Henry Schneiderman
Sports Editor
On Feb. 14 – 17, the Fighting Scots swim and dive teams traveled to Granville, Ohio to participate in the annual North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Championships at Denison University. Following a star-studded season full of highlights from each team, the Scots hoped to drown the competition as they sought the conference’s throne.
Athletes participated in a rigorous four-day competition that gave way to multiple school records, a plethora of All-NCAC honors and an overwhelming sense of team camaraderie. Matt Kaley ’26 noted the team’s companionship, saying, “we were easily the loudest team there, and we are every year. It speaks to our culture, and how much we support and care about each other.” The swim and dive team thrives off a common desire to see each other succeed, a mentality that flourished at the conference meet.
The first day of the competition saw the combined effort of Ollie Bream ’25, Emma Humbert ’26, Emma Connors ’24 and Kate Peck ’27 net the Scots a third-place finish in the 800 free relay with a time of 8:02.17. This performance proved to be one of the competition’s best and dubbed these four participants with All-NCAC honors. This showing served as the second time Bream and Connors earned the award together, with their previous title in 2022 for the same event. It also was the fifth time Bream has earned an All-NCAC nod, the second for Connors and the first for Humbert and Peck.
The women’s team amassed another impressive showing in the 200 relay as Maddie Becker ’24, Izzy Bellefluer ’25, Hallie Findlan ’25 and Bream put forth a strong effort that saw them place fourth with a time of 1:46.60. Josh Pearson ’24, Ryan Gross ’25, Will Laubacher ’26 and Callum Glover ’26 placed fourth in the 800 free relay, solidifying themselves as one of the conference’s top relay teams. The Scots additionally found much success in the three-meter dive, with Noah McDonald ’26 and Leo Doberenz ’26 placing fourth and fifth with scores of 317.95 and 307.65 respectively.
The competition’s second day saw the Scots topple numerous school records as both the women’s and men’s teams tore through the 400 medley relay — setting a new best for the program. Becker, Bellefluer, Bream and Findlan’s combined efforts in the event saw the Scots’ previous record set in 2019 toppled by a mere hundredth of a second with a new time of 3:53.33. This effort saw the quartet receive Wooster’s second All-NCAC honors of the meet, adding an additional award to each of these athlete’s tally.
The men found similar success as the 400 medley relay team composed of Boston Sullivan ’26, Likins, Pearson and Glover capsized the previous record set in 2013 with a time of 3:25.03, good enough for fourth place. Throughout the rest of the day, the Scots delivered countless notable efforts, many of which approached record-breaking times and top 10 placements.
The third day of aquatics saw Bream break the program’s oldest standing record as she toppled All-American Debbie King’s 1994 record of 4:30.28 in the 400 individual medley with a time of 4:29.68. Four other athletes would place top 18 in the conference for this event as Mariam Zayour ’25, Humbert, Lacey Mindock ’26 and Molly Sterrett ’27 swam times of 4:40.68, 4:41.52, 4:57.55 and 5:03.74 respectively.
A relay effort of Glover, Sullivan, Gross and Flynn Cowie ’26 in the 200 freestyle relay scored the Scots points with a strong fifth-place finish and time of 1:24.06. Sullivan also delivered an impressive performance in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 57.81 that saw him place first and put forth the second fastest time in the program’s history. Glover presented a phenomenal showing, recording a time of 1:42.63 in the 200 freestyle that gave him the third best time in the school’s history. Day three also marked the final diving events for the men’s team, with Doberenz and McDonald placing fifth and sixth in the one meter dive with respective scores of 329.55 and 312.70.
The competition’s final day brought about much excitement, with the team shattering an additional two program records and 14 athletes participating in individual championship finals. Tucker Andrewjeski ’25 broke his previous record in the 200 breaststroke by nearly an entire second with a time of 2:05.43 that saw him place fifth and establish himself Wooster’s premier swimmer for the event.
Numerous other Scots saw success in the breaststroke with Sullivan (2:06.24), Ryan Stokes ’27 (2:08.65) and Parker Robinson ’25 (2:16.30) placing in the upper half of the NCAC. JP Timken ’25 pulled off an incredible performance in the 1650 freestyle as she lowered her personal record by 20 seconds to sit at a time of 17:29.09, the third best in the program’s history.
The Scots also performed admirably in the relay events. In the 400 freestyle relay, the women’s relay team of Findlan, Becker, Connors and Bream placed fourth with a time of 3:33.22, while the men’s team of Glover, Gross, Sullivan and Cowie clocked in at 3:08.02. The combined efforts of Wooster athletes left both teams with a strong fourth-place finish that solidified them as a dominant force in the NCAC.
Kaley reflected on the meet in a positive light, “I would consider this season a success. The team scored more points than last year and broke lots of school records, so I’m proud of us. He added that, “It’s exciting to see the program be successful year after year, so I’m already excited to see what we can accomplish next season!”
This hopeful sentiment was echoed by Cowie who stated, “It felt unreal to compete in the NCAC championship. The pressure, atmosphere and attitude was palpable, everyone was so gauged in. Our season as a whole showed strength and growth from last season…many common themes that we discussed last year like sportsmanship, cheering and overall positivity held consistent this season as well.”
A select few members from the Fighting Scots swim teams will compete at the Kenyon Fast Chance Invitational on Saturday, February 24th. To both teams, congratulations on a successful season!
