WILMINGTON, Ohio – Throughout the months of July and August, the Wilmington College Office of Athletic Communications, through the lens of Director Mitch Blankespoor, is going to revisit some of its favorite memories of each sport throughout the 2019-20 academic year.
Today's entry will be memories for the swimming season. Click below to view past entries.
2019-20 Top Memories From the SID – Football
2019-20 Top Memories From the SID – Cross Country
2019-20 Top Memories From the SID – Volleyball
2019-20 Top Memories From the SID – Men's Soccer
2019-20 Top Memories From the SID – Women's Soccer
2019-20 Top Memories From the SID -Wrestling
The first memory that comes to mind for me from the swimming season I actually didn't witness in person. I did, however, get to cover them as two away double duals to open November would set the tone for a very successful Fightin' Quaker swimming season.
The first of these was a matchup with Transylvania University and Wittenberg University in Springfield on Nov. 2. Both programs put together 10 top two finishes with the men winning the meet and the women defeating the host Tigers and falling to the Pioneers.
Macki Leon and Isak Alin, who would both end up garnering All-Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) honors later in the year, took home the 100 and 200-yard backstroke and breaststroke events respectively. Alyssa Harper and Aaron Polk also won events for the Quakers.
The second double dual, against Hiram College and Franciscan University, both teams earned convincing victories. Wilmington won 10-of-16 events on the women's side while claiming 13-of-16 event wins in the men's meet.
My second favorite memory also happens to be one of the events I look forward to covering every year – the OAC Championships. In particular, the relays to end the evening championship sessions are a spectacle. If you have never been to a swimming meet to witness a high-level relay, I can't recommend it enough.
In total, WC swam 104 lifetime best individual performances and broke 11 school records. For the women, Leon broke three of those records on the final day alone, including a 2:10.63 mark in the 200-yard backstroke that earned her All-OAC honors. Fynn Roberts also earned All-OAC recognition in her first collegiate season with a runner-up finish (1:08.19) in the 100-yard breaststroke.
For the men, Alin garnered two All-OAC honors including setting both a program and a conference record of 2:02.17 in the 200-yard breaststroke. The sophomore also finished third (1:53.59) in the 200-yard IM.
