GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Jacob Menzer won his first career Centennial Conference gold medal and joined Ryan Carkhuff in breaking a program record as the Ursinus College men's swimming team concluded the second night of the Centennial Conference championships in fourth place.
The Bears slipped two spots in the team standings after entering the third session in second place behind reigning champion Swarthmore, but find themselves just 14 points back of Franklin & Marshall in third and 40 behind Gettysburg in second. The Garnet take a 73-point lead on the Bullets into Saturday's competition.
Menzer finished second in the 500 free in each of the last two seasons, including a tight loss to his younger brother Alec of Swarthmore a year ago. This time, the junior star bested his kin and ascended to the top of the podium for the first time with an NCAA B-cut time of 4:33.25, about a second and a half clear of Swarthmore's Michael Lutzker (4:34.67) and the younger Menzer (4:34.71). Menzer also eclipsed his own program record of 4:33.69 from last year's championship.
Senior Johnathan Myers placed ninth in the 500 free with a 4:43.68, while junior Jared Krawetz was right behind in 10th at 4:43.90. Freshman William Clift placed 15th (4:53.49).
Sophomore Michael Prior gave the Bears' record a run in the 200 IM, ultimately coming up just .36 seconds short with a personal best in a 12th-place swim (1:55.81).
Carkhuff broke senior Travis Venables' 50 free record with a 20.92 in the prelims and matched that time exactly in the night session, good for a bronze medal. The freshman was .20 seconds behind Swarthmore's Alec Lawless in second.
Another rookie, Daniel Mueser, reset his personal standard with a 21.38 to place ninth, while junior Casey Lear (21.78) and Venables (21.87) finished in 14th and 15th, respectively.
Prior joined senior Maxwell Coulter, Mueser, and Menzer to handily top the school record in the 400 medley relay, besting the previous standard by almost three full seconds and claiming a bronze medal with a 3:25.32.
The championship resumes Saturday morning with prelims in the 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, and 100 back.