NCAA Div. I Men: Northwestern Downs Iowa, 196-153
EVANSTON, Ill., Feb. 8. VICTORIES in seven of eight events Saturday allowed the Northwestern men's swimming and diving team to close out its dual meet season with a 196-153 victory over Iowa Saturday at the Norris Aquatics Center.
The win improved the Wildcats' dual meet record to
5-7 overall and 1-5 in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes fell to 3-5 overall and 0-5 in conference action.
Tony Swanson (Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids) finished first in the 200 backstroke (1:48.43), giving him three individual titles over the span of the two sessions of the meet. He was also a member of the
victorious 400 medley (3:18.81) and 400 freestyle relay (3:01.72) teams. The 400 free relay squad posted its best time of the season.
Kellan O'Connor (Phoenix, Ariz./Brophy Preparatory) added his second individual title of the weekend, winning the 100 butterfly in a time of 48.40. The mark is the second-fastest time in the Big Ten this season behind Wisconsin's Matt Marshall (48.47).
Brian Davis (Issaquah, Wash./Issaquah) also added his second title of the meet, capturing the 500 free (4:32.00) in NU's top time of the season. Chris Biedrzycki (Charlotte, N.C./Myers Park) added another
team season-best time in winning the 400 individual medley in 3:56.25.
The Wildcats also got a first-place finish from Louis Torres (Morton Grove, Ill./Niles West) in the 200 breast (2:02.88). The only event the 'Cats did not finish first in was the 100 free, as Iowa's Konrad
Kazmierczak edged Shelby Clark (Aurora, Colo./Smoky Hill) by five-hundredths of a second.
The event marked NU's final home and overall dual meet of the season. It was the final dual in the careers of O'Connor, Mike Shue (Fort Myers, Fla./Fort Myers) and David Hersh (West Milford, N.J./West Milford).
Northwestern is off until Feb. 27 when it begins competition in the Big Ten Championships at Ann Arbor, Mich.