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Men swim into fourth- Day one OAC Champs

Posted: Feb 16, 2017

AKRON- The Wilmington College men's swimming team competed in their first finals session of the OAC Championships Thursday. The three day championship consists of a prelims and finals session each day. The top sixteen prelims times advance to finals and are the only swims of the day that are eligible for team points. Additionally, those swimming in a consolation final are not eligible for the top eight spots, even if they turn in a time worthy of a spot in the top eight.

At the conclusion of a strong showing in Thursday's finals, the Fightin' Quakers are sitting solidly in fourth with 115 points.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The team of seniors Erik Spraul (Cincinnati, OH/Princeton) and Brendan Tirado (Dayton, OH/Oakwood), junior Alex Tillapaugh (Wilmington, OH/Wickenburg), and sophomore Andrew Stewart (Wilmington, OH/Clinton-Massie) were the first of the Fightin' Quakers to dive into the pool for tonight's finals. The quartet competed in the 200-yard freestyle relay where they finished fourth with a time of 1:26.03.
Three Fightin' Quakers competed in the 500-yard freestyle, and they all finished within four tenths of a second of each other. Junior David Bellus (Upper Marlboro, MD/Northmont) was the first to finish, clocking in for tenth with a time of 4:53.10. Just behind was senior teammate David Spraul (Cincinnati, OH/Princeton) with a time of 4:53.47 for 11th. Junior Cody Nash (Kingsburg, CA/Kingsburg) was the final Fightin' Quaker to touch the wall in this event. Nash finished the race in 4:53.56 and earned 12th.
E. Spraul turned in the highest finish for WC in the 200-yard individual medley. He placed tenth with his time of 1:58.65. Freshman teammate Freddie Snowden (Frisco, TX/Lone Star) turned in a 2:06.00 for fifteenth in his first OAC finals swim.
The Fightin' Quakers demonstrated immense depth in the 50-yard freestyle: Stewart finished fifth, with a time of 21.32; Tillapaugh, eighth, posting a 21.73; and Tirado 12th with a 22.04.
To close out the session, D. Spraul, Nash, E. Spraul, and Stewart joined forces for the 400-yard medley relay. The group earned fifth with a time of 3:35.17.

HEAD COACH TRIP BREEN QUOTES

"We had a great first day of competition. This weekend is a celebration of swimming, and a celebration of team. This meet isn't just about the energy of the individual, but the collective, positive energy of the team. If the team can create that kind of energy, each individual swimmer with thrive. We've done a great job so far; we have to continue to get up and race, to be engaged, and to have fun. We have to continue to swim with confidence, if we do that, the rest of the meet will be just as great as today."

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