The Kenyon College Ladies swimming and diving team posted 20 top-10 finishes Friday night and moved its two-day total to 1,133 points in the Total Performance Sports Camps Invitational. That output keeps the Ladies in second place, trailing only NCAA Division I University of Pennsylvania, which owns first place with 1,566 points.
Kenyon’s best individual finish of the day came from junior Julia Wilson, who won the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 1:01.78. That was an NCAA Championship automatic qualifying time, but it wasn’t quite as fast as her morning preliminary time of 1:01.46, which broke her previous Kenyon record of 1:01.79.
At the end of Friday’s session, Wilson also swam a leg on the Ladies’ third-place 400-yard medley relay team that clocked in at 3:46.80, which is this season’s fastest time in NCAA Division III. Joining Wilson on the relay team were Summer Otazu, Cecina Babich Morrow and Hannah Orbach-Mandel.
Orbach-Mandel, a sophomore, had a busy evening, too. In addition to swimming with that relay team, she also battled teammate Abby Wilson in the 50-yard freestyle and the 200-yard freestyle races. In the 50 free, Orbach-Mandel placed fifth in 23.70, while Wilson took seventh in 23.91. In the 200 free, Wilson clocked in with a third-place time of 1:49.00 and edged Orbach-Mandel, who finished fourth in 1:49.19. Wilson’s time was a season-best, as well as an NCAA Division III top time. At the start of the Friday’s session, the two paired with Zoe Toscos and Sophia Kuvan to take second place in the 200-yard freestyle relay. That group posted a time of 1:34.05, topping the team’s previous season-best of 1:35.08.
Other notable performers for the Kenyon women were Otazu, Caitlin Foley, Kanchi Desai and Marysol Arce. Otazu and Foley were third and fourth, respectively, in the 100-yard backstroke. Otazu finished in 55.78, while Foley touched in 56.03. Both those times were season-bests. Earlier in the meet, Desai posted a time of 2:06.96 in the 200-yard butterfly and claimed sixth place. Her preliminary time of 2:06.70 was her season best. Arce later took fourth place in the 400-yard individual medley by turning in a time of 4:25.90, which was another season best.
In diving competition, Kenyon had Madeline Carlson, Frances Andersen Bicknell and Juvi Rivera place second, fourth and seventh, respectively, in the one-meter event. Carlson tallied a score of 412.55, while Andersen Bicknell scored a 338.15 and Rivera finished with a 195.30. Carlson’s score, combined with her preliminary score, qualified her for the NCAA regional meet to be held in late February.
News courtesy of Kenyon College Athletics.
Congrats to Ms. Wilson. Great swim. Curious why KT Kustritz from Denison did not get covered. She broke the Denison record in the 100 Breast twice at the Miami Invite. Now that I think of it, why is there no coverage of the Miami meet. Three of the top five DIII programs were at the meet. Very fast. Looks like lots of great swims from all three DIII programs.