The men's swimming team went into action last Saturday hoping to rebound from a close loss to the University of Massachusetts and snap its losing streak.
But the team's luck ran short as it was touched out in a few key races and edged out on the diving board, losing 131-112 to the University of Pennsylvania. The loss drops its record to 1-6-1 and 0-3-1 in the E.I.S.L.
Dartmouth jumped out to a quick lead, winning the 400-meter medley relay in 3:33.77. But lead was short-lived, as Penn won the next four events.
Jon Kenyon '97 broke Penn's streak in the 100-meter freestyle, winning in 48.18. Behind a 1-2 combination of Grier Laughlin '96 and Louis Tucker '95 in the 200-meter backstroke, the Big Green pulled within nine points. Then the luck ran out.
Mark Devlin '98 went into the three meter diving competition hoping to repeat his winning performance on the one-meter board. But he finished second with 215.85 points, only .53 points behind the winner.
The next event was the 200-meter breaststroke, where Ben Lannon '96 finished second, 0.14 second off the pace. These two close finishes opened the Penn lead to 125-101.
Still, Dartmouth had the 400-meter freestyle relay left. The team of Ross Downey '95, Tucker, Pete Woodson '95, and Doug Doucet '98 pushed ahead to win the race in 3:16, but it wasn't enough to put Dartmouth ahead.
Tucker said he was pleased with the team's performance. "Many guys swam season best times. It was one of the best meets of the season."
