Seniors Make Waves in Farewell as Men’s Swimming Faces Fairmont State

Wheeling, W. Va. – A remarkable senior day celebration took place within the Alma Grace McDonough Center Natatorium on Saturday as the Wheeling University Men’s Swimming squad commemorated a senior class that contributed significantly to the program. Nathan Yost and Alex Ferebee were the two recognized honorees for the team, competing in their last home events at Wheeling. It was a competitive match throughout the day, but the Cardinals ultimately fell to the Falcons 131-123. 

Among the seniors, Nathan Yost achieved the sole individual victory, participating in what marked his final home competition. He competed in the 500-Yard Freestyle and secured the win with a time of 5:21.63, outpacing his competitors by nearly 20 seconds, earning an impressive win in his concluding event. This was the capstone of a three-win day, with him also competing in two long-distance events. The initial of these distances occurred in the first individual race, where the senior raced in the 1000-Yard Freestyle, finishing in 2nd place with a time of 11:08.78, and concluded his day with a fifth-place result in the 200-Yard Backstroke (2:17.25). Alex Ferebee capped off the day by finishing sixth across three events: the 100 Backstroke (1:07.79), the 200 Backstroke (2:27.53), and the 100 Butterfly (57.99). 

The day’s individual competitions commenced with the 1000-Yard Freestyle, where Sarp Killic claimed the first of two triumphs for the day. He achieved the top time of 10:54.14, setting a strong tone for the Cardinals. Killic’s additional individual victory occurred in the 100-Yard Freestyle, where he again achieved the top time of 49.13. Another multi-event champion for the Cardinals was Euan MacLeod, who excelled in both the 100-Yard Breaststroke and the 50-Yard Freestyle. His initial victory came in the 100-Yard Breaststroke with a time of 59.64, and he followed up with a time of 21.69 in the 50-Yard Freestyle to complete his performances. He notched his third and final win of the day in the 100-Yard Butterfly, seizing the top position with a time of 52.25. 

The last two victories for the Cardinals were achieved during relay events, culminating the day with the 200-Yard Freestyle Relay. The quartet of MacLeod, Killic, Evan Yost, and Gustav Lofqvist performed together, securing the top position with a time of 1:28.93. The concluding relay was the initial event of the day featuring Evan Yost, Matthew Charlesworth, Nate Yost, and Patrick Kirby in contention. They finished second overall with a time of 1:45.16, only eight seconds behind Fairmont State for first place. 

The Wheeling University Men’s Swimming team is set to return to action on Saturday, February 1st, facing off against Penn State Behrend and Alfred State in a tri-meet at 1 PM.