SPARTANBURG, S.C. - In its first event of the calendar year, the Lenoir-Rhyne Men's Swimming Team recorded a solid start to 2024 with two victories in the Converse Tri-Meet.
The Bears displayed two splendid performances by defeating Wheeling, 171-66, and the hosts, Converse, with a 153-100 result.
Levi McRea and Christopher Forsey led the way for the Bears as each tallied two first-place finishes and 18 points.
McRea, a native of Hickory, N.C., notched a new personal best to win the 1650-yard freestyle event with a time of 16:47.52. The sophomore followed up the performance with a season-best time of 54.32 to win the 100-yard backstroke.
Forsey, a native of Concord, N.C., also had a season-best time in the 400-yard individual medley with a 4:24.66 posting. In the 50-yard backstroke, the sophomore recorded a time of 25.04 to take the top spot.
Following the efforts of McRea and Forsey were Matthew Stein and Brooks Higginbotham, who each tallied one first-place result and 13 points in the event.
Stein, a native of Waxhaw, N.C., tallied a season-best time of 24.82 to win the 50-yard butterfly. The sophomore also dialed a second-place finish behind Forsey in the 50-yard backstroke with a time of 26.27.
Higginbotham, a native of Auburn, Ala., won the 100-yard butterfly with a season-best time of 56.09. The freshman also came in second to Forsey in the 400-yard individual medley, but not without a new personal best time of 4:30.08.
The Bears additionally had key contributions from Christopher Glebus, Cordin Schrum and Carson Cochrane, who had second place finishes in the event.
Glebus, a native of Greensboro, N.C., recorded two second place finishes in two unique breaststroke events. The sophomore tallied personal-best times of 30.35 and 1:05.56 in the 50-yard and 100-yard races, respectively.
Schrum, a native of Lincolnton, N.C., recorded a new personal best time in the 500-yard freestyle with a 5:13.80 posting. While for Cochrane, the freshman earned a time of 4:30.08 in the 400-yard individual medley, which tied Higginbotham for the second-place finish.
The Lenoir-Rhyne Men's Swimming Team will have a quick turnaround as they host its first tri-meet of the season, welcoming Converse with Emory and Henry on Saturday, Jan. 6. The event is slated to begin at 3 p.m. at the YMCA of Catawba Valley.
