SALEM, Va. – The Southern Virginia University men's swim team was edged out by a talented Roanoke squad over the weekend, falling 158-103 on Saturday.
Parker Kam, Caleb Wynn, Joshua Skabelund and Stuart Burbidge got the day started in the 200 medley relay, finishing less than two tenths of a second behind the Maroons.
The longest event of the meet, the 1650 freestyle, saw Austin Barton and Travis Lott both earn points for the Knights.
Stuart Burbidge's 1:50.64 time in the 200 freestyle was good for a first-place finish and Southern Virginia's first triumph on the day.
The next event, the 100 yard backstroke, featured two Knight swimmers in the top three, including Parker Kam whose 54.27 time was good for first place. Junior Lane Evans beat out Davis Wheeler from Roanoke by a tenth of a second to finish in third.
Joshua Skabelund would get another victory for his team in the shortest race of the meet, the 50 free, to earn nine points.
The following event, the 100 freestyle, saw two more Southern Virginia swimmers finish in the top-three, with Parker Kam and Stuart Burbidge placing second and third respectively.
Lane Evans reached the wall with a 2:06.47 time in the 200 backstroke to get another win for the Knights. Teammate Benjamin Landheim would come in third.
In the 100 fly, Jason Brooks of Roanoke and Joshua Skabelund were neck and neck the entire way. Brooks would just edge out Skabelund to come away with the victory.
Freshman Caleb Wynn swam an excellent race in the 200 yard IM, finishing with a 2:01.67 time to win the medley.
The Knights would win the next and final event of the meet, the 400 freestyle relay. The team comprised of Joshua Skabelund, Parker Kam, Carson Macdonald and Stuart Burbidge finished with a 3:15.13 time to earn nine points.
"We knew this would be tough competition after Roanoke was the winning team out of 14 teams in North Carolina at the Pacer Invitational," stated head coach Jennifer Moore. "We are also building back both volume in our training after Thanksgiving break, which can make racing more tough. It was still a great chance to compete. I'm proud of their strong effort racing."
The team will have the rest of the month of December off for the Holiday break and will return to action on Saturday, January 14 at Bridgewater.
For all the most up-to-date information regarding Southern Virginia University men's and women's swimming, please visit knightathletics.com and follow @knight_swimming on Instagram.
