Scarlet and Gray Win Scarlet & Gray Meet – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/23/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swim & Dive
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The 2009-10 Ohio State men’s and women’s swimming seasons commenced – unofficially – Friday at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion as the teams competed in their annual Scarlet & Gray meet before approximately 225 fans.
For the women, the Gray team defeated the Scarlet team in come-from-behind fashion, 136-123, behind a pair of wins from Sam Cheverton in the 100 and 200 butterfly events and a pair from Katelyn Brix in the 200 butterfly and 200 individual medley. Scarlet was led by freshman Megan Detro, from Carmel, Ind., who had wins in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle events, respectively.
The Scarlet team held a lead through the first nine events but a 1-2 finish by Brix and Colleen Schweitzer in the 200 breaststroke put the Gray in the lead for the first time in the meet at 93-92. Anita Beck’s win in the 500 freestyle regained the lead for the Scarlet, 103-101, but the talented Cheverton, from Lachine, Quebec, regained the lead for Gray at 116-107 by winning the 100 butterfly. When Brix, who is from Brentwood, Calif., won her second event of the meet, the Gray’s lead had grown to 18 points and the Scarlet would not recover.
The men’s Scarlet team defeated its counterparts on the Gray side, 137-125. Led by Austin Mudd’s win early in the meet, the Scarlet took three of the top four places in the 200 butterfly to extend a nine-point lead to 20, 66-46.
Gray fought back, though, getting to within 105-102 after Mark Neiman, powered perhaps by the success of his beloved Philadelphia Phillies (he is from Cherry Hill, N.J.), won the 500 freestyle for his second win of the meet (he also won the 1000 free). But from there Scarlet freshman Tim Phillips (Vienna, W.Va.) and junior Justin Farra (Clarksville, Ohio) each captured wins to send the Scarlet to the team win.
Elliott Keefer, from Loveland, Ohio, won the 100 and 200 breaststroke events and Joel Elber (Brunswick, Ohio) captured the 50 and 100 freestyle races to lead the Gray team.
The excellent competitiveness and spirit displayed by both sets of teams wasn’t just happenstance. Men’s coach Bill Wadley challenged his team by announcing next week’s lineup for its opening meet of the season against Division III power Kenyon College would be determined by the performances in the water tonight.
Women’s coach Bill Dorenkott let each of his swimmers know where her current standing was on the team before the meet. He explained the team had opened the season with some excellent weeks of training but he felt their training lacked a sense of urgency this past week.
“I told them, if we left tomorrow for Big Tens, these girls would be on the bus preparing to compete and this group would not be competing,” Dorenkott said. “They were not happy about hearing this but I wanted to get the point across that we need to be training a certain way now to be ready for Big Tens in February.”
And it wasn’t just the student-athletes who were competitive. The coaches were into the event as well, with one questioning the controversial points of a student-athlete or two who may have been late to the starting blocks.
Regardless, Ohio State won, there was pizza for everyone afterward and the swimming and diving seasons are upon us. Both Ohio State teams will officially open their seasons against Division III power Kenyon College next Friday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion. Admission is free to all home dual meets.
Good Bye and Good Luck, Lauren Harris
The swimming and diving team’s strength and conditioning coach for the past several seasons, Lauren Harris, watched her final meet as a Buckeye. The talented coach is leaving Ohio State for a position at Texas A&M-Corpus Christie. The teams presented Harris with a framed swimming tee-shirt autographed by the team before she led them on one last “Go Bucks!”
“She really cared about us,” senior George Markovic said.
Scarlet & Gray Relay Wins
Scarlet M&W – 200 MR
Scarlet W & Gray M – 400 MR
Scarlet & Gray Meet Individual Wins
Gray So. Natalie Nichols – 1000 freestyle
Gray Sr. Mark Neiman – 1000 freestyle
Scarlet Fr. Megan Detro – 200 freestyle
Scarlet Sr. Andrew Olson – 200 freestyle
Gray Jr. Sam Cheverton – 100 backstroke
Scarlet So. Andrew Elliott – 100 backstroke
Scarlet So. Catherine Eitel – 100 breaststroke
Gray Jr. Elliott Keefer – 100 breaststroke
Gray Jr. Katelyn Brix – 200 butterfly
Scarlet So. Austin Mudd – 200 butterfly
Scarlet Fr. Megan Detro – 50 freestyle
Gray Sr. Joel Elber – 50 freestyle
Scarlet Fr. Megan Detro – 100 freestyle
Gray Sr. Joel Elber – 100 freestyle
Gray Jr. Sam Cheverton – 200 backstroke
Scarlet So. Andrew Elliott – 200 backstroke
Gray Jr. Katelyn Brix – 200 breaststroke
Gray Jr. Elliott Keefer – 200 breaststroke
Scarlet Jr. Anita Beck – 500 freestyle
Gray Sr. Mark Neiman – 500 freestyle
Gray Jr. Sam Cheverton – 100 butterfly
Scarlet Fr. Tim Phillips – 100 butterfly
Gray Jr. Katelyn Brix – 200 individual medley
Scarlet Jr. Justin Farra – 200 individual medley
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