Yeomen go fourth at NCAC Meet

The Yeomen planned to jump right into the NCAC Championships last weekend. Swim fast, let their hair down. Or just lose the hair.

"The first swim of the meet got everyone psyched up," said senior Jeff Patterson. First-year Scott Remley was slated to open in the 500-yard freestyle, a race that was once dominated by Mike Heithaus OC '95.

The Yeomen had been practicing for a week when Remley, wearing trunks, wandered onto the decks to join the team. Heithaus, who routinely finished the course under the five-minute mark, returned to Oberlin last weekend to help run the meet and to provide Remley with a little motivation.

Heithaus and Remley negotiated a deal. If Remley could complete the race in 5:10.00, Heithaus would shave his head. Remley clocked in at 5:09.07, trimming over 20 seconds off his lifetime best time, forcing Heithaus to get a trim himself.

The swims continued to be strong throughout the weekend, giving Oberlin a fourth place finish. Oberlin scored 354 points, trailing the College of Wooster by almost a 100 points. Kenyon College easily finished first, continuing their reign of the NCAC.

"The kids swam as fast as they could," said head coach Dick Michaels, "I told the kids that in terms of everyone being on, this was the best meet yet."

Every seat was taken for the meet. Coaches in suits perched precariously on the edge of the diving board, bouncing higher and higher as their swimmers approached the finish. A Denison coach motivated his swimmers with a whistle that must have attracted dogs from neighboring counties.

First-year Matt Soellner claimed fourth place in the 500-yard free, finishing in just 4:43.56. Soellner bettered his previous record by seven seconds.

The 50-yard freestyle, the sport's quickest race, was swam admirably by senior Kris Grabarek. Grabarek completed the course in 22.43, but fell short of making a "B"-cut. Senior Dan Rogers touched the wall in 22.07. Rogers was unshaved, untapered and tired.

"In the 100-yard fly we were just awesome," said Michaels. The Yeomen have a tough fly contigent, and they were in full force last weekend. Sophomore Eric Grasha swam to a 53.37 finish, and was closely followed by Rogers.

Soellner came within seconds of qualifying for Nationals in the 200-yard fly. "He had a strategic error in his pacing," said Michaels, "We're going to try again with him."

Junior Paul Westbrook managed to break the minute mark in the 100-yard back, racking up a 58.2 in a relay.

The Yeomen still came up short in total points. "Wooster was just flat too good for us," said Michaels, "They beat us, that's that."

The skirted Fighting Scots marched into Carr Pool behind an eight-man bagpipe band. The scene was set for a heated night of caber toss. The Scots quickly proved their prowess extended beyond traditional piping, although their means of scoring was somewhat controversial.

"Wooster throws carcasses into events and winds up getting points," said Patterson, "We're a much better team. They get a lot of cheap points." Points are awarded to teams based on the number of top finishers. Wooster improves their chances of being in the top group by entering the less popular events.

Although the Yeomen were unable to qualify any swimmers for Nationals, three swimmers will travel to Case Western Reserve University for a final shot at qualifying. Woodson, Grabarek and Soellner will compete at the aptly titled "Last-Chance Meet."

Top: Potential: In the earliest stage of success, sophomore Paul Westbrook is on his marks. (photo by Adam Reitano)
Bottom: Making a splash: Swimmers at the NCAC Championships take off. In a predictable finish, Kenyon College was crowned champion. Oberlin finished in the fourth slot. (photo by Adam Reitano)