Ted Schultz

Jacob Lester competes in the 200-yard butterfly at the Grinnell Invitational on Friday.

Men's Swimming and Diving 1/19/2024 8:16:00 PM Ted Schultz

Pioneer men shatter 3 meet records at Grinnell Invitational swimming and diving meet

Results

GRINNELL, Iowa - A month away from competition didn't faze the Grinnell College men's swimming and diving team in the slightest, as the Pioneers shattered three meet records on the opening day of the Grinnell Invitational.

The new marks Friday came in the 400-yard medley and 800 freestyle relays, the 200 individual medley with Kevin Fitzgerald '25. Their efforts at Russell K. Osgood Pool put the Pioneers in a commanding lead in the team standings.

Fitzgerald had a hand in all three records, joining Noah Tsukuda '27, Antoni Staszkiewicz '27 and Theo Mott '24 in the 800 freestyle relay and Harvey Wilhelm '24, Ethan Yuen '24 and Rommin Adl '26 in the 400 medley relay.

That medley team's time of 3 minutes, 25.41 seconds broke the previous mark of 3:26.74 set last year by the Pioneers. In the freestyle relay, the quartet's clocking of 7:05.39 easily beat the previous best of 7:08.70 set 10 years ago by Grinnell.

Fitzgerald won the 200 individual medley in 1:53.53 to edge the old record of 1:54.17 by Garrett Cadotte of Nebraska Wesleyan University in 2017. Fitzgerald's time ranks second in program history.

Grinnell also won the 200 freestyle relay in 1:25.61 with Adl, Adam Feilmeyer '25, Kade Dolphin '24 and Yuen. Grinnell's other winner on the day was Yuen, who took first in the 200 butterfly in 1:54.53.

Grinnell's runners-up included Yuen in the 200 individual medley (1:55.94), Tsukuda in the 500 freestyle (4:42.52, eighth in program history), Adl in the 100 backstroke (51.93) and 100 freestyle (46.93), Benke Grobler '27 in the 200 breaststroke (2:06.94, sixth in program history), Staszkiewicz in the 200 butterfly (1:57.01) and Josh Sutton '24 in the 100 individual medley (54.01).

Placing third were Toby Frick '24 in 3-meter diving (307.40), Staszkiewicz in the 500 freestyle (4:53.20), Fitzgerald in the 100 backstroke (53.24) and Cooper Malone '25 in the 200 breaststroke (2:13.82). Staszkiewicz's time of 4:47.19 in the 500 freestyle prelims ranks 16th in program history.

Grobler was fourth in the 200 individual medley in 1:57.20. His prelim time of 1:56.60 is ninth in program history. Also placing fourth was Feilmeyer in the 100 backstroke in 53.31.

Placing fifth were Sam Larsen '25 in the 100 backstroke (53.68), Sutton in the 100 freestyle (48.39) and Keely Yeager '27 in the 200 butterfly (1:58.90). Sixth place went to Alex Petroff '25 in the 100 backstroke (54.63), Wilhelm in the 200 breaststroke (2:18.67), Feilmeyer in the 100 freestyle (48.49) and Mott in the 200 butterfly (1:59.68).

The Pioneers, seeking their 12th Grinnell Invitational title in a row, have 757 points and lead runner-up St. Ambrose University by more than 250. The meet starts up again Saturday at 9 a.m.

Print Friendly Version