CMS Men's Relay Team Opens SCIAC Swimming Championships with League Record

COMMERCE, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's 200-yard medley team set a new SCIAC meet and conference record with a first place finish in 1:28.51 in the first event of the 2020 SCIAC Swimming Championships at the Brenda Villa Aquatic Center on the first day of the four-day event on Thursday evening.

The quartet of first-year Anderson Breazeale (backstroke), Sam Willett (breaststroke), Marco Conati (butterfly) and Andreas Roeseler (freestyle) earned the SCIAC title for the Stags by over a second and half over second-place Cal Lutheran, which earned a 1:30.54 finish, resulting in 44 points for CMS and 38 for the Kingsmen. Pomona-Pitzer came in third place (36), Redlands fourth (34) and Chapman fifth (32). The CMS "B" relay team also won the opening heat to earn 20 more points towards the Stag total, with senior Dave Makhervaks, sophomore Walter Limm, first-year Nathan Luis and junior Will Grassle finishing in 1:31.75.

In the second and final relay competition on Thursday, the Stags came in second place in the 800-yard freestyle relay, with Willett and Breazeale performing double duty on the day, swimming the 800 along with senior Ben Culberson and sophomore Nick Tan. CMS finished in 6:45.56, while Pomona-Pitzer set a meet record in 6:38.30. Cal Lutheran was third, Redlands fourth and Occidental fifth. 

Team scores between the two meet favorites, Pomona-Pitzer (ranked No. 13 nationally) and CMS (ranked No. 11) are as close as could be expected through the first two relays and last week's diving events, which were both won by senior Kendall Hollimon for the Stags. Through four events, Pomona-Pitzer has 224 points, while the Stags are right behind with 218 points, setting up for an exciting three days to come in Commerce. 

Tomorrow's second day will get underway with prelims in the morning (9 a.m.) for the 500-yard freestyle, the 200-yard individual medley, and the 50-yard freestyle. Tomorrow's action will conclude with the  finals at 5 p.m., and the 200-yard freestyle relay at approximately 6:45 p.m.