CLEVELAND, OH - The Wildcats turned in a commanding performance at Cleveland State University's Busbey Natatorium on Jan. 9, rolling past Toledo St. Francis De Sales 113-57 in a boys dual meet highlighted by a sweep of all three relays and multiple event doubles from its top swimmers.
The Wildcats set the tone immediately in the 200-yard medley relay, where the A team of
Thor Johannessen, Jaime Hong,
Ian Kimak, and
Jude Banks swam off events yet still touched first in 1:37.23, the fastest relay time of the meet. Ignatius carried that early momentum into the sprint relays, later winning the 200 freestyle relay in 1:27.50 and closing the night with a 3:18.78 victory in the 400 freestyle relay behind a lineup of brothers Brian and
Brendan Ormiston, Chris Saxon, and anchor Jameson Hong.
Senior sprinter
Jude Banks led the way individually for Ignatius, sweeping the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events. Banks clocked 21.19 in the 50 free, the fastest sprint time of the meet, and came back to win the 100 free in 49.21. His impact extended to the relays as well, contributing legs on both the winning 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays as the Wildcats controlled the sprint and relay points throughout the meet.
Junior
Thor Johannessen provided a second double-win performance for Ignatius in the stroke and distance medley events. Johannessen captured the 200 individual medley in 1:58.55, then returned later to win the 100 backstroke in 53.79. His backstroke leg helped power the Wildcats' opening medley relay win, and his success in both the IM and backstroke events underscored the team's depth in the technical events.
Beyond the wins at the top of the podium, Ignatius put the meet out of reach with depth. The Wildcats posted 1-2-3 finishes in the 50 free, 100 free, and 100 backstroke, stacking points in key events and limiting St. Francis' scoring opportunities. Those sweeps, combined with the clean relay sweep, created a scoring cushion that grew steadily as the meet progressed.
With the 113-57 victory, Cleveland St. Ignatius added a decisive dual-meet win to its resume, showcasing strong relay chemistry, top-end talent in Banks and Johannessen, and the kind of event depth that will be crucial as the Wildcats move deeper into the winter schedule and toward championship competition.
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