Athenas Finish 19th at NCAA National Championships

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Eleven members of the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's swimming and diving team competed in the 2018 NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving National Championships in Indianapolis, Ind. this week. The Athenas earned 34 points as a team to finish the Championships in 19th-place as a team. It was a team effort for the Athenas at the National Championships, CMS had a total of eight different Athenas contribute to the team point total. Jocelyn Crawford (CMC) and Claire Bacon-Brenes (SC) anchored the effort for CMS earning Honorable Mention accolades in individual events while also aiding the team effort in relays. Crawford won the Consolation Finals in the 50 Free in a time of 23.34 while Bacon-Brenes finished 14th in the 100 Breast in a time of 1:03.88. CMS also earned Honorable Mention All-American honors in the 200 Free Relay and 400 Medley Relay.

Day Four Update - March 24, 2018

Mia Syme (CMC) led the effort for CMS on Saturday at the National Championships with a 19th-place finish in the 1650 Free with a time of 17:19.59 in the timed final. Claire Bacon-Brenes and Maia Presti (SC) were also in action on the final day of the Championships, both finishing in 27th place in their respective events, Bacon-Brenes in the 200 Breast (2:22.78) and Presti in three-meter diving (370.80).

The Athenas' 400 Free Relay team of Riley Hoffman (CMC), Natalia Orbach-Mandel (HMC), Emma Stacy (SC), and Janet Tran (CMC) earned a spot in the Consolation Finals with a time of 3:27.47 in the prelims, but the team was disqualified in their final race of the season and were unable to score any points for the team.

The Athenas finish the four-day Championships with 34 team points in 19th-place.

Day Three Update – March 23, 2018

Claire Bacon-Brenes led the Athenas on Friday, earning Honorable Mention All-American accolades in the 100 Breast. Her time of 1:03.88 in the Consolation Finals earned her a 14th-place finish in the country and gave her Honorable Mention All-American honors for the first time in an individual event in her career. Bacon-Brenes' 14th-place finish was and eight-spot improvement over her 22nd-place finish last season (1:04.34) in the 100 Breast at the 2017 National Championships.

Bryn Edwards (CMC) also competed in the 100 Breast on Friday, finishing in 20th place with a time of 1:04.65 in the prelims.

Jocelyn Crawford (CMC) was the only other Athena in action in an individual event, placing 19th in the 100 Back with a time 56:49.

In addition to the three individuals in action, the team of Allie Umemoto (SC), Emma Stacy (SC), Natalia Orbach-Mandel (HMC), and Riley Hoffman (CMC) combined for an 18th-place finish in the 800 Free Relay to cap off the CMS effort on Friday. The team finished the event with a time of 7:38.75.

After three days of competition, the Athenas currently sit in 16th place in the team competitions with 34 total points, just three points behind Grove City (37 team points) for 15th.

Day Two Update - March 22, 2018

The team of Jocelyn Crawford (CMC), Emma Stacy (SC), Riley Hoffman (CMC), and Natalia Orbach-Mandel (HMC) combined to set the School Record in the 200 Free Relay on Thursday with a time of 1:33.87. After posting a mark of 1:35.24 in the prelims the Athenas earned a spot in the Consolation Finals in the evening session. In the Consolation Finals, the Athenas dropped their time down the 1:33.87, almost a second and a half lower than their time in the morning, to break the school record. If the Athenas would have been in the Championship Final, their time would have placed them in fifth-place ahead of Pomona-Pitzer, but CMS had to settle for ninth overall, 18 team points, and an Honorable Mention All-American honor.

In addition to their record-setting 200 Free Relay, the Athenas also competed in the 400 Medley Relay on Thursday. The team of Janet Tran (CMC), Bryn Edwards (CMC), Allie Umemoto (SC), and Natalia Orbach-Mandel (HMC) finished in 15th overall with a time of 3:51.23 in the Consolation Finals. The team actually put together a faster time in the prelims, turning in the seventh-best time in program history with a 3:48.97.

Claire Bacon-Brenes (SC), Mia Syme (CMC), and Maia Presti (SC) were also in action on Thursday, competing in individual events. Presti had the strongest finish of the group, posting a 21st-place finish in the one-meter diving competition with a score of 3:75.45. Bacon-Brenes finished the 100 Fly with a time of 1:01.92 in 43rd place, while Syme placed 47th in the 200 Free with a time of 1:58.47.

With the 22 team points that the Athenas earned on Thursday, their Championship total has bumped up to 31 points and they currently sit in 16th place in the field. The Championships continue tomorrow with the Athenas competing in three individual events as well as the 800 Free Relay. The action gets started at 10:00 a.m. ET/7:00 a.m. PT for the prelims with Friday's finals session slated to begin at 6:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. PT.

Day One Update – March 21, 2018

Jocelyn Crawford led the way for the Athenas in the first day of competition. In the morning prelims of the 50 Free, Crawford turned in the 15th fastest swim in the event with a time of 23.55 to qualify for the Consolation Finals in the evening. Crawford then went on to win the Consolation Finals, tying her school record of 23.34 in the process to finish in 9th-place in the country in the event.

Her efforts not only earned her an Honorable Mention All-American honor, but nine team points for the Athenas. Crawford's nine points were the only team points for the Athenas after Day One.

Mia Syme was also in action on Wednesday, swimming in the 500 Free. Her prelims time of 5:05.84 placed her 30th in the event.

In addition to swimming in the 50 Free, Crawford was part of the Athenas' 200 Medley Relay team that finished in a tie for 19th-place in the event. The crew of Crawford, Orbach-Mandel, Bacon-Brenes, and Tran finished with a time of 1:45.60, less than a half second behind the final spot in the Consolation Final (Washington & Lee, 1:45.12). Had the race ended after the third leg, the Athenas would have finished in 24th place, but their split of 23.18 in the final 50 yards allowed CMS to jump five teams and move into a tie for 19th place with Carnegie Mellon (1:45.60)

Thanks to Crawford's nine points from the 50 Free, the Athenas sit in 15th place in the team standings, between the University Chicago (10 points) and Ursinus College (eight points).

The Athenas have a full slate for tomorrow with both the 200 Free and 400 Medley Relays in action. Claire Bacon-Brenes (100 Fly), Mia Syme (200 Free), and Maia Presti (SC, One-Meter Diving) are also in action in individual events.

Check this story later in the week for updated information and results from the 2018 National Championships.