Press Release courtesy of William Peace Athletics
The William Peace University men’s swimming team earned a historical program first victory during this, their inaugural season. The WPU Pacers defeated the Panthers of Ferrum College 106-67 on Saturday January 20th in Virginia.
The victory was a total team effort as Peace picked up first place finishes in multiple events. Head Coach Jamie Bloom said “I am beyond thrilled for our guys, our team, and the William Peace University family. We’ve been close in a couple of other meets so the guys knew what they needed to do today to finish with a victory. We had fun today and we’re looking forward to many more moments like this as we grow our program.”
Brandon Medins led the Pacers with 3 individual wins while Sam Lavinder, Keelan Falk and Jacob Dohmann each secured 2 individual event wins. Damani Toudle contributed valuable 2nd and 3rd place finishes to help secure the victory for the Pacers.
Executive Director of Swimming, Chad Onken had this to say about the victory: “Adding the first win for our brand new program is certainly an exciting achievement. The future is very bright for the WPU Swimming program and this is the first of many more victories to come in the pool, in the classroom, and in the community. We are looking forward to having more student-athletes from around the country who are inspired to join us on our adventure as we continue to grow and have more success at the NCAA Division III level and beyond. Pacer Swimming is on the rise!”
William Peace University President, Dr. Brain Ralph added “I could not be more proud of our program. There is a Latin phrase ex nihilo, which means ‘out of nothing’. That’s what our students and coaches are doing – creating something from nothing. There are unique challenges and opportunities that come with being the first to do something, in our case, starting an NCAA Division III swim program. There isn’t a manual in place, there isn’t a history from which to learn. A challenge, yes – but also an opportunity. So the fact that we already have a program win in our first year speaks to the most important parts of what I believe is going to be a highly successful program – character, commitment to excellence, tenacity, determination, and a team-first mindset. Pacer swimming is indeed going to create something very, very special.”
The Pacers will conclude their historic first season as they compete at the Janis Hape Dowd Nike Invitational at UNC-Chapel Hill February 2nd – 4th.