Dartmouth's men's swimming team opened its season this weekend in Sherbrooke at the eighth annual Canadian-American challenge meet.
The Big Green finished in second place out of 12 teams, powered by strong individual performances and team spirit.
"I think the most important thing about the weekend was that we maintained a positive attitude and swam smart races throughout the twelve hour meet," Ben Lannon '96 said.
The Big Green started quickly when exchange student Eric Brunner '97 won the second event of the meet, the 200 meter breaststroke, in a time of 2:27.46.
Brunner opened the race with a tremendous burst of speed, quickly dominating the competition and opening a lead which no one could surpass.
Later in the 50-meter breaststroke, Brunner and teammate Lannon placed first and second with times of 31.26 and 31.37, respectively.
After a three hour lunch break, the Big Green again returned with a quick start.
Grier Laughlin '96, Brunner, Geoff Walford '99 and Jon Kenyon '97 combined to swim a 4:03.31 in the 400 meter medley relay, taking second place out of 30 teams.
Brunner competed in the 100 breaststroke, hoping to complete a three for three sweep. Employing a more conservative strategy, he swam a 1:07.77.
Unfortunately, Brunner was edged out on the last 25 meters, finishing a 10th of a second behind the winner for a second place finish. Brunner's efforts won him the teams' "Swimmer of the Meet" award.
The second half of the meet also had its heroics. Laughlin, who was obviously hampered by swimming with a broken foot, still swam well throughout the meet, as he placed second in the 200-meter backstroke with a time of 2:10.89.
Michael Hooper '99 also provided the Big Green with another second place finish. Hooper won his heat of the 400 Individual Medley division in a time of 4:45.87, but ended up falling to second behind the winner of the subsequent heat.
"I think that this was a great meet for the team," J.B. Jorgensen '97 said. "Not only in terms of swimming well, but also in terms of team togetherness. Everyone was up cheering and offering congratulations. It sets a great note for the rest of the season."
Dartmouth will travel to Brown this weekend to compete in its annual tri-meet with Brown and Navy on Saturday.
