Molly Loftus (Photo by Jack Hancock)
Molly Loftus (Photo by Jack Hancock)

CMS holds those Tigers

CMS took 30 of 32 events as the Athenas defeated Occidental 222 to 75 and the Stags swept the Tigers 247 to 46 in SCIAC dual meet action on Friday and Saturday. Each CMS team moved to 4-0 in SCIAC play.

The Stags won all 16 events contested with several notable performances. Sophomore Conrad Shabb established a new Axelrood Pool record in the 1650 yard freestyle; Shabb's time of 16:17.42 edged the previous mark of 16:19.60 which had been set by Stag teammate Alex Mendoza in November 2012. Shabb also won the 400 Individual Medley.

James Stevick continued his string of NCAA qualifying scores, hitting zone qualifying marks while winning the 1-meter and 3-meter diving competitions. Freshman Matt Williams was another double winner, posting first in the 100 and 200 yard freestyle races.

Junior Brian Key earned his first individual collegiate victory on Saturday, outracing five others in the 200 butterfly. Freshman John Seylar also posted his first win as a Stag with a season-best time of 4:51.08 in the 500 yard freestyle.

Other event winners for the Stags were Joey Hinton (100 backstroke), Zach Alleva (100 breaststroke), Patrick Shultz (50 freestyle), Graham Spurzem (200 backstroke), Anthony Ribal (200 breaststroke) and Marc Blumberg (100 butterfly). The Stag 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay teams earned 1-2 finishes in both events.

The Athenas were led by a pair of double-winners. Senior Michele Kee narrowly missed her own pool record in the 100 yard butterfly and also raced to first in the 50 yard freestyle. Junior Louisa Dunwiddie pulled away from the field in the 1650 yard freestyle and the 400 IM.

Other event winners for the Athenas were Ellie Smith (200 freestyle), Erin MacLean (100 backstroke), Kelly Ngo (100 breaststroke), Maya Kale (200 butterfly), LillyBelle Deer (100 freestyle), Molly Loftus (200 backstroke), Kayla Flaten (200 breaststroke) and Natalie Green (500 freestyle).

The CMS "A" and "B" 200 yard medley relays were evenly split, with the A-relay narrowly edging the B-relay 1:50.48 to 1:51.00. The 400 yard freestyle relays were equally competitive with CMS A holding off CMS B 3:39.40 to 3:39.96.

"Occidental has several talented swimmers and divers and we know they're well coached, so that led to some thrilling events," said CMS coach Charlie Griffiths. "As we transition from Training Camp into second semester it is important that we stay focused on the process of training effectively, racing sharply and consistently, and promoting the synergy that comes from fostering each other's successes."

CMS will be back in action on Saturday, January 25, as Axelrood Pool plays host to a SCIAC double-dual meet between CMS, Caltech and California Lutheran University. Diving is slated to begin at 10:00 a.m. with swimming scheduled for 11:00 a.m.