Tiger Swimming And Diving Teams Tie Allegheny In Florida

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Nearing the end of their annual training trip to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., the Wittenberg men's and women's swimming and diving teams competed against North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) rival Allegheny at Pine Crest School.

The uniquely formatted meet began with a 200-meter breaststroke relay, followed by the 200-meter freestyle. Fifty-meter events of each stroke were followed by a 500-meter freestyle relay that combined student-athletes from both teams called the "Pineapple Relay," with the winning team securing a pineapple trophy in recognition of the victory. In additition, the two teams' divers competed on both the 1-meter and 3-meter boards.

The Tigers' strength in the breaststroke events was displayed in the first race of the meet, as Wittenberg picked up first-place finishes in both 200-meter breaststroke relays. In the 200-meter freestyle, freshman Margaret White (Westfield, Ind./Westfield) narrowly touched out her Allegheny rival with a time of 2:23.76.

In the 50s of each stroke the teams traded points back and forth, with Wittenberg's women led by senior Jane Tsivitse (Wyoming, Ohio/Wyoming) with a win in the 50-meter butterfly, junior Sarah Wilson (Centennial, Colo./Arapahoe) with a win in the 50-meter backstroke, junior Molly Gustafson (West Hartford, Conn./Conard) with a win in the 50-meter breaststroke, freshman Dani Lacy (Louisville, Ky./Louisville Collegiate School) with a win  in the 50-meter freestyle. On the men's side, freshmen Steve Stuthers (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) picked up the victory in the 50-meter backstroke, while sophomore AJ Burt (Wyoming, Ohio/Wyoming) also took first place in the 50-meter breaststroke.