It was wet, and it was loud.

For the first time since 2007, Ashland hosted the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championships. The meet was held Feb. 6-9 at C.T. Branin Natatorium in Canton.

The Ashland men finished fourth out of eight teams with a score of 552.5 points and the women took sixth out of ten teams with 338.5 points.

Wayne State won both the men’s (780) and women’s (861.5) competitions.

The men’s team took a big hit the night before the meet when junior Alex Sheil had to pull out with a foot injury.

“That was a little bit difficult to overcome mentally for everybody,” head coach Paul Graham said. “We had an OK start Wednesday and we were a little bit better Thursday morning.”

While the team results were disappointing, there were some highlights throughout the week.

Two individuals and two relays won GLIAC championships and two conference records fell on swims by the Eagles.

In the men’s 200 yard freestyle relay, freshman Alex Mathews, sophomore Steve Moss, senior Jacob Miller and sophomore Braxton Wright broke the conference record with a time of 1:21.39.

“It felt amazing,” Mathews said. “Probably the best feeling I’ve ever had in swimming.”

Senior Cheyne Fisher broke his own GLIAC record—set in 2011—with a swim of 1:59.19 in the men’s 200 breaststroke.

That time also qualified him for the NCAA Championships to be held March 6-9 in Birmingham, Ala. Senior Tyler Remmel finished fourth in that race with a time of 2:02.33.

In the women’s 200 breaststroke, freshman Hannah Mattar won the conference title with a time of 2:18.18.

The other championship came on the women’s 200 freestyle relay swim of 1:33.86 by freshman Kaylyn Murphy, senior Rachel Ausdenmoore, junior Gabby Verdugo-Araluz and senior Julie Widmann. That team will also swim in Birmingham.

“Winning the relay was very exciting,” Widmann said.

Widmann took second in the 50 freestyle (23.38), third in the 100 backstroke (56.65) and third in the 100 freestyle (51.29). She will swim all of those races at Nationals.

Widmann, Ausdenmoore, Murphy and freshman Beth Long also qualified to swim in Birmingham in the 200 medley relay. They finished third at the GLIAC meet in that race with a time of 1:44.62.

The men’s 200 medley team of freshman Sergio Sanchis Peris, Fisher, Moss, and junior Braxton Wright also took third with a swim of 1:29.86.

Fisher had the best meet of anyone on the men’s side, finishing third in the 200 yard individual medley (1:52.32) and the 100 breaststroke (55.15) to go along with his 200 breast championship. He will swim all three of those events in Birmingham.

He was also on the 400 medley team along with Sanchis Peris, Remmel and Wright that took third place with a time of 3:18.49.

Remmel took second in the 100 meter butterfly (49.50) and was on a 400 freestyle relay along with Mathews, Moss and Wright that took third in 3:02.01.

Mathews was also second in the 100 freestyle with a time of 45.56.

In diving, junior Colin MacDonald took seventh place on one-meter with a score of 353.35, moving up one spot from his qualifying place.

On the women’s side, Mattar was fourth in the 400 IM (4:33.15).

The 400 freestyle relay team of Verdulo-Araluz, Murphy, junior Sara Reidler and Widmann took second place, finishing in 3:28.42.