In the two-day Dallas Morning News classic SMU’s men’s swim and dive team finished third. (Heston Mosher)
While the rest of SMU’s student body was enjoying the last few days of winter break or anxiously awaiting the end of Greek formal recruitment for 2007, the SMU men’s swim and dive team hosted the 25th annual Dallas Morning News Swimming and Diving Classic at Perkins Natatorium.
Teams from the fourth-ranked University of California at Berkeley, No. 8 Northwestern and No. 10 Florida State traveled to Dallas Jan. 13 and 14 to compete in the two-day classic. Each school sent a team of eight swimmers and one diver to participate in the fast-paced meet. Only short distance and relay swimming events took place during the two evening sessions, along with one-meter and three-meter diving events.
Swimmers from each team set numerous pool records and personal bests, making this year the fastest Classic in history. SMU finished third with 305 points behind Northwestern (359) and Cal Berkeley (334). FSU took fourth with 131 points.
Freshman Pontus Renholm, junior Alex Hetland, sophomore Luka Vrtovec, senior Ian Clark, senior Justin Smith, freshman Maverick Smalley, junior Shane Milu and freshman Thomas Fadnes made up the Mustang squad, along with freshman diver Preston Holcombe.
In the first event, the 400 medley relay, Northwestern set new pool and meet records with a time of 3:10.87. The Mustang relay team of Renholm, Hetland, Vrtovec and Fadnes set a season best time of 3:14.50 for third place in the event.
Clark continued the record-breaking meet by setting a season best time of 3:50.89 in the 400 individual medley. Matt Grevers of Northwestern received the Jerry Heidenreich Memorial 200 Freestyle event award after setting new meet and pool records with his first place time of 1:34.21. Smalley took third place in the same event for the Mustangs with a time of 1:40.00.
In the one-meter diving event, Holcombe took third with 285.65 points. He finished the Classic in second place with a season high combined score of 349.35. Sam Helvie of Cal Berkeley finished in first with 381.15 points.
On night two, Smalley notched a career-best time of 4:33.70 in the 500 freestyle while Milu had a season best time with 4:39.61. Smalley took third and Milu placed fifth for the Mustangs.
In 200 backstroke, Clark posted a career-best time of 1:45.70 while teammate Renholm took sixth with a time of 1:50.48. Grevers of Northwestern, the defending champion of the event, set new pool and meet records en route to a first place finish with a time of 1:41.55.
Vrtovec took second in the 100 freestyle, clocking in at 44.49 with fellow Mustang Fadnes finishing in sixth with a time of 45.29.
The Mustangs continue their season next weekend in Austin as they face Arizona at noon on Jan. 19 and Texas at 7 p.m. on Jan. 20.
