NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Carleton College men’s swimming and diving team came up short against the University of St. Thomas in a dual meet on Friday. First-year Mamoru Kanazawa (Tokyo, Japan/St. Mary’s International School) posted the Knights’ lone victories, winning the 100- and 200-yard freestyle races. He also finshed second in the 100-yard butterfly.
Kanazawa’s aggressive racing style allowed him to grab the lead early in both freestyle races.
"The Knights were challenged with swimming against one of the strongest teams in the MIAC,” said Carleton head coach Andy Clark, “and while St. Thomas dominated the win column, the times that were posted by our guys were just outstanding. We talked and worked all week on closing out races and finding that extra bit of energy to get to the finish wall faster, and each guy on the team did fantastic to this end.
“Many best times were posted but more importantly, the guys never gave up. (Assistant Coaches Brooke Larsen and Craig Johnson) and I could not be more impressed with their efforts. That is the kind of focus that pays off both immediately and down the road."
Kevin Hallman (So./Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park River Forest) and Andrew Mering (Jr./Baraboo, Wis.) also had strong swims in the 1000-yard freestyle and the 100- and 200-yard backstroke events, respectively.
Jaymes Awbrey (Fy./Farmington, Minn.) was the men's team swimmer of the meet for his efforts and swims in the 1000- and 500-yard freestyle events.