CMS Women's Swimming and Diving Earns No. 15 Spot in Preseason Division III Poll

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's swimming and diving team was ranked No. 15 in the nation in Division III by the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America in its preseason poll, the organization announced today.

The ranking comes out as the Athenas are just over one week away from starting their season at UC San Diego on Saturday, Oct. 26. Emory, Denison and Kenyon hold down the 1-2-3 positions in the first poll of the year, while Williams and NYU round out the top five. CMS is just behind Pomona-Pitzer at No. 13, as the two SCIAC powers figure to be in a tight battle for the league championship this season. 

Seven swimmers who competed at last year's NCAA Division III Championships are back this year for the Athenas, led by sophomore Augusta Lewis, who won both the SCIAC Swimmer of the Year and the SCIAC Newcomer of the Year awards as a first-year last winter. Lewis earned SCIAC Championships and set CMS records in both the 200 IM (2:02.84) and the 400 IM (4:23.43) in 2019, while also moving into third in program annals in the 200 breast and ninth in the 100 back. 

Junior Mia Syme is also returning to lead the Athena distance swimming contingent. She has swept SCIAC titles in both the 500 and the 1650 in each of her first two seasons, and earned honorable-mention All-America honors in the 1650 by coming in 15th place at nationals. She holds the school record in the 500 (4:57.37) and ranks second in both the 1000 and the 1650. 

Junior Natalia Orbach-Mandel had a strong start to her sophomore season before being sidetracked by an injury, and still earned her way to nationals with the CMS relay teams. She was part of an 800-yard freestyle relay team that set CMS and SCIAC records at nationals, along with junior Allie Umemoto and sophomore Leila El Masri. Orbach-Mandel currently ranks fifth in school history in the 100 free and third in the 200 free, while El Masri is seventh in the 500. 

Junior Janet Tran also was a part of the 200 and 400 free relay teams that earned honorable mention All-America honors, along with Orbach-Mandel. Tran is equally strong in the 100 fly, where she places eighth in CMS history. 

Sophomore Ava Sealander is also coming off an impressive first season with the Athenas, earning a SCIAC title in the 100 fly and qualifying for the NCAA Championships, while also coming in fourth in the 200 fly at SCIACs. Sealander heads into her second season ranked second in CMS history in the 100 fly and fifth in the 50 free. 

Sophomore Natalie Larsen was also part of an impressive first-year class last winter, earning All-SCIAC honors in the 200 back and the 400 IM. She currently ranks third in school history in the 200 back and fourth in the 400 IM, while cracking the top 10 in the 200 IM in the No. 10 spot. Sophomore Rachel Wander earned her way into the CMS top 10 lists in the 100 breast, where she stands seventh.

Senior Jacque Desmond returns to lead the CMS diving contingent, after earning All-SCIAC honors in both diving events, and ranking third for the highest score in program history in the 3-meter and fourth in the 1-meter. Desmond went on to earn All-America honors as a pole vaulter for the CMS track and field team in the spring. 

After traveling to UC San Diego next weekend, CMS open SCIAC competition at Caltech on Nov. 9 and then host a tri-meet with Cal Lutheran and Chapman on Saturday, Nov. 16, starting at 10 a.m.