Albion College swimmers swept the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association’s Athlete of the Week awards for their performance in helping the Britons gain victories over league rival Calvin College in a dual meet last Saturday.
Gerardo Huidobro, a sophomore from Peru, gained the Athlete of the Week award in men’s swimming for the second time this season. In the meet where each team won eight events, Huidobro was the only one to take first place in two individual events. His time of 4:52.28 was nearly seven seconds ahead of the runner-up in the 500-yard freestyle, and Coach Jake Taker credited him with swimming a smart race in the 400 individual medley to finish in 4:15.93, winning the event by 2 ½ seconds.
Huidobro also swam the breaststroke on the 200 medley relay and set his fastest time (58.40 seconds) without the benefit of a taper in finishing second to a former NCAA Championship qualifier in the 100 breaststroke.
“In each of the two races that Huidobro won, a Calvin swimmer finished in second place. By virtue of college dual meet scoring, had he not won those two events, Albion would have lost the meet by two points,” Taber explained of Albion’s 158-142 victory to remain undefeated against MIAA rivals in dual meets this season.
Kylene Slocum, a senior co-captain who prepped at Otsego High School, was selected as the Athlete of the Week for the first time in her career after winning four events as Albion handed Calvin a rare dual meet loss, 151-147.
Her highlight of the meet was the 200 breaststroke where she posted the fastest time – 2:26.44 – in the MIAA so far this season, achieving a margin of victory of nearly seven seconds.
Slocum also won the 100 breaststroke, the 400 individual medley – an event that she typically does not swim – and she produced the fastest split in the meet as part of the 200 medley relay.
“Kylene’s time of 4:49.80 led the pack in a 1-2-3 Albion finish in the IM that, looking back on it, ended up securing the team win for Albion,” Taber said.
Albion’s swimmers and divers will get a preview of the venue hosting the MIAA Championship on Saturday when they drive to Holland, Mich., for a dual meet against Hope College. The Britons will take regional rankings into the meet, with the men moving up to fourth and the women checking in at No. 6, in what is believed to be its first-ever appearance in the poll, conducted by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America.
News courtesy of Albion Athletics