The Laker Men swam to a big victory Saturday in Winona against St. Mary's University of Minnesota. The Lakers won nine of eleven events, including both relays. Freshman Randy Vaughan and Jesse Lattin and sophomore Jacob Bohnert were all double event winners. Vaughan won the 100 IM and 50 Breaststroke, Lattin the 100 freestyle and 50 backstroke and Bohnert won the 200 and 500 freestyles. "The sophomores were really looking forward to this meet because we lost a close dual to St. Mary's last year and we felt like we had a chance to win this year. The entire team was really pumped up and they all swam fast throughout the meet. They even narrowly missed the 400 Free Relay pool record." Remarked Coach Peters.
The final event was the 400 Free Relay and due to a small roster, St. Mary's did not enter a relay. The Laker men had to swim the event alone, but that didn't hold them back. They set their eyes on the pool record of 3:19.76. That time would not have been even plausible a year ago, but the men stepped up behind the blocks confident and committed. Bohnert led off with a 49 second split and put the relay on pace to break the record. Vaughan and fellow freshmen Patrick Voller both swam 50 second splits and Garrett Nielson had a strong low 51 sec split to anchor the relay. In the end, the relay was a bit short, finishing with a 3:21.10. That time was faster than any time the men swam last year, including at the national meet.