A bleak outlook awaited John Carroll Saturday about two-thirds of the way through a conference dual meet at Wilmington.
The Quakers had won five of the first seven events and had just completed a 1-2-3 sweep in the 100-meter Free. With four events remaining, John Carroll trailed by 15 points and would need some big point hauls to pull out the win.
John Carroll did exactly what it had to do, using some clutch swims in the 100-meter Back, 400-meter Free and 100-meter Breast to edge the host Quakers, 103-102.
Complete ResultsThe comeback began somewhat improbably in the 100 Back, where
Jack Garrow led a 1-3-4 finish. Garrow's time of 1:01.10 edged Jack Spraul of Wilmington, who swam a 1:01.65. Spraul was the 2014 OAC champion and the 2015 OAC runner-up in this event
Ryan Singler and
Alec Bryson finished third and fourth, respectively, for much needed points.
Next, it was
Tom Pacak and
Ben Parker going 1-2 in the 400 Free, and just like that, the Blue Streaks had grabbed a one point lead at 85-84.
Matters were still up iin the air, however, and John Carroll was seeking some insurance points to build the lead. Another 1-3-4 finish did the trick, as
David Kirtek spearheaded that charge in the 100 Breast. Kirtek touched in a time of 1:08.69, while
Egan Paul took third and
Evan McGory placed fourth.
John Carroll led by a 99-89 margin heading into the last event, and needed a second place finish or higher in the 400 Free Relay to post its first win against the Quakers since December 3, 2011. The quartet of
John Scantling, Pacak,
Corey Kehm and
Brian Hulseman did their job, touching just behind Wilmington'd "A" relay to secure the necessary points for the 102-102 win.
The Blue Streaks had won ten consecutive meets between the two programs since Wilmington joined the OAC in 1999-2000, but fortunes had changed in recent years. Wilmington had won the last three meets, including a 137-132 decision in University Heights last year.
