Athenas Move To 6-0 In SCIAC

The CMS Athena swimming and diving squad moved to 6-0 in the SCIAC after defeating Occidental 213 to 71 over the weekend at Occidental.  CMS won all 14 swimming events and one of the two diving events en route to the team victory.

First-year Athenas Helen Liu and Michele Kee each scored a pair of individual wins on Saturday.  Liu narrowly missed breaking the 1:00 barrier in the 100 yard backstroke with a 1:00.25 and later won the 100 freestyle.  Kee showed her versatility by winning the 50 yard freestyle and 200 yard breaststroke.

Nine additional Athenas placed first in their respective events.  Seniors Heidi Wolfgruber and Jenni Rinker won the 1650 free and 200 free. Juniors Emma Jones, Amy Tresenrider and Katie Bilotti won the 100 breast, 200 back and 100 fly events.  Sophomores Tara McIntyre and Olivia Graham finished first in the 500 free and 200 IM. Freshman Annika Jessen paced the 200 butterfly in 2:10.20 good for sixth place on the CMS Top 10 list.

"We raced well today," Coach Charlie Griffiths said. "We plan to get smoother technically and certainly fresher and faster as we approach SCIAC's, but we showed poise and confidence throughout the weekend which bodes well for Championships."

The diving competition was held off-site on Friday, because Occidental's facility does not have diving boards. In a spirited performance, CMS's Carmen Lundell scored a season-best 264.20 on the 3-meter board to take the top honors.  "Our divers have been looking sharp in practice, so it's good to see us hit dives for big scores in the meet," Coach Griffiths said. "Coach Jimmy (Adams) had the group well prepared."

To bookend Saturday's events, CMS took first and second places in both the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays.  The team of Elsa Cheng, Jones, Bilotti and Kristie Howard won the medley in 1:51.67.  Kee, Jones, Rinker and Liu ended the day by taking the 400 free relay in 3:40.87.

The final dual meet of the season is Saturday, February 5 at the University of Redlands.  Diving is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. with swimming at 11:00 a.m.  The SCIAC Championships will be February 20-22 at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach.