Men’s Medley Wins Opening Event of MIT Invitational Meet in Just 3:30.61
The MIT men’s swimming and diving team honored the careers of its graduating seniors this weekend by putting on an impressive display in the MIT Invitational, held over the course of two days in the Zesiger Pool.
The Engineers competed against Middlebury College, Tufts University, Wheaton College, and Williams College in their tuneup meet, receiving stellar performances from newcomers Rastislav Racz ’10 and Kenneth S. Warnock ’10.
Kicking off Friday night in style, the 400-yard medley relay team outpaced all of its competitors with a time of 3:30.61, just one second off the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) “B” cut.
Tech’s 400-yard freestyle relay team was victorious as well, clocking in with a winning time of 3:14.36.
On Saturday, freshman sensation Racz was once again dominant in the breaststroke events, winning both the 100-yard (58.22) and 200-yard (2:10.92) versions. His time in the 100-yard qualified him for the NCAA “B” cut, while his time in the 200-yard was nearly four seconds better than that of his closest competitor.
Warnock also had a great weekend. His time of 10:24.28 in the 1000-yard freestyle was tops among all MIT swimmers, and a personal best in the event. “Ken Warnock’s lifetime best in the 1000 free was a great, well-paced swim,” Head Coach Dawn B. Gerken said.
The Engineers have almost three weeks to rest before heading to Norton, Mass., for the 2007 New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference Championship (NEWMAC), hosted by Wheaton College. The competition begins on Friday, Feb. 23 and concludes on Sunday, Feb. 25.