By: Jack Dunn ~Staff Writer~

The swim team had a strong showing at the Cleveland State University (CSU) Magnus Cup on Nov. 20, with the men coming in second and the women placing third. A number of records were set during the three-day meet.

The women’s third-place finish, out of the 14 participating teams, produced 884 points. Junior Ashley Whitely finished third in the 50 fly, putting up a time of 25.57 seconds. The Musketeers had three top-five finishers in the 200 back, with sophomore Caroline Gaertner placing third with a 2:00.56 and freshman Ali Fort and junior Paxton Drew finishing fourth and fifth, respectively. Fort also finished second in the 50 back with a 26.17, with Drew also finishing with a topfive time of 26.61. The team also captured a third-place finish in the 400 free relay.

The men’s team was narrowly defeated by CSU, taking home a second-place finish with 1320.5 points among the nine teams present. The men’s squad captured the three top spots in the 50 fly, with junior Knot Hitt leading the way with a 22.33. Junior Michael Pettinichi beat his own school record in the 200 breast, posting a time of 2:01.15. The Musketeers also posted five top- 10 times in the 50 back. Sophmore Sam Johanns placed second in the event with a 23.55. The team was able to clinch second place in the 400 free relay as well, with the team of Johanns, Hit, sophomore Enrique Hernandez and senior Rodrigo Soriano posting a time of 3:01.98.

The CSU Magnus Cup was the Musketeers’ last full squad meet of the semester. Select qualifiers will compete in the AT&T Winter Nationals in Atlanta on Dec. 1-3.

The next full squad meet will be on Jan. 6, 2017, at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.