Wheaton, Ill. -- For the first time in the 2021-22 season, the Wheaton men's and women's swim teams hosted a dual meet in Jonathan Lederhouse Natatorium. Their opponents on Saturday were the Knights of Calvin University, and despite both Wheaton teams falling in the final score tally, the Thunder squads can take pride from the competitive nature of the event and multiple standout individual performances.
The Wheaton women's squad had a productive day in the pool, and senior swimmer
Abigail Rutledge was a big reason for that. She placed first in the 100 yard butterfly event with a time of 1:01.05. Rutledge also came in second in the 200 yard equivalent, Two of her 400 yard freestyle teammates on the day,
Katie Yonan and
Rachel Clancy, also posted strong performances in what has been a positive start to their Wheaton careers. Yonan claimed first place in the 500 yard freestyle, touching the finish line an impressive 5.5 seconds before her nearest Calvin challenger. She also took top spot in the 50 yard freestyle race with a time of 25.48. Clancy captured first in the 200 yard freestyle, beating six other competitors to the block with a time of 2:01.37. Another senior on the team,
Priscilla Min, helped herself to a pair of second-place finishes. She completed the 100 yard breaststroke event as one of only two swimmers to finish the race in under one minute and ten seconds. She also came in second in the 200 breaststroke, posting a time of 2:28.92.
After some competitive swimming, the Calvin women's team ultimately trumped the Wheaton group with a total scoreline of 148-109.
The men's team were once again led by Anthony Fitzgerald, who continued his good run of form today. The sophomore took top honors in both the 100 and 200 yard breaststroke, extending his dominance of those events so far in 2021. He finished a full three and a half seconds before the top Calvin finisher in both races, boasting times of 58.72 and 2:13.31, respectively. Additionally, Fitzgerald captured first place in the 200 yard IM event, posting a finishing time of two minutes on the dot. 200 yard medley relay teammate Dawson Bremner also had a solid day at the office. The reigning CCIW men's swimmer of the week won the 200 yard butterfly, making a total time of 1:58.31. Additionally, Bremner placed third out of twelve swimmers in the 100 yard butterfly, the highest Wheaton finisher in the event. AJ Staiti performed well in the eleven-man 50 yard freestyle, finishing second and barely missing out on top spot with a closing time of 21.54.
The Wheaton men's team finished the day's competition with a total score of 110, a respectable 37 points behind the Calvin men.
Next up for both Thunder teams is a trip to Kenosha, Wisconsin for their first CCIW competition of the season. Wheaton will take on Carthage in a dual meet on Friday, November 19th at 6 PM.
