Aaron Brown

Anna McGlade

The College of Wooster's men's and women's swimming and diving teams returned to the pool Thursday after three weeks away from competition to kick off their own Wooster Invitational – which takes place at Wooster High School's Ellen Shapiro Natatorium – a three-day event that includes six NCAA Div. III programs from Ohio and Pennsylvania, as well as three Div. II schools from those same states, and another from West Virginia.

With one day in the books, it was the women's team that made the most noise for Wooster, as they sit in fifth-place with 270 points, which is just two points behind Ohio Northern University (272), and not too far off the pace of third-place Westminster College (332).

The women's best results came courtesy of freshmen Anna McGlade and Courtney McGovern. First, McGlade placed fourth in the finals of the 500 freestyle in 5:15.98, and in the very next event, it was McGovern touching the wall fifth in the 200 IM in 2:10.27.

Later, the duo joined teammates Alexandra Desotelle and Morgan Hughes to place seventh in the 400 medley relay (4:02.41). The Fighting Scots also had success in the 200 freestyle relay, which was the first event of the day, as Hughes, Desotelle, Molly Laubernds, and Mariah McGovern took fifth in a field of 20 teams in 1:39.93.

Over on the men's side, Wooster finds itself in eighth-place after five events with 177 points, which is ahead of Div. II's Alderson-Broaddus University (112), and just behind seventh-place University of Mount Union (181.5).

The men's highest-finish came in the 400 medley relay, as Brian Maddock, Frayne Poeting, Zackary Pool, and Aaron Brown turned in an eighth-place effort in 3:33.38. Brown and Poeting also gave solid individual performances, with Brown placing 12th in the 50 freestyle (21.65), and Poeting recording the 14th-fastest time in the 200 IM (2:00.84).

The Wooster Invitational will resume tomorrow with prelims beginning at 10 a.m., and finals at 6 p.m.