Men’s swimming and diving team claims team championship at North Central (Ill.) Invitational

The Olivet College men's swimming and diving team claimed the team championship Saturday afternoon at the North Central College Invitational at in Naperville, Ill. The Comets tallied 350 points to finish 16 points ahead of Wheaton (Ill.) College.

Leading the way for Olivet was sophomore Koji Takahashi (Etobicoke, Ontario/Silver Thorn CI). He took first-place in the 200-yard individual medley (2:03.87) and 100-yard butterfly (:53.89). Takahashi also swam the butterfly leg of the winning 200-yard medley relay (1:39.41). He was joined by junior Ananta Fetters (Fennville/Holland) and sophomores Dustin Meisner (Temperance/Erie Mason) and Mitch Powers (Kalamazoo/Central) on the relay. For his efforts, Takahashi was selected as the men's "Swimmer of the Meet."

Meisner led a 1-2-3 Olivet finish in the 100-yard breaststroke. His time was 1:00.30, followed by freshman Ryan Key (Phoenix, Ariz./Brophy Prep) at 1:02.53 and junior Ben Guins (Lansing/Eastern) at 1:03.79. Also finishing in first was sophomore Jason Wheatley (Portage/Central) in the 500-yard freestyle (5:07.83).

Four other Olivet swimmers were second. They included Fetters, 100-yard butterfly (:55.00); Powers, 50-yard freestyle (:22.24); freshman Brian Johnson (Lansing/Eastern), 100-yard backstroke (:59.06); and freshman Igor Rasula (Belgrade, Serbia), 1:49.40. The Comets' 400-yard freestyle relay team of Rasula, Juan Aguirre (Queretaro, Mexico), Paul Riha (East Grand Rapids) and freshman Brad Voss (Lansing/Holt) recorded a second-place finish (3:20.71).

Aguirre also finished third in two individual events – 50-yard freestyle (:22.89) and 100-yard freestyle (:49.72). Also clocking in with third-place finishes were sophomore Brian Jaffee (Bowling Green, Ohio) in the 200-yard freestyle (1:50.83) and junior Levi Yockey (Phoenix, Ariz./North) in the 500-yard freestyle (5:17.13).

Olivet is now idle until Saturday, Jan. 7, when it hosts the University of Chicago (Ill.) at 1 p.m. The meet will be contested at Battle Creek Lakeview High School.