Results
In a closely contested meet, a pair of sweeps early on proved to be the difference as host Notre Dame College earned its first dual meet victory over John Carroll by a 106-99 score Friday evening at Mellen Pool in nearby South Euclid, Ohio.
On a night where JCU won six of the 11 races, the Falcons established the necessary cushion to win thanks to 1-2 finishes in the 200 and 50 Free.
The Blue Streaks won the opening race of the night, the 400 medley relay. The foursome of Samantha Mossman, Melissa Fillmore, Katie Mathews and Andrea Kovacs won in 4:13.15. Mathews then followed with a win in the 1000 Free (11:43.86) that gave JCU a 23-12 advantage after two races.
Notre Dame turned the tables in the next two races -- the aforementioned 200 and 50 Free -- and stormed out to a 41-33 lead. The Falcons pushed the lead to 68-44 with wins in the 200 IM and the 200 Butterfly.
John Carroll spent the rest of the night chasing down the host squad but could never catch the Falcons.
Kovacs won the 100 Free (57.54) and Mossman captured first in the 200 Back (2:17.21) to close to within 16 points, but Notre Dame's Emily Whittington edged JCU's Heidi Benson by three seconds to win the 500 Free to give the hosts a near insurmountable 95-74 lead with two events remaining.
Even a Fillmore win in the 200 Breast (2:35.31) and a victory by the 400 Relay team of Heather Gilmour, Brittany Krauth, Liana Sved and Benson could stop Notre Dame from winning the meet.
The loss drops John Carroll's dual meet record to 1-2 on the season.
