Gardner-Webb Sweeps Final Relay for Comeback Win over VMI on Friday Night
October 20, 2012 | Swimming
Lexington, Va. - Gardner-Webb men's swimming scored a 1-2 finish in the meet's final event, the 400 free relay, and tallied 212 points for the victory at the VMI Relay Meet on Friday night.
Down 32 points and in need of a 1-2 sweep in the final two relays to surpass VMI, the Runnin' Bulldog men got just what they needed, claiming the top two spots in both the 4 x 100 I.M. relay and the 400 free relay to claim first place overall.
VMI finished in second place with 208 points.
Gardner-Webb got its first win of the young 2012-13 season thanks to some heroics late in its meet versus the host Keydets. GWU first took the top two spots in the 4 x 100 I.M. relay, getting a first place finish in 3:47.34 from the combo of senior Drew Ellwanger (Newborn, Ga.), junior Phil Leonard (Greenville, S.C.), freshman Tate Warden (Charleston, W.V.), and sophomore Brandon Searle (Melbourne, Fla.).
A key swim from the relay team of junior Jordan Denmark (Raleigh, N.C.), freshman Nathan Lile (Waynesville, N.C.), senior Mitch Turner (Acworth, Ga.), and junior Cody Meyers (Mobile, Ala.) earned the Runnin' Bulldogs a second place finish as well in the event. Denmark's meet best split time (53.54) led the relay to a time of 3:49.14 in the event.
Gardner-Webb rose to the challenge again in the 400 free relay. Junior Joe MacGregor (Brooksville, Fla.), Lile, junior Matt Anderson (Fortaleza, Brazil), and Warden took first in the event, with the relay team of Turner, Searle, Leonard, and Sam Wilson (New Bern, N.C.) holding on for a second place finish to give Gardner-Webb the comeback win.
GWU opened the meet with a 1-2 finish in the 300 fly relay. Lile led off in 52.20, and was followed by Anderson and Ellwanger for the first place finish in 2:39.03. Senior John Kempf, Denmark, and junior Will Payne teamed up for a time of 2:46.29 and a second place finish in the event.
Warden led off in 53.79 to propel the Runnin' Bulldogs to a win in the 300 back relay, as Wilson and Turner held on for a time of 2:45.42 and a first place finish in the event.
VMI closed the gap with a win in the 300 breaststroke relay, as Gardner-Webb's trio of Denmark (meet best split - 59.77 lead-off), freshman Luke Denman (Greenville, S.C.), and freshman John Drelich (Safety Harbor, Fla.) took second with a time of 3:10.03.
GWU's slide continued in the 800 free relay, finishing behind VMI for a second consecutive event. MacGregor, senior Tyler Nuss (Hamilton, Ohio), freshman Ryan Palmer (Wrentham, Mass.), and Payne teamed up for second in the event at 7:22.62.
Gardner-Webb gained ground in the 500 free relay, taking the top two spots. Searle, Payne, junior Taft Kallam (Randleman, N.C.), and Wilson were first in 4:17.70, and Ellwanger, Turner, Leonard, and Denman finished second in 4:19.22 to help Gardner-Webb stay close.
Another 1-2 from GWU, this time in the 400 medley relay, helped the Runnin' Bulldogs put a dent in VMI's lead. Warden, Denmark, Lile, and Drelich closed out a first place finish in 3:40.39, and Palmer, Ellwanger, Meyers, and Kempf finished fast to secure second place in the event with a time of 3:44.64.
VMI scored a win in the 200 free relay despite a fast finish from GWU's Searle (21.65). The sophomore teamed up with Anderson, Wilson, and Meyers to take second in the event at 1:28.93. The Keydets also took third in the event as GWU began to fall behind.
A first place finish in the 1500 free relay from Nuss, Payne, and MacGregor (15:00.13) helped GWU chip into the Keydets' lead. VMI took third once again by a narrow .72 margin to keep the Runnin' Bulldogs' deficit at 32 points entering the final two events.
An undermanned Gardner-Webb squad scored a 1-2 finish in both relays, scoring the visitors a four-point win, its first of the season.
Gardner-Webb's men's swim team turns around tomorrow, Saturday, October 20, for the Virginia Tech Sprint Invite. The meet, in Christiansburg, Va., is scheduled for an 11:00 a.m. start time. Live stats for tomorrow's Virginia Tech Sprint Invite can be found at the above link.
