Men's Swimming
Men's Swimming & Diving: Denison's strong final day not enough to hold off Lords
Lowell Byers anchored Denison's winning 400 free relay and and led DU to a second-place finish at this year's NCAC Swimming & Diving Championship.
Date: February 16, 2008
Location: CANTON, Ohio
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Lowell Byers (Chappaqua, N.Y./Horace Greeley) had no intentions of going quietly.
The senior standout capped off a tremendous three-day performance by anchoring the Big Red's 400 free relay team to a thrilling victory over Kenyon College in the final event of the 2008 North Coast Athletic Conference Swimming & Diving Championships from Canton, Ohio.
Byers and the Big Red entered the final day with a 30-point lead over the Lords but Kenyon's depth in a few key events on Saturday would prove to be the difference in the championship. Once all the die had be cast Kenyon had secured their 24th title by a final score of 1,633-1,598.
Despite falling just short of unseating the Lords, DU made a splash in the 400 free relay when Byers took to the water in the final leg. He turned in a 45.09 split over the final 100 yards to top Kenyon's Michael Machala, completing the thrilling come-from-behind win for Denison. Byers' time along with strong swims by David Curtis (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer), John Geissinger (Darien, Conn./Lawrenceville School) and Jon Behnke (Orinda, Calif./Miramonte) allowed DU to set a new NCAC record in the event with a time of 3:01.70. The previous record, also held by Denison was 3:01.74 and had stood since 2000.
Prior to the 400 free relay the Big Red were keeping pace with Kenyon thanks to strong showings like the 100 free. DU placed five swimmers in the top-12 led by Geissinger and Curtis' 3-4 finishes. Geissinger swam a 45.96 and Curtis turned in a 46.21. Behnke followed in seventh at 47.09 and Andrew Krawchyk (Chapel Hill, N.C./East Chapel Hill) was eighth in 47.40. Junior Chris Sellon (Lawrence, Kan./Free State) took 12th.
In the 200 backstroke the Lords gained some ground after they locked up the top three spots in the final standings. Denison countered with Charlie Baldwin's (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Twp.) fifth place finish and Andy Catlin's (Owego, N.Y./Owego) seventh place performance but when the dust settled, the Lords had taken their first lead since Thursday at 1305-1283. The event was a 39-point swing in Kenyon's favor.
Prior to the 200 backstroke senior Wes Bubb (DeKalb, Ill./DeKalb) and freshman Ben Terry (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Twp.) placed 2-3, respectively in the men's mile. Bubb logged a "B" cut time of 16:02.22 and Terry also reached a provisional cut with his time of 16:12.72. Sophomore Casey Browning (Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich./Grosse Pointe South) followed in sixth place for DU.
Baldwin would return in the 200 butterfly with a seventh place time of 1:58.98. Matt Wright (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier) ended up ninth and Ed Kowal (Huntingeton, W.Va./Cabell Midland) took 14th. The 200 breaststroke saw Nemeth take home the bronze with a time of 2:06.78 while Andy Brabson (Boonsboro, Md./Boonsboro) placed fifth and Jake Lewing (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury) took sixth in his first championship.
Overall Byers ended the 2008 championship with four titles, and three runner-up performances. He is Denison's active leader in NCAC championships with 12 (8 relay, 4 individual). Curtis ended with three victories while Geissinger and Behnke were a part of all three of DU's winning relay teams. At the post-meet awards ceremony Denison's Stephen Ritter was named the men's diving coach of the year for the second-straight season.