The DePauw men's swim team kept tradition intact as they defeated the Wabash Little Giants to win the Aqua Bell Wednesday night.
The swimming Tigers cruised through the competition in front of a packed Erdmann Natatorium, winning 11 of the 14 total events en route to a 181.5-89.5 win.
This is the team's 27th consecutive dual meet victory.
Although beating Wabash isn't new to the Tigers' swimming program, a number of instances on Wednesday night were.
Junior Casey Hooker continued his stride toward the national spotlight by winning the 200-yard butterfly (1:52.49). This places Hooker at second in the country in the event.
The Tigers also warmly welcomed a new member to the squad. A few weeks ago, freshman Caleb "CJ" Copeland was racing in a downpour storm at the North Coast Athletic Conference Cross Country Conference Championship in Meadville, Pa.
Now, the Columbus, Ind. native has strapped on the speedo as a diver. After only a week of practice to prepare, Copeland won with 179.83 points.
"The win against Wabash felt good," said Copeland. "Unfortunately, Wabash was able to best us in cross country, so it was enjoyable avenging DePauw." On his return to the water, Copeland said "Getting back into diving feels refreshing. I'm excited for the rest of the season to see how I can improve."
An array of Tigers picked up individual wins as well. Sophomore Alex Grissom took home the 200 free with a 1:44.02.
Juniors George Morrison and Alex Alfonso both won their events. Morrison won the 100 backstroke (54.10) and Alfonso in the 100 fly (52.66). Senior Matt Gleason took home first in the 100 breast stroke with a 59.59.
"I just tried to get after it. Backstroke is a stroke that is hard to see where you are against your competition," said Gleason. "My only option was to go - luckily I had enough to get to the wall first."
The Tigers further displayed their dominance in relay races. The 400-yard freestyle relay reveals this, as three DePauw teams placed first through third ahead of any Wabash squads.
Sophomore Blake Lehmann, juniors Alfonso and Hooker, and senior Jack Burgeson rounded up the winning relay with a 3:10.97. The Tigers' 200 medley relay of Lehmann, Hooker, Burgerson and senior Matt Haeske took first with a 1:34:31.
"There was a lot of energy on the pool deck. Everyone was excited for everyone else's races. I think that that reflected how well our times were," said Gleason.
The Tigers noted the packed natatorium as a key to Wednesday night's success.
Interactive students, passionate parents and a number of DePauw faculty and staff members stopped by for the showcase.
"We were glad to see so many people from the DePauw community come out and support us," said senior Joe Hessburg. "It makes the meet a really fun environment."
This will be the last time that the Tigers host a meet until January 18 against Illinois Wesleyan University and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technoloy. The DePauw-Wabash rivalry will ignite again on November 22-23 at the Patrick Woehnker Invitational in Crawfordsville, Ind.