric Reynolds's 17th-place effort of 54.12 in the 100 back.

Sophomore Eli Samuelson won the bonus heat of the 100 back at 53.79.

Saturday's final day of action is set for a 10 a.m. start for the prelims session, and a 6:30 p.m. start for finals.