ST. LOUIS, MO. -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology freshman Ellie Hong (Dayton, Ohio/Oakwood) won three events against nationally ranked competition to lead the Fightin' Engineer performance at Washington University on Friday and Saturday.
Hong won the 200-yard backstroke with a pool record time of 2:04.27 on Friday night. On Saturday, Hong added individual victories in the 100-backstroke (58.55) and tied for top honors with Caroline Bridges of DePauw in the 50-freestyle (25.25). The 100-backstroke time marked another Washington University pool record.
Sophomore Orion Martin (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman) joined Hong as an event winner in a competition featuring two NCAA Division II foes and nationally ranked Division III teams Washington University and DePauw University. Martin claimed the 100-butterfly in a time of 50.89 seconds.
The four event wins led a team effort that included 11 individual top-five finishes. Rose-Hulman placed fourth overall on the women's side and fifth in the men's competition.
The diving duo of sophomore Regen Foote (Jasper, Ind.) and sophomore Sam Gould (Greencastle/South Putnam) added four top-five finishes. Foote came home second in three-meter diving (333.05) and fourth in one-meter (333.10), while Gould finished fourth in one-meter (380.90) and fifth in three-meter (370.90).
Freshman Pierce Bartine (Katy, Texas/Seven Lakes) added a fourth-place finish in the 400-individual medley with a time of 4:18.07. Fifth-place individual performances included Martin in the 200-freestyle (1:45.92) and freshman Matt Schulstad (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) in the 200-butterfly (1:45.92).
The Fightin' Engineers also tallied six men's relay finishes in the top five, along with three fourth-place women's relay finishes.
Rose-Hulman returns to action at the DePauw University with a three-team meet including Illinois Wesleyan on Jan. 18.
