ELSAH, ILL. – The Panthers came into the final meet of the year versus Illinois College with excitement and energy and swam great but lost a heart-breaker 84-85. They showed that with only a week of resting they are getting fast. Illinois College came in with a numbers advantage but the men battled throughout the meet that saw every guy win an event but they couldn't overcome IC's depth. The speed that was on display showed that the men are on track for an amazing end to the season.
It was Senior Day and the men's one senior,
Zach Harmon, didn't disappoint. He swam to three best times including winning the 200 IM. His win in the 200 IM in 2:29.55 was an un-rested best time, almost eclipsing his best time ever. In the 100 Free, he added another season best time with a 58.67 and with a 26.53 50 free relay split in the 200 Free relay he added one more. It was a great show for his final regular season meet.
The men dominated the meet in the win column, winning all but two events. After a win in the opening 200 Medley relay, freshman
Josh Harmon and junior captain
Tyler Loechner battled it out in the 200 Free. They were stroke for stroke for much of the rest, until Harmon pulled just slightly ahead at the finish. Harmon would win in 1:51.54 while Loechner was right behind in 1:51.94. The 50 Free saw two best times. Junior
Andy Furbush won the event in 23.28, a lifetime best time and fellow junior
Karsten Olsen swam a best time 27.09 to take 4
th.
After
Zach Harmon's win in the 200 IM, Furbush was back in the water for dominating, winning the 100 Fly. His 54.02 was an un-rested best time. Next
Josh Harmon scorched the pool with a 49.00 win in the 100 free. His time was not only a season best for him, it put him 9
th all time at Principia. Loechner got his win in the 100 Backstroke with a 56.57. Junior
Karsten Olsen continues to improve in leaps and bounds as he won the 500 Free in 5:58.09, a 12 second improvement! The men finished up with a win (all be it unofficial) in the 200 Free relay.
With only a week of taper for some and none for others, the men were swimming well. The energy was up, the excitement was up and the joy was felt by everyone. With a week and half until the Liberal Arts Championships, the men are poised for great things. The Liberal Arts Championships, hosted by Principia, starts on Thursday Feb 16 and runs through Saturday, Feb 18. It is the final meet of the season and is sure to be a great one. Check the Liberal Arts website for more information.
