HOME OF BULLDOG SWIMMING & DIVING - 11 SCIAC Championships

Bulldog Swimming & Diving Teams Sweep Redlands Invitational

The University of Redlands women’s and men’s swimming & diving teams both handled their competition with ease, winning the Redlands Invitational on Saturday morning in Redlands.

The Bulldog women outscored second-place Grand Canyon University (AZ), 570-381.5. Pomona-Pitzer Colleges accumulated 256.5 points for third overall while Chapman University gained 120 points and took fourth.

Redlands’ men posted the top point total of 451.5 while Grand Canyon earned second place (330.5). Pomona-Pitzer and Chapman rounded out the field, placing third (283) and fourth (120), respectively.

Freshman Lauren Zehner (Portland, OR) made an immediate impact in her collegiate swimming debut, notching three first-place finishes and one NCAA “B” qualifying standard. Zehner stopped the clock at 1:57.88 in the 200 freestyle before rattling off two additional swift times in the 100 freestyle (54.80) and the 100 butterfly (58.37). Her 100 butterfly swim set a Thompson Aquatic Center record and also cleared the NCAA “B” cut time.

Another freshman, Jessie Chansler (Kirkland, WA), also recorded multiple event wins. Chansler touched out Grand Canyon’s Kaelynn Corbin for first in the 100 backstroke (1:01.81) and edged another Grand Canyon swimmer, Caiti Hoffman, in the 200 backstroke (2:13.00).

Freshman Allie Bollella (Palo Alto, CA) produced the gold standard in the 50 freestyle (25.43) and also added a second-place showing in the 100 freestyle (55.50).

Other top-three performers on the women’s side included freshman Lauren Craig (Newcastle, CA) in the 100 breaststroke (1:13.22, third), sophomore Casey Sripramong (Glendale, CA) in the 50 freestyle (25.67, third), junior Michelle Camburn (Sunnyvale, CA) in the 200 butterfly (2:17.00, second) and the 500 freestyle (5:27.50, third) and sophomore McKenzie Nakamura (Kenmore, WA) in the 200 breaststroke (2:31.03, third).

The foursome of Zehner, sophomore Jaime Nippert (Gresham, OR), senior Kelly Goeres (Tigard, OR) and freshman Jessica Medvec (Tualatin, OR) combined for the top mark in the 200 freestyle relay, boasting a winning time of 1:41.93.

Junior Alec Alders (Los Angeles, CA) and freshman Chris Depew (Naperville, IL) led the Bulldog men with two wins apiece.

Alders outperformed the 200 freestyle field, tapping in at 1:49.05. Later on in the meet, he cruised to a 4:57.39 victory in the 500 freestyle after mounting an early lead and holding a rapid pace.

Depew overpowered his 100 butterfly competition, taking first with a 53.55 time. Just one event later, he achieved a solid mark in the 200 individual medley, covering the eight-lap event in 2:01.04. In addition to his two top finishes, he registered a third-place 1:49.22 in the 200 freestyle.

Competing in his first meet back after taking a year off from the sport, senior Scott Tsukamoto (Dana Point, CA) packed a punch in his 100 breaststroke, clocking the event’s winning time of 1:03.36. Tsukamoto nearly nabbed another victory in the 200 breaststroke and wound up settling for second (2:23.38).

Finally, sophomore Tyler Harp (San Bernardino, CA) rounded out the individual-event winners on the men’s team, tying for first in the 100 freestyle with a 47.97. Harp also placed second in the 50 freestyle (21.67) and fourth in the 200 individual medley (2:12.77).

Other Bulldog men that finished among the top three included senior Ned Voytovich (Salt Lake City, UT) in the 200 backstroke (2:10.70, second), sophomore Greg Heinicke (East Wenatchee, WA) in the 200 backstroke (2:11.16, third) and Tsukamoto in the 200 individual medley (2:12.77, third).

Redlands takes a weekend off from competition before hosting Cal Baptist University in its first dual meet of the season at the Thompson Aquatic Center. Diving is scheduled to commence at 10:30 a.m. while swimming is set to begin at 11 a.m.