Grove City tops W&J to clinch 58th straight winning season

The Grove City College men’s swimming and diving team clinched its 58^th consecutive winning season Saturday afternoon by earning a 156-137 victory over host Washington&Jefferson in a Presidents’ Athletic Conference dual meet at the Henry Memorial Center. Grove City is now 8-1 overall and 2-0 in the conference.

Senior Caleb Courage (Shippensburg, Pa./Shippensburg) and junior Lincoln Larsen (Federal Way, Wash./Tacoma Baptist) each earned a pair of individual victories for Grove City. Courage won the 50 free in a pool-record time of 21.22 seconds. He then won the 100 free in 47.07.

Larsen swept the breaststroke events. He won the 100 breaststroke in 1:02.72, then took the 200 in 2:20.59.

Senior Peter Larsen (Federal Way, Wash./Tacoma Baptist) won the 100 fly in 53.59 while sophomore Cam Coppelli (Guys Mills, Pa./Saegertown) won the 100 backstroke (55.07).

Freshman Ben Bowser (Stow, Ohio/Stow-Munroe Falls) took first in the 200 butterfly in 2:01.48 while classmate Kirk Gagliardo (Wadsworth, Ill./Warren Township) won the 200 free (1:45.26).

Coppelli, sophomore Bennett Keefer (Montoursville, Pa./Montoursville), Peter Larsen and senior Tim Whitbeck (Saegertown, Pa./Saegertown) opened Saturday’s meet by winning the 200 medley relay in a pool record 1:38.51.

The Grove City College women’s swimming and diving team improved to 8-2 overall and 3-0 in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference.

Three women each won two events. Freshman Bethany Johnson (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./Calvary Christian Academy) swept 1- and 3-meter diving. Johnson won 1-meter diving with 208.90 points. She then took first on the 3-meter board with 181.45 points.

Sophomore Sarah Page (Colorado Springs, Colo./Pine Creek) won both the 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly. Page won the 100 free in 56.19 seconds before posting a winning time of 1:02.19 in the 100 butterfly.

Meanwhile, freshman Jenna Richert (Sewickley, Pa./Quaker Valley) earned wins in both the 500 (5:27.43) and 1000 (11:05.86).

Junior Amanda Thompson (Erie, Pa./McDowell) touched first in the 100 backstroke (1:02.92) while freshman Kate Wilt (Bellefonte, Pa./Bellefonte) won the 200 breaststroke (2:29.70).

Richert, Thompson, freshman Emily Kramer (Ankeny, Iowa/Homeschooled) and Wilt clinched the win by winning the 400 free relay in 3:44.85.

Grove City will host Denison next Saturday, January 24 in non-conference action at 1 p.m.