Athenas and Stags both extend leads on second day of SCIAC Championships
COMMERCE, CA – During the second of three days at the SCIAC Swimming and Diving Championships, a handful of event records were set while the team results stayed similar from the previous days.
The CMS men's team is swimming away from the field in a rapid pace. Their 819 team points is well in front of second place Pomona-Pitzer (478.5). Rounding out the top four are Redlands, with 430 points, and La Verne (346).
CMS also holds the lead in the race for the women's title. The Athenas have recorded 758 points while Pomona-Pitzer sits in second with 632.5 points. Redlands (391) and Whittier (335) round out the top four.
200 Medley Relay
Men's – In a relay that had four disqualified teams, the CMS team of Matthew Williams, Zach Alleva, Patrick Shultz and Joe Hinton tied the SCIAC record as they touched the wall in 1:30.71 in claiming the title. The squad from Pomona-Pitzer placed second in a time of 1:32.46 while La Verne rounded out the podium teams by touching the wall in 1:35.06. Whittier, Occidental, Cal Lutheran and the University of Redlands were all DQ'd in the race.
Women's – Erin MacLean, Kelly Ngo, Annika Jessen and Helen Liu from CMS claimed the championship by recording a time of 1:45.60. Their time was good enough to earn an invitation to the NCAA Championships last season. Pomona-Pitzer came in second with a time of 1:46.82 while La Verne was just 0.14 behind the Sagehens as they took third.
400 IM
Men's – CMS's Conrad Shabb set a meet record time of 3:56.88 to claim the title. His time earned an NCAA Championship invitation last year. Finishing second was Redland's junior Jeff Depew (4:01.77) while his teammate's time of David Ortyn was good enough for third as he touched the wall in 4:02.26.
Women's – A meet record fell as Ellena Basada (Pomona-Pitzer) recorded a time of 4:31.08 to claim the title. Redland's Haley Thiltgen earned an NCAA "B" cut by touching the wall in 4:33.81 while Maddie Larkin from Pomona-Pitzer took third in 4:35.41 – also an NCAA "B" cut.
100 Butterfly
Men's – Patrick Schultz (CMS) set the meet record with a time of 49.10 to claim the title. His time was also an NCAA invited time in 2013. Occidental's Alex Najarian got second as he touched the wall in 49.60. Marc Blumberg made it a CMS first and third place finish as he recorded a time of 49.74 to claim a podium finish. Both Najarian's and Blumberg's times were NCAA "B" cuts.
Women's – CMS made it a clean sweep as they took the podium. Leading the way was Annika Jessen's NCAA "B" cut time of 56.24. Fellow seniors Michele Kee (56.36) and Helen Liu (56.76) also earned the "B" cut as they finished second and third respectively.
200 Freestyle
Men's – Defending champion Cameron Whiting (CMS) took home the crown again by recording an NCAA "B" cut time of 1:40.20. Zach Lora from Cal Lutheran claimed second place with a time of 1:42.39. La Verne's David Carpenter rounded out the podium finishers with a third-place time of 1:42.62.
Women's – After finishing second last season, LillyBelle Deer (CMS) took home the top prize as she touched the wall in 1:53.72. Her time was .01 seconds faster than Pomona-Pitzer's Alex Lincoln who finished second. Kay Sterner (Pomona-Pitzer) rounded out the top three with a time of 1:53.86.
100 Breaststroke
Men's – Occidental's Steven Van Deventer defended his title as he clocked a 55.61 to win by over a second. Nathan Yale (Pomona-Pitzer) claimed second place with a time of 56.85. Kevin Kuwata from Occidental was 0.03 behind Yale's time as he placed third.
Women's – Caroline Chang also brought the title to Occidental in the event by swimming an NCAA "B" cut time of 1:04.59. Kelly Ngo (CMS) was less than a tenth of a second away from the top spot as she completed the race in 1:04.65. Haley Van Schottenstein from Whittier also swam an NCAA "B" cut, with a time of 1:05.44 to finish third.
100 Backstroke
Men's – Less than a few hours after setting the conference record, CMS's Matthew Williams re-set it with a time of 47.94 in claiming the title. During the preliminary round in the morning he swam a 48.27. He earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships. Daniel To (Pomona-Pitzer) was second as he touched the wall in 51.34. Graham Spurzem from CMS rounded out the top three (51.56).
Women's – La Verne's Maddie Lovrensky claimed her second straight title in the event as she swam a 56-second race. Her time was good enough to earn an invitation the NCAA Championships last season. Mia Hahn, from Pomona-Pitzer, claimed the runner-up spot (57.58) while Chandra Lukes of Redlands placed third with a time of 57.77. Both times were NCAA "B" cuts.
800 Freestyle Relay
Men's – CMS continued to dominate the relay portion of the championships as Marc Blumberg, Alex Poltash, Conrad Shabb, and Cameron Whiting cruised to victory in a time of 6:45.56. A mark that earned an invite to the NCAA Championships in 2013. Coming in second was the Redland's team of David Ortyn, Jeff Depew, Nelson Glendinning, and Eric Loprete. The foursome touched the wall in 6:52.13. Occidental rounded out the podium finishers (7:00.75).
Women's – In the final swim of the evening the Pomona-Pitzer team of Alex Lincoln, Vicky Gyorffy, Johanna Rayl and Kay Sterner posted a meet record time of 7:41.10 to claim the title. Their time was also good enough for an NCAA "B" cut. CMS was less than a body length behind as they finished second in 7:42.99. Redlands completed the podium as they touched the wall in 7:47.42.
Men's Team Scores
1. CMS – 819
2. Pomona-Pitzer – 478.5
3. Redlands – 430
4. La Verne – 346
5. Cal Lutheran – 261.5
6. Whittier – 259
7. Occidental – 229
8. Caltech – 154
9. Chapman – 146
Women's Team Scores
1. CMS – 758
2. Pomona-Pitzer – 632.5
3. Redlands – 391
4. Whittier – 335
5. Occidental – 311.5
6. La Verne – 252.5
7. Chapman – 216
8. Cal Lutheran – 211.5
9. Caltech – 98
Release courtesy of Caltech Sports Information, host of the 2014 SCIAC Championships.