Emory narrowly leads Kenyon in tight NCAA race

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The Kenyon College Owls did what they could to hold back a surge from Emory University, but a strong finish by the Eagles dropped Kenyon to second place after the third day of the four-day NCAA Division III Men's Swimming & Diving Championship.

Coming into the day, Kenyon held a 25-point lead over second-place Emory. At the end of the day, Emory took over the top spot, by just five points. That sets up Saturday, the final day of the meet, with Emory owning 359.5 points and Kenyon at 354.5 points. University of Chicago sits in third place with 270 points.

The Friday schedule was a light one for the men, featuring just three individual events and one relay.

The Owls went right to work in the first event, the 200-yard butterfly. They stacked three finishers in the consolation heat with junior Marko Krtinic leading the way. He claimed 11th place with a time of 1:48.35. Right behind him was classmate Noah Hargrove, who finished 12th in 1:48.45. Two spots away, first-year Ethan Manske rounded out the Kenyon All-America swims with a 14th-place showing in a time of 1:48.67.

Kenyon extended its lead a little bit more in the next event, the 100-yard backstroke. In that competition, first-year Djordje Dragojlovic put together a fourth-place swim of 46.90. In the consolation heat, Yurii Kosian turned in a ninth-place time of 47.53. Daniel Brooks checked in with an 11th-place time of 48.29, while Spencer Pruett claimed 15th place, finishing off the race in 48.99.

The Owls needed every bit of cushion they could get in those first two events, because Emory loaded up with four swimmers in the 100-yard breaststroke, an event in which Kenyon had no qualifiers. Emory went on to pile 53 points in the event and cut Kenyon's team lead down to just nine points.

That left the 800-yard freestyle relay and Emory maintained its momentum, winning the race in NCAA record time. Kenyon's relay team of Bryan Fitzgerald, Teo Jaworski, Hargrove, and Kosian clocked in at 6:36.99 to take sixth place. The 14-point difference in the race results pushed Emory to the top of the team standings.

Six events are on tap for Saturday, when the Championship meet comes to a conclusion. The preliminary heats will once again start at 10 a.m. and be followed by championship heats starting at 6 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Daniel Brooks: Sophomore

Noah Hargrove: Sophomore

Yurii Kosian: Junior

Marko Krtinic: Sophomore

Spencer Pruett: Junior

Bryan Fitzgerald: Junior

Djordje Dragojlovic: First-Year

Teo Jaworski: First-Year

Ethan Manske: First-Year

Players Mentioned

Daniel Brooks
: Sophomore

Noah Hargrove
: Sophomore

Yurii Kosian
: Junior

Marko Krtinic
: Sophomore

Spencer Pruett
: Junior

Bryan Fitzgerald
: Junior

Djordje Dragojlovic
: First-Year

Teo Jaworski
: First-Year

Ethan Manske
: First-Year