ASC Men Complete CMU Invitational in Fifth Place

Scott Kretzmann
ASC Sports
Information Director

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Freshman Nick Mankus (Keller, Texas) set thee individual modern-era program records on Saturday and Sunday, as well as helping two relays to such marks, as the Grizzlies swam their way to a fifth-place finish at the 2011 Colorado Mesa Invitational at El Pomar Natatorium.
The Mavericks claimed the combined, men’s and women’s team titles at the event, with a combined score of 2,549.5 and men’s team score of 1,164. Colorado Mines was the men’s runner-up with 939.5 points, followed by the University of Colorado-Boulder with 612. The Metro State club edged out the Grizzly men, 302-292.5 for fourth. Adams State finished fourth in the combined team standings, with 807 points to Metro State’s 521.
Mankus’ individual program-best marks came in the 50 yard butterfly, 200 yard butterfly and 1,650 yard freestyle. No prior Grizzly mark existed the 50 fly, in which Mankus swam a time of 24.75 seconds, good for third place and just .02 seconds off of second place. Mankus also became the first record holder of the 1,650 free, where his time of 17:49.47 was good for sixth place. In the 200 fly, his time of 2:06.00 shaved nearly a second off the existing standard, and earned him a sixth-place finish.
Also a 3-event program record-setter for ASC was freshman Benjamin Laxson (Wheat Ridge, Colo.). Laxson put his named atop the Grizzly record books in the 100 yard breaststroke in a time of 1:03.31, the 50 breast in 29.27 and the 200 breast in 2:20.23.
The Grizzlies two relay record came by margins of three seconds. In the 400 medley relay, the team of freshman Stephen Powers (Lyman, Wyo.), Laxson, Mankus and freshman Kenan Bussen (Clovis, N.M.) combined to swim a time of 3:50.50, good for fourth place.
The 200 free relay mark was dropped to 1:33.85 by the grouping of freshman Avery Saxton (Windsor, Colo.), freshman Trey Griffith (Evanston, Wyo.), Bussen and Mankus. The quartet placed fourth as well.
The Grizzlies return to action to swim duals against both Colorado College and Colorado Mines in Colorado Springs on Dec. 3, where they’ll conclude the 2011 portion of their schedule. After that ASC will swim in its lone home event of the season, hosting the Orediggers for a dual at Plachy Hall on Jan. 8, 2012.