Runnin' Bulldogs Top VMI in Relay Meet at Home on Saturday
November 10, 2013 | Swimming
Boiling Springs, N.C. - Gardner-Webb men's swimming was victorious in hosting for the first time this season, scoring a 190-182 win over VMI in a relay meet format Saturday afternoon at Bost Pool.
The Runnin' Bulldogs won six events and were able to get valuable competition experience in anticipation of the squad's November taper meet in securing the win over VMI at home on Saturday. GWU will taper for the Fall Frenzy Invitational, held Nov. 22-24 in Charlotte, N.C.
GWU opened the meet with a 1-2-3 performance in the men's 3x100 butterfly relay. The quartet of Ryan Palmer (57.20), Nathan Lile (53.18), and Connor Bos (53.97) combined for a time of 2:44.35 to finish first in the event. Lile's split on the second leg represented the fastest in the event, followed closely by Hal McKay's (53.53) on the second leg of the 2nd place unit.
A fast start from Brandon Searle (55.08) sparked a 1st place finish in the 3x100 backstroke relay. After Searle's leadoff split, Palmer (56.60) and Cody Meyers (55.35) closed it out for a time of 2:47.03.
Gardner-Webb also picked up a win in the 3x100 breaststroke relay, aided by Lile's event-best 1:02.90 split from the second leg. The I.M. specialist Meyers led off in 1:06.35 and Luke Denman split 1:06.31 as the anchor to finish off a time of 3:15.56.
In the men's 800 free relay, VMI picked up its firs win of the day, leading from start to finish to record a time of 7:15.82. Andy Watts (1:53.59), Andrew Linzie (1:51.60), McKay (1:48.11), and Josh Hanson (1:52.09) finished in 2nd place in the event.
Gardner-Webb jumped back on top with a 1-2 finish in the men's 500 free relay. Nicholas Dyer led off with a 50 free split time of 22.58, Palmer followed by splitting 50.19 in the next 100, Tate "Tater Tot" Warden raced to a 1:17.27 split in the 150 free, and Denman closed with a 200 free split time of 1:49.41 to hold off 2nd place team anchor Nathan Lile's 1:47.03 split.
Another 1-2 Runnin' Bulldog finish followed in the men's 400 medley relay. Searle (55.68), Linzie (1:02.84), Bos (54.50), and Watts (51.00) teamed up for a time of 3:44.02 to place first in the event.
GWU turned around for a 1-2 finish in the next event, the 200 free relay. Searle (22.76), Cole Hickey (22.00), McKay (21.94), and Joe MacGregor (22.07) recorded a 1st-place time of 1:28.77.
Late in the meet, GWU's Searle and Lile turned heads with their lead-off performances in the final two events, the 4x100 I.M. relay and the 400 free relay, respectively. Searle, a junior from Melbourne, Fla., led off with a 100 I.M. time of 55.07, the fastest in the event, while Lile led all swimmers in the 400 free relay with a lead-off split time of 47.83.
GWU men's swimming turns its attention to its midseason taper meet, as the Runnin' Bulldogs will next compete at the Fall Frenzy Invitational (Nov. 22-24; Charlotte, N.C.).
