Women's Swimming and Diving Earns Second in SCIAC Preseason Poll

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's swimming and diving team was picked to finish second in the SCIAC in a preseason poll of the league's coaches, the conference office announced today.

Defending league champion Pomona-Pitzer was picked first, with the Athenas behind in second. Chapman was in the No. 3 position with Occidental fourth and Redlands fifth. Caltech, Cal Lutheran, Whittier and La Verne rounded out the poll in the sixth through ninth spots. 

The Athenas' potential will be bolstered in the spring semester by the return of All-American Augusta Lewis, who finished second (400 IM), third (200 IM) and fourth (200 breast) in her three individual events at the NCAA Division III Championships last year. Lewis has won seven individual SCIAC titles in her career, including all six IM events she has competed in, along with the 200 breast title in 2020, when she won her second straight SCIAC Swimmer of the Year Award. 

Ella Blake is also back after winning two SCIAC titles a year ago in the 500 and the 1650, edging teammate Gracey Hiebert in the 1650, after the two finished 1-2 in the 1650 in the other order in 2020. Jameson Mitchum (200) and Sammy Ennis (100) swept the backstroke events, with Mitchum going on to earn All-America honors in the 200 back, an event which saw CMS sweep the SCIAC podium with Ennis in second and Anna Werts in third. Lewis, Hiebert and Blake were also part of an 800 free relay championship that set a SCIAC record. 

CMS will open its SCIAC schedule at Occidental on Nov. 5, and then return home to face Caltech and Chapman in a tri-meet at Axelrood Pool on Nov. 12.