Scot Women Finish Sixth, Men Seventh at Zippy Invite

Jenny Bayuk set a school record while finishing second in the 200 breaststroke (2:21.92) on the final day of competition.

The third and final day of the Giant Eagle Zippy Invitational saw The College of Wooster women's swimming team win two of nine events in a field filled with Div. I competition, set three school records, and register seven NCAA Div. III Championship-qualifying times en route to a sixth-place finish.

The Wooster women finished its portion of the meet, which consisted of 11 teams, with 839.5 points, while Ball State University took first (1,554.5) and host University of Akron was second (1,369). The Scots defeated D-I programs Xavier University (695), Duquesne University (672), and Cleveland State University (252), as well as Westminster (Pa.) College (277), and Ashland University (276).

In men's action, Wooster scored 464 points to come in seventh of 10 competing squads. Ball State also took home the title (1,880.5), followed by St. Bonaventure University (1,335) and Clarion (Pa.) University (1,223.5), while the Scots finished ahead of Ashland (421), Ohio University (403), and Duquesne (373).

Winners on Saturday for Wooster were junior Kayla Heising and the 400 freestyle relay consisting of sophomore Sophie Brym, juniors Sonya and Tanya Tarasenkov, and Heising. After establishing new meet-, pool-, and school-records in the preliminary session of the 100 freestyle (51.63), Heising coasted to a victory in the event during the finals (52.01). Her times also automatically put her in the national meet.

Two events later, the Scots capped the invitational by taking first in the 400 freestyle relay for the second consecutive year. Heising entered the final leg slightly behind teams from Ball State and Clarion, but she helped pull out a narrow win for the relay (3:32.22), while setting pool and meet records and registering an "A"-cut for the NCAA Div. III Championships.

Two other automatic-qualifying times were posted for the Scot women on Saturday, highlighted by Jenny Bayuk's school record and runner-up finish in the 200 breaststroke (2:21.92). Additionally, the 200 medley relay team of sophomore Liz Whittam, Bayuk, Hesing, and T. Tarasenkov are NCAA bound following their second-place effort (1:48.16).

Wooster had two provisional qualifiers for the national meet in the 100 butterfly - junior Amy Clark, who placed seventh overall (59.71), and Heising, who tied for 14th (1:00.62) - while S. Tarasenkov turned in a "B"-cut herself and finished 10th in the 100 freestyle (53.42).

Two other Scots made championship finals, as sophomore Elizabeth Roesch hit the wall second in the 500 freestyle (5:09.55) and Whittam touched fourth in the 200 individual medley (2:11.44).

Producing Wooster's best men's finish on Saturday was the 400 freestyle relay team of sophomore Clint Nicely, freshman Joe Silvestri, junior Sam Almy, and junior Curtis Wolfe, which came in 10th (3:15.37).

The top individual showings came from Silvestri and sophomore Kevin Wolfe, as they reached consolation finals and placed 11th in the 100 freestyle (48.27) and 13th in the 200 backstroke (2:00.19), respectively.

The Scots do not return to competitive action until Saturday (Jan. 11), when they host a tri-meet at 1 p.m., featuring Case Western Reserve University and Oberlin College.