The Beloit College swimming and diving team fell to Illinois Tech in the Buccaneers' first dual meet action of the season Saturday afternoon in Beloit.
Women: IIT 126, Beloit 53
First-year Elaina Ritt and senior Alex Kohn led the Buccaneer women combining for victory in three events Saturday. Ritt bested the competition in the 200 individual medley recording a time of 2:20.71. She shaved two seconds off of her 100-yard butterfly time to top the competition by nearly five seconds stopping the clock in 1:02.79. Kohn also cut two seconds off of her 100-yard backstroke time to touch the wall first with a time of 1:07.92, besting the IIT swimmer in second by over four seconds.
Kohn added a second-place finish in the 50 freestyle registering a time of 27.13. Teammates Padyn O'Keefe and Natalie Gallagher finished fourth and fifth in the event respectively to add points to the team total.
Anna Bunzel took third in two events with a 2:18.17 in the 200 freestyle and a time of 1:12.14 in the 100 backstroke while Morgan McDougal was third in the 500 free (6:35.62) and fourth in the 200 free (2:23.20).
O'Keefe added third-place points shaving two seconds off of her seed time in the 100-yard breaststroke stopping the clock in 1:18.97. Gallagher finished just ahead of Lilly Calvert for another fourth and fifth place finish in the 100-yard freestyle.
The Bucs' 200-yard freestyle relay team consisting of Calvert, Gallagher, McDougal and Valley StipeMaas also took third combining for a time of 2:15.06.
Men: IIT 148, Beloit 47
Joe Stephenson led the Buccaneer men with the lone event victory on the day. The senior was clocked in 22.91 coming into the wall first in a tight 50 freestyle race. Teammates David Morris (24.34) and Carson McDonald (27.40) added fourth and fifth place finishes respectively in the event. Stephenson added second-place points to Beloit's total with a clocking of 51.29 in the 100-yard freestyle. Tenajh Gaitor took fifth in that event with a time of 52.65.
Beloit's total increased in the 100-yard backstroke as Meshach Roberts came in second with a time of 58.16.
The Bucs went 3-4-5 in the 100-yard butterfly led by Aaron Jolly's time of 59.13. Similarly, third, fourth and fifth were captured by Beloit in the 100-yard breaststroke led by Gaitor's 1:06.34. The Buccaneers added fourth and fifth place points in the 200 individual medley (Roberts, 2:13.97 and Gaitor, 2:15.44) and 200 freestyle (Brandon Washburn, 2:21.26 and Alan Brint, 2:48.59) while Jolly added another fourth place finish individually recording a time of 5:48.83 in the 500-yard freestyle.
In the relays, the Bucs' team of Roberts, Jolly, Morris and Stephenson combined to finish second in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:46.56 while the 200 freestyle relay foursome of Karl Weiler, Washburn, Carson McDonald and Wil Kangas-Olson registered a time of 1:52.88 for third.
Beloit will head north for a dual at Lawrence University Saturday, November 3 before returning to Kresge Natatorium for a double-dual featuring Ripon and North Central on Saturday, November 10.
