An outstanding finish by the Wabash 200-yard freestyle relay team in the final event of the day helped propel the Little Giant swimming and diving team to fourth place against some of the best competition in the Midwest at the annual Wabash Invitational over the weekend.
The Little Giant team of Matthew Perkins (SO/Indianapolis, IN/Brownsburg), Kyle Weaver (FR/Portland, IN/Jay County), Brandon Peacock (SR/Crawfordsville, IN/Crawfordsville), and Stephen Birrer (Indianapolis, IN/Brownsburg) finished second in the 200-free relay with a time of 1:30.76, earning 34 of Wabash’s 349 points. Kenyon College, winners of 24 consecutive NCAA swimming and diving national championships, took first place with 734 points, followed by Wheaton, a perennial top-ten team, with 498 points. IUPUI, a Division I program, was third with 349 points. The University of the South (295), Olivet College (233), DePauw University (116), Transylvania (111), and Vincennes (64) rounded out the team scoring.
The relays were strong events for the Little Giants. The 200-yard medley team of Brett Findley (SR/Bargersville, IN/Franklin Community), Colin Fahey (JR/Indianapolis, IN/Bishop Chatard), Michael Hewitt (FR/Greenwood, IN/Center Grove), and Birrer finished fourth overall after touching in 1:41.56.
Perkins grabbed an individual third place finish in the 100-yard backstroke (55.89). Findley added a fourth-place finish in the 1650 freestyle, completing the race in 17:12.69. It was the first time that the 1650 had ever been on the meet schedule in a meet at the Class of 1950 Natatorium. Findley also finished sixth in the 200-yard butterfly (2:05.32).
Diver Howard Bailey (Moss Point, MS/Moss Point) set a new personal best on the one-meter board by scoring 185.20 points to finish seventh overall.