Thomas Pitney
Sports Editor
Both the Wooster men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams defeated the Division II Notre Dame College teams in their first dual meets on Saturday, Oct. 23. The men’s team won 137.5-124.5 and the women’s team won 149-112. Both the men and women Scots utilized their young talent to achieve their impressive wins over the weekend.
Josh Pearson ’24 led the men’s team, winning three events for the Scots: the 200-yard freestyle in 1:50.22, the 100-yard butterfly in 53.58 and the 200-yard IM in 2:02.03. Pearson noted that he was especially “excited for the 100 fly because it’s not something I get to swim a whole lot, and I knew that Notre Dame would have some solid butterfliers on their team. I basically just sprinted the whole race and had enough endurance to finish first.” Isaac Shaker ’25 also stood out for Wooster, winning the 1000-yard freestyle in 10:29.44 and the 500-yard freestyle in 5:01.15. Another first-year, Tucker Andrewjeski ’25, dominated both breaststroke events, winning the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:18.44 and the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:03.78. Damien Donado ’25 was the other Scot to win an individual event, specifically the 200-yard butterfly, with a time of 2:06.06.
Ultimately, the men’s match against Notre Dame was decided by the final event: the 400-yard freestyle relay race. To win the meet, one of Wooster’s relay teams needed to finish in the top three. The team of Doak Schultz ’22, Isaac Shaker ’25, Zach Fickes ’25 and Ryan Gross ’25 stepped up to the challenge to tie Notre Dame for first place in the event at 3:19.25 to seal the victory for the Scots. Schultz was extremely impressed with his teammates, noting that “besides myself, everyone in the relay was a first-year racing against seasoned Division II athletes. They amazed me with their poise and tenacity during the race, and I am so proud to have represented Wooster with them.”
First-year Ollie Bream ’25 led the way for the women, winning the 200-yard butterfly in 2:14.03, the 100-yard butterfly in 1:01.10 and the 200-yard IM in 2:17.23. Bream, who was competing in her first-ever collegiate dual meet, had to overcome some mental obstacles. As Bream explained, “I swam approximately 400 yards of butterfly, which granted isn’t as far as people who swam both the 1000 and the 500, but combining the 50 fly from the medley relay, the 200 fly, the 100 fly and the 50 fly from the individual medley was a challenge mentally more than anything.” Despite this, Bream certainly performed admirably, winning the most individual events for Wooster. Also victorious in individual events for the Scots were Molly Likins ’22 in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:09.38, Maddie Becker ’24 in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 25.94, Madison Whitman ’22 in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:33.48 and Emma Connors ’24 in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:24.68.
The Scots were also dominant in the 200-yard IM relay race, as the team of Mia Chen ’22, Molly Likins ’22, Kay Wetmore ’23 and Emma Connors ’24 won first place in 1:55.64 while the team of Min Kim ’23, Madison Whitman ’22, Ollie Bream ’25 and Maddie Becker ’24 finished in third place with a time of 1:57.40. Likins credited the Scots’ success in the relays to a solid overall team effort. “Winning relays are a team effort. Each of us knew we had to push to win that relay. We went out and did what we know best and that is to race! That’s what paid off in that relay!”
The wins were certainly confidence boosters for both teams. Schultz is extremely excited for the rest of the season for the men’s team, saying that “this weekend demonstrates that we are a force to be reckoned with…and we’re just getting started.” Likins is also optimistic about the women’s team’s potential. “I think we are a very well-rounded team and we have a lot of depth. Sure, everyone has their different things to focus on, but if we all put in the hard work and effort this year, we can be an amazing team.”
Both the men’s and women’s teams will compete at Timken Natatorium against Malone University on Saturday, Oct. 30. Swing by and check it out!