The men’s swimming and diving team began the start of the regular season Oct. 19 when they defeated the Northwestern Wildcats 157 to 141. The Eagles had not beaten the Wildcats in a decade.
The first event was the 200-yard medley relay. The Wildcats were able to take the lead, finishing with 11 points compared to the Eagles’ six. The next event would prove to be much the same as the first; the Wildcats earned 11 points and the Eagles earned eight.
The tide turned during the third event, the 200-yard freestyle. The Eagles took an impressive 14 points compared to the Wildcats who took only five.
Event four showcased Jacob Hanson, who had finished second with teammate Grant Schwarz in the first event. Hanson took the first of three first-place finishes, as EMU took 10 points, edging out Northwestern’s nine points in the 100-yard backstroke. Hanson also took first place in the 200-yard backstroke and the 200-yard individual medley.
These first-place finishes gave EMU a combined 27 of their total 157 points. The 27 points from first place finishes does not take into account the other points that Hanson was able to earn for EMU. The total also does not account for the fact that the final first-place finish was earned in the 15th event which, along with fellow teammate point getter Michael Swain, stopped Northwestern from being able to fight back and steal the win from the Eagles.
