WOOSTER, Ohio – Sophomore Josh Pearson broke The College of Wooster's program record en route to winning the 200 individual medley, and the Fighting Scots swimming and diving team won three events on day one of the program's annual Wooster Invitational at Ellen Shapiro Natatorium. Wooster's men are in second-place with 452 points, well within striking distance of Ohio Northern University, which leads the eight-team men's field at 471.5 points. The University of Mount Union leads nine women's teams with 455 points, while Wooster is in second at 362, fueled in large part by a one-two-three finish in the 200 individual medley.
Pearson entered Thursday already third in program history with a 1:55.09 in the 200 individual medley from his rookie season. The sophomore lowered that mark with a 1:54.78 in prelims, the top time by nearly three seconds. Pearson's 1:53.86 in the championship final just edged out Josh Gluck (2019) and Alex LaJoie's (2013) time of 1:53.87. Pearson was well ahead of Ohio Northern University's Jeremy Adams, who touched at 1:55.24, which was Thursday's runner-up time.
First-year Ollie Bream (2:13.66), sophomore Maddie Becker (2:14.12), senior Madison Whitman (2:14.28), and first-year Mariam Zayour (2:18.03) had the Scots primed for major points in the women's 200 individual medley, with the quartet occupying places two through five in prelims. Bream (2:09.80), Whitman (2:10.87), and Becker (2:12.86) all surged past Edinboro University's Leia Ross (2:14.11) in the championship final, giving the Scots a one-two-three finish. Zayour backed the top trio up with the sixth-place time of 2:19.16.
First-year Hallie Findlan, who cracked Wooster's top-10 performers list in the 50 freestyle in her collegiate debut in October, zoomed up to third within the program with a 23.85 in the championship final. She finished in a dead tie with Edinboro's Makayla Scheu for first in the event.
Wooster's women started Thursday's finals in impressive fashion with runner-up showings in the first two events, and sophomore Emma Connors was a big reason why. She was part of Wooster's runner-up 200 freestyle relay that came in at 1:38.66, then immediately returned to the water to post the second-place time of 5:14.93 in the 500 freestyle. Findlan, Becker, and senior Molly Likins rounded out the Scots' 200 freestyle relay. Later, the Scots capped the session with Becker, Whitman, junior Kay Wetmore, and Connors touching third at 4:07.14 in the 400 medley relay.
First-year Isaac Shaker led the way for the Scots in the men's 500 freestyle. There, the rookie took fourth with a time of 4:53.75.
On the men's side, Wooster posted top-seven finishes with its top two relays in the finals-opening 200 freestyle relay. First-year Ryan Gross and Zach Fickes and juniors Graham Letkeman and Doak Schultz came in at 1:26.92, which was fifth, while sophomore Lyonel Fritsch and first-years Alex Linderman, Justin DuBois, and Aiden Lentz were seventh at 1:29.98. First-year Damien Donado, junior Noah Golovan, Pearson, and Gross capped Thursday's action with the runner-up time of 3:30.18 in the 400 medley relay.
Other men in Thursday's championship finals were Golovan (fifth, 200 individual medley, 1:59.13), first-year Tucker Andrewjeski (sixth, 200 individual medley, 1:59.24), Gross (sixth, 50 freestyle, 21.58), Donado (seventh, 200 individual medley, 2:02.50), first-year Andre Yazhbin (eighth, 500 freestyle, 5:05.69).
Wooster logged two other top-eight relays on Thursday. First-year Max Likins, Andrewjeski, Fritsch, and Shaker took sixth in the 400 medley relay with a time of 3:39.41. Juniors Carol Maag, Min Kim, Wetmore, and Alice Markey touched eighth in the 200 freestyle relay (1:45.68).
Friday's schedule has prelims at 10 a.m., diving at 2 p.m. on campus at Timken Natatorium, and finals at 6 p.m.