Swimming & diving teams fall to Kalamazoo

OLIVET, Mich. – The Olivet College men's and women's swimming & diving teams fell to Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association rival Kalamazoo College this evening at the Upton Center Pool in Olivet. The Comet men dropped a 180-49 decision to the Hornets, while the women fell by a score of 178-55.

The women's team posted two first-place finishes. Freshman Sabrina Butler claimed the top spot in the 100-yard freestyle with a season-best time of 58.76 seconds. Swimming in her first meet as a Comet, freshman Taylor Tibbetts touched the wall first in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 1:02.81.

Olivet also had three runner-up finishes. Sophomore Emma Cole placed second in the 200-yard freestyle at 2:08.19. Senior Megan Dossey finished right behind Butler in the 100 freestyle with a time of 58.79 seconds. Tibbetts was second in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 1:02.81.

Four other season-best times were achieved in the meet – Butler in the 200-yard freestyle (2:09.78), senior Leah Lupu in the 50-yard freestyle (:29.17) and 100-yard butterfly (1:13.28) and sophomore Nicole Zerfas in the 50-yard freestyle (:27.77).

The men's team also had two individuals win an event. Senior Taylor Howard took first-place in 200-yard individual medley with a season-best time of 2:04.87. The time was also almost five seconds faster than the runner-up finisher. Freshman Derek Melinsky was the first to touch in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 1:00.00.

Howard also swam a season-best time of 56.23 seconds in the 100-yard butterfly to finish in second-place. The only other season-best time posted at the meet was by Melinsky in the 200-yard freestyle at 2:02.83.

Junior Bryce Prudden placed second in both diving competitions. He scored 226.75 points on the one-meter and 191.85 points on the three-meter.

Olivet will rest tonight and then travel to Manchester (Ind.) University for non-conference dual meets tomorrow against the Spartans, starting at 1 p.m.