By Mitch Blankespoor
WHEATON, Ill. – The Kalamazoo College men's swimming and diving team finished third in a quad with host Wheaton, Hope, and Lake Forest College (Ill.). The Forresters won the meet with a score of 500 points. Hope finished second with 453.5 points while Kalamazoo tallied 439.5 points. Wheaton finished fourth with 434 points.
Kalamazoo did not wait long to win a race. In fact, the Hornets won the very first one – the 400 Yard Medley Relay. Kevin Ewing, Jake Lindquist, Tyler Fisher, and Dylan Shearer swam a time of 3:31.70. The second place team from Wheaton finished with a time of 3:36.16.
Lindsay swam the longest event, the 1,000 Yard Freestyle the following race. Lindsay finished second with a time of 10:10.24, just three seconds slower than the winner from Lake Forest.
Michael Allen won the 200 Yard Freestyle with a time of 1:46.00 to give Kalamazoo its second first place finish of the day. Shearer then made it two straight Hornet victories by winning the 50 Yard Freestyle with a time of 21.89. Hope's Jake Hunt tied Shearer swimming the same time.
In the 200 Yard Butterfly, Fisher finished second with a time of 1:59.22. Ewing followed up with a first place finish in the 200 Yard Backstroke (2:00.93).
Allen and Lindsay finished second and fourth respectively in the 500 Yard Freestyle while Shearer won the 200 Yard Breaststroke with a time of 2:10.72.
In the final event, the 400 Yard Freestyle Relay, the Hornet team of Nick Polzin, Lindquist, Allen, and Cameron Wasko finished three seconds behind the first place team from Hope. K turned in a time of 3:14.67.
"After a long break from competition, we swam very strong today, Kalamazoo Head Coach Kathy Milliken said. "We had almost all in season best times."
The Hornets return to action Jan. 18 for a 1:00 p.m. meet at Calvin.