The Seattle University men’s swim team got the second half of the 2013-14 season off to a good start, winning 12 of 14 events to defeat Whitworth University in a dual meet, 189-73, Saturday afternoon at the Whitworth Aquatic Center.
Bart Wanot (Federal Way, Wash.) was victorious in four events, beginning as the leadoff leg in the 400 medley relay, joining with Gabe Wheeler (Round Rock, Texas), Tomas Mendez-Beck (Hillsboro, Ore.), and Tanner Schelling (Boise, Idaho) to win in 3:28.85. After Wanot finished first in the 50 freestyle (21.30) and the 200 backstroke (1:54.41), he swam the first leg of the 400 freestyle relay, helping Mendez-Beck, Nicolas Morrell (Bend, Ore.), and Schelling to the victory in 3:11.23.
Kyle Moline (Mercer Island, Wash.) also won two individual events, starting with a four-second victory in the 200 butterfly with a mark of 1:55.07. The 100 butterfly was a closer race, but Moline was able to touch the wall 44/100ths of a second ahead of his nearest competitor, posting a time of 52.15 seconds.
Morrell led a 1-2-3 finish in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:44.30, with Mendez-Beck and Douglas Pizac (Salt Lake City, Utah) actually finishing in a tie for second place with a time of 1:46.22. Nick Connors (Richland, Wash.) won the 100 backstroke in 53.77 seconds, just ahead of teammate Lee Van Farowe (Edmonds, Wash.) in 54.87 seconds.
Mendez-Beck touched the wall first in the 100 freestyle with a time of 47.56 seconds, with Van Farowe finishing second in 49.09 seconds. Wheeler finished first in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:12.41, while Pizac was victorious in the 500 freestyle with a mark of 4:51.86. Connor Webb (Hood River, Ore.) earned the win in the 400 individual medley in 4:21.30, just ahead of teammate Damon Perry (Sammamish, Wash.), who posted a time of 4:21.83.
Seattle University (1-2) heads to Colorado Springs, Colo., next weekend for meets against Air Force and North Dakota Friday, Jan. 17, at 6 p.m. Mountain time, and Saturday, Jan. 18, at 11 a.m. local time. The Redhawks will return home for dual meets against Simon Fraser (Jan. 25) and BYU (Feb. 1) before getting ready for the WAC Championships Feb. 26-March 1.