SwimSwam contributor Shelby Lacy submitted the following report.
DUBQUE, IOWA – The Graber Sports Center of Loras College had an unforgettable day on Saturday, and it all happened in the San Jose Pool. The Duhawk men’s swimming and diving team topped the Luther Norse for the first time since 2004, which snaps an 8-year losing streak to their conference rivals in the NCAA’s Division III. After seven individual wins and a winning 400yd Freestyle Relay, the final scoreboard read 116-107. This win for Loras broke a streak of 21 consecutive Iowa Conference duel meet victories by Luther.
Right from the start, Matt Bogen (Jr.) scored big points for the Duhawks with his first place finish in the 1,000yd Freestyle (10:37.88). He later added another win to his list in the 500yd Freestyle (5:08.70).
Ike Casey (Fr.) was the standout in the 100 and 200yd Freestyles (49.14 and 1:49.53), touching first in both. This earned Ike his third Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men’s Swim/Dive Performer of the Week award this season.
Zach Benson (Soph.) contributed two wins for the Duhawks in the 200yd IM (2:04.01) and the 200yd Breaststroke (2:17.93).
On the boards, John Maevski (Soph.) set a Loras record and also dove unopposed. This was a huge advantage for the Duhawks, gaining them 18 total points.
The Norse took the two top place finishes in the 50yd Freestyle (Ryley Kramka – 23.02) and the 200yd Backstroke (Jason Orvis – 2:03.81). They also finished 1-2-3 in the 200yd Butterfly.
The final event of the evening, the 400yd Freestyle Relay, brought the most excitement to crowd. Together, Lance Scallon, Michael O’Toole, Tyler Beauchamp, and Ike Casey clocked in a time of 3:21.14, beating Luther’s team of David Carius, Sam Weinburg, Seth Vanderhorst, and Jon Hagen by a near three seconds (3:24.57).
On the women’s side, Mary Kathryn Maher (Jr.) touched first in the 1000yd Freestyle (11:25.32), making that the only individual win for the Duhawk women. Loras had many second place finishes but couldn’t hold up the Luther women speed for the win. Luther defeated Loras with a score of 177-54.
For The Norse, Elizabeth Reed (Jr.) clocked in a time of 2:02.10 to win the 200yd Freestyle. Reed also finished second in the 500yd Freestyle with a time of 5:23.31, right behind teammate and school record holder, Clare Slagel (5:21.65).
Slagel (Soph.) also blew away the field in the 200yd Backstroke, touching in 2:08.43, nearly twelve seconds ahead of Loras’ Maher. Slagel is the top backstroker in the IIAC and also holds both school records in the backstroke.
As one of the top sprinters for The Norse, Erin Connolly (Sr.) was the only female to break 26seconds in the 50yd freestyle, posting a time of 25.96. Luther scored 1-2-3-4 in this event.
A very close race in the 400yd Freestyle Relay closed the night for the women. Luther’s Emily Anderson (Fr.), Connolly, Katie Blocker (Sr.), and Katie Storey (Jr.) took first place in 3:50.55, just edging Loras’ time of 3:51.87.
On the boards Luther College’s, Brandie Schierland (Sr.) and Mary Vuckovich (Soph.) went 1-2, respectively.
Nice job Duhawks!