Scot Tankers Hosting Wooster Invite This Weekend

For the Week Of:
November 26, 2007

Written by Dain McKee
330-287-3000 ext. 4671
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Brendan Horgan

For the fifth-straight season, The College of Wooster swimming and diving teams will close out the fall semester’s competition schedule by hosting the Wooster Invitational. The three-day event takes place this Thursday, Nov. 29, to Saturday, Dec. 1, and will again be held at Wooster High School’s Ellen Shapiro Natatorium. Joining the Fighting Scots will be 10 squads – Allegheny College, California University of Pennsylvania (women only), Case Western Reserve University, Lycoming College, Notre Dame (Ohio) College, Oberlin College, Ohio Northern University, St. Vincent College, Westminster (Pa.) College, and West Virginia Wesleyan College. Preliminary rounds are scheduled to begin at noon on Thursday, with the finals at 7 p.m. that night. On Friday and Saturday, action will start both days at 10 a.m. (prelims), while the finals take place at 6 p.m. and 5 p.m., respectively.

At the 2006 Wooster Invitational, the Scot women were victorious, totaling 1550.5 points, 200 more than their nearest competition of Westminster (1315) and California of Pennsylvania (1292), and 650-plus over the rest of the 10-team field. Wooster’s men’s squad landed a second-place finish out of eight teams, scoring 1488 points, only behind Westminster (2232).

While the meet is scored as a team event, the emphasis will also be on individuals for the Scots. Wooster traditionally tapers for this semester-ending event, as individuals attempt to start qualifying for the NCAA Div. III Championships, and possibly go after school records.

Last Meet: On Nov. 17, the men’s dual at Westminster came down to the final event, and the Scots’ 200 freestyle relay of Eric Babbitt (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. / Santa Margarita Catholic), Brendan Horgan (Hudson, Ohio / Western Reserve Academy), Michael Saltzman (Evansville, Ind. / Asheville School – N.C.), and Ryan Radtke (Willoughby, Ohio / Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin) came through with a victory (1:27.52) to give Wooster a thrilling 105-100 win. The Scot women’s team had an easier time with the Titans, cruising to a 142-63 triumph.

In the men’s competition, Wooster’s other relay, the 200 medley team of Logan LaBerge (Towson, Md. / Towson), Andrew Olsen (Evanston, Ill. / Evanston Twp.), Horgan, and Saltzman, also provided key points via a first-place finish in a time of 1:39.23, while the Scots were equally impressive in the individual events. Babbitt led the way as a double winner, exhibiting versatility with triumphs in the 1000 freestyle (10:23.15) and 100 free (48.10). Saltzman continued his breakout season by outpacing the field in the 50 free (22.37), Radtke swam to a victory in the 400 IM (4:27.96), and Adel El-Adawy (Cairo, Egypt / German) contributed by hitting the wall first in the 100 backstroke (55.20).

Wooster’s women’s squad combined to win nine of the 13 events, including both relays. The 200 medley team of May Tobar (Athens, Ohio / Athens), Syd Kelly (Edina, Minn. / Edina), Alice Case (Berkeley Hts., N.J. / Mount Saint Mary Academy), and Elizabeth Zucco (Chesterland, Ohio / Laurel School) produced a time of 1:54.38, more than two seconds ahead of Westminster’s group, while Tamari Farquharson (Kingston, Jamaica / Mercersburg Academy – Pa.), Case, Tobar, and Molly Bittner (Westfield Ctr., Ohio / Cloverleaf) teamed up for a top time of 1:41.81 in the 200 freestyle. Farquharson and Amanda Bailey (Westlake, Ohio / Westlake) were double winners in individual races, with Farquharson sweeping the sprint freestyles and Bailey doing the same in the distance freestyles. Farquharson cruised to triumphs in the 50 free (25.24) and 100 free (55.25), while Bailey touched first in the 500 free (5:39.44) and 1000 free (11:29.38). Other winners were Case in the 100 butterfly (1:02.20), Meggie Edwards (Lynchburg, Va. / E.C. Glass) in the 100 back (1:01.43), and Kelly in the 100 breaststroke (1:09.85).