DAVENPORT, Iowa – Augustana won eight of 11 events Friday, as Coach Dan Lloyd's men opened the 2017-18 season with a 131.5-71.5 dual meet win over St. Ambrose at the Davenport Central High School Pool. The Vikings are back in action at the Carver Center Pool on Saturday, October 28, hosting Knox and Millikin at 1:00 p.m.
 
Lloyd had six different swimmers win individual events Friday and Augustana swept the top three spots in the 100 freestyle and 100 breaststroke. In the freestyle, senior Jacob Speechley (Lockport HS, Lockport, Ill.) won in :48.66, followed by Miguel Rodriguez and freshman Jeremy Wolf (Woodstock HS, Woodstock, Ill.) in :49.72 and :50.13, respectively. Junior Bryan Haage (Huntley HS, Huntley, Ill.) won the breaststroke in 1:02.07. Freshman Brett Keefe (Rockford Christian HS, Machesney Park, Ill.) was second in 1:02.95 and sophomore Souhail Rhafiri (Rabat, Morocco) took third in 1:04.37.
 
The Vikings went 1-2 in the 1000 freestyle and 100 backstroke. Sophomore Adam Smith (Palatine HS, Palatine, Ill.) swam an 11:05.92 to win the freestyle, with sophomore Connor Bullard (Auburn HS, Loves Park, Ill.) second in 11:09.57. Sophomore Jared Ekberg (Rockford Christian HS, Rockford, Ill.) won the backstroke in :54.22, followed by classmate Greg Roskowic's (Rockford East HS, Rockford, Ill.) second-place :57.60.
 
Other individual winners for Augustana were sophomore Tito Quinones (LaVista HS, Papillion, Neb.) in the 50 freestyle (:21.90) and Keefe in the 200 individual medley (2:05.04). Rhafiri (:22.88) and sophomore Zach Ogden (United Township HS, Silvis, Ill.) (2:14.93) finished third, respectively, in those events.
 
Lloyd's bunch claimed both relays, as well. Roskowic, Keefe, Haage and Speechley won the 200 medley relay in 1:39.84 and Rodriguez, Wolf, Ekberg and Rhafiri swam a 3:17.92 to win the 400 freestyle relay.
 
St. Ambrose's Nathan Kuszynski won the 200 (1:47.00) and 500 (4:49.33) freestyles and the 100 butterfly (:55.55). Haage (1:48.00) and Ekberg (1:50.29) were second and third in the 200 free. Quinones (:56.42) and Roskowic (:57.18) took second and third in the butterfly and Smith (5:17.72) finished third in the 500 free.