Hannah Gabriel won a pair of events to pace the Lawrence University swim team in its dual meet with UW-Whitewater on Saturday at Boldt Natatorium.
Gabriel won the 200-yard freestyle in 2:01.61 and swam to victory in the 500 freestyle in 5:28.02.
Peter Brengel won the 100 backstroke in 54.73 seconds and was part of the winning 200 medley relay team to pace the Lawrence men.
The Lawrence University swim teams opened their season on Saturday with impressive dual meet victories over Beloit College at Boldt Natatorium.
The Lawrence women defeated Beloit 142-59, and the Lawrence men posted a 130.5-50.5 win over the Bucs. Lawrence won all but three of the 26 events.
Julia Heller won a pair of events for the Lawrence women. She captured the 50-yard freestyle in 27.09 seconds and the 100 freestyle in 58.67.
Evan Flack and Ted Chritton both won a pair of events for the Lawrence men. Flack was first in the 50 freestyle in 22.84 seconds and the 100 freestyle in 50.30. Chritton won the 200 freestyle in 1:54.22 and took the 500 freestyle in 5:09.91.
The Lawrence University swim team is set to participate in the fifth annual “Hour of Power” relay event on Nov. 9.
The event raises money for the Ted Mullin Fund for Pediatric Sarcoma.
The event features a “leave it in the pool” practice by the Lawrence men’s and women’s swim teams. It will consist of continuous relays from 4-5 p.m. with the objective of keeping all eight lanes in the Buchanan Kiewit Center’s Boldt Natatorium on the same length.
“This is a great even that our swimmers have embraced to help raise funds for cancer research,” Lawrence head coach Drew Fleek said. “This is a nationwide event that saw 6,500 athletes raise $78,000 last year.”
The “Hour of Power” relay honors Carleton College swimmer Ted Mullin, who passed away in the fall of 2006 from sarcoma, a rare soft-tissue cancer. Funds raised through the event support research at the University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital into the causes and treatment of sarcoma in young people.
“The great thing about the ‘Hour of Power’ is that our whole team participates in the relay event,” said Katie Nelson, a junior swimmer and chairman of the event. “Our team is selling special ‘Hour of Power’ T-shirts for $10 and asking students, faculty and staff, parents and friends of Lawrence to make donations for the relay.”
When the event began in 2006, 15 teams joined together to raise team spirit, cancer awareness and $11,000. Last year, the number of participating teams exploded to 134 on four continents, including 103 college and university programs, 28 high school and club teams, and three students-abroad teams. The even has raised more than $190,000 since its inception.
“We encourage the entire Lawrence community to come out to the pool and cheer on the swimmers,” Nelson said. “We will have T-shirts available and other donations will be accepted.”
