Marshalltown had lost to Mason City three years running in CIML Iowa Conference boys' swimming duals.
The Bobcats made a statement Monday that things were going to be different this year. Marshalltown claimed a 102-68 victory over the visiting Mohawks at the MHS pool in the first conference meet of the season.
"Our guys swam so well, it's a much greater margin than I anticipated," said Marshalltown head coach Mike Loupee. "That was great."
Brian Bacon and Mauricio Chacon were both four-event winners for the Bobcats.
"(Assistant) coach (Rachel) Nelson-Loupee and I are very pleased," Loupee said. "We're still a long ways from the conditioning that we want to be in, but the guys competed very well."
Mason City won the 200-yard medley relay to start the night, but Chacon and Mike Gettemy finished 1-2 in the 200 freestyle to give the Bobcats the lead in the team race for good.
First- and second-place showings also in the 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle relay helped MHS pull away.
"We talked to the guys about the history of Mason City and us," Loupee said. "They had a 15-year run up until 1999-2000 and then in the last 10 years, we're 6-4 against them, but we've lost the last three duals until tonight. Over time it's been a very evenly matched series and we talked about it was going to be a close meet."
Bacon was a two-time individual champion as he won the 50 freestyle in 22.04 seconds and 100 freestyle in 48.90.
Chacon took top honors in the 200 freestyle (1:54.60) and the 100 butterfly (57.07).
"They both swam well and we moved them around, putting them in an outside lane so our other guys could be next to guys we wanted them to beat," Loupee said. "Brian to go 48 (seconds in the 100 freestyle) in an outside lane the second meet of the season, that's pretty nice."
Marshalltown took both freestyle relays with the 200 group of Brandt Bergman, Jack Collison, Chacon and Bacon turning in a time of 1:35.87. Gettemy, Chacon, Bacon and Bergman closed the meet with a 14-second victory in the 400 freestyle in 3:30.63.
"The 400 free went 3:30 and I think that's close to what the state-qualifying cutoff was and we've got lots of time to take off that relay," Loupee said.
The Bobcats added second-place points from Gettemy (200 freestyle, 1:57.97 and 500 freestyle, 5:29.15), Bergman (200 individual medley, 2:21.26 and 100 breaststroke, 1:08.73), Collison (100 freestyle, 56.04), John Mahlstede (100 backstroke, 1:07.61), 200 medley relay (Glenn Van Staalduine, Raymond Dulaney, Andrew Hansen and Collison, 1:58.16) and 200 freestyle relay (Connor Dilger, Spencer Swartz, Nathan Menuey and Gettemy, 1:44.52)
"Our No. 2, 3 guys came up big and we talked about everybody needed to score. Everybody did their job tonight and it was a nice team performance," Loupee said.
"Sixteen lifetime bests in the second meet of the season, that's really good," Loupee added.
Mason City senior Nicholas Glynn won the 200 individual medley (2:13.10) and 500 freestyle (5:23.61).
Marshalltown travels to Indianola Thursday to face the Indians at Simpson College. The Bobcats follow with the Boone Invitational Saturday morning.
