> 2020 SCIAC Swimming & Diving Championship Central
The Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) swimming & diving teams are set for the 2020 SCIAC Championships which begin with diving on Saturday and Sunday, February 15-16 hosted by Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS). The swimming portion of the championships will then take place Thursday-Sunday, February 20-23 at the Brenda Villa Aquatic Center in Commerce, Calif. and will be hosted by California Lutheran.
Pomona-Pitzer is looking for its third consecutive team title on the men's side after posting back-to-back wins in 2017 and 2018, while the Sagehens will be in search of their third straight on the women's side as well, and four of the last five having also won the league crown in 2016. Prior to Pomona-Pitzer's recent run, CMS had secured 10 consecutive conference championships on the men's side between 2008 and 2017, while the Athenas had won 13 of 14 between 2003 and 2017 on the women's side.
DIVING
In the men's diving events, Kendall Hollimon of CMS is seeded first in the 3-meter dive with an entry mark of 435.45, followed by Pomona-Pitzer's Ben Willett (316.45) and Jem Stern (309.15). In the 1-meter dive, Hollimon is seeded first with his mark of 374.40, while Stern (301.35) and Willett (301.00) follow. Hollimon won both events last season posting a score of 601.90 to win the 3-meter competition and a 535.70 to secure the 1-meter title.
The women's 1-meter competition features three Pomona-Pitzer divers in the top three spots entering championship action as Eleanor Mackey is seeded first with an entry score of 329.32, followed by Ruby Epstein (289.40) and Emma van der Veen (267.95). Van der Veen is the top seed in the 3-meter dive (273.65), while Epstein (251.35) and Redlands' Sami Scarano (246.50) are slotted second and third. Chapman's Kellyn Toole won the 1-meter event last year with a score of 443.20, while Whittier's Megan Thai was first in the 3-meter event with a mark of 447.50. Van der Veen finished 2019 second in both events.
FREESTYLE
The men's 50-yard freestyle features three Stags in the top spots including last year's champion Marco Conati who clocked a top time of 20.69. He enters this year's event with an entry mark of 20.79, while Andreas Roeselerand Anderson Breazeale of CMS follow. La Verne's Jessica Argelander holds the top seed in the women's 50-yard freestyle (23.96), while Pomona-Pitzer's Hannah Zurmuhl and CMS's Ava Sealander are tabbed second and third. The Athenas' Jocelyn Crawford won last year's race with a time of 23.44, while Zurmuhl finished second.
In the men's 100-yard freestyle, Pomona-Pitzer's Anzo DeGiulio (45.42) is featured as the top seed, while Conati and Roeseler of the Stags are listed as the second and third seeds. Aaron Bauer of Redlands won the event last year as he touched the wall first in a time of 45.47. The women's 100-yard freestyle is headlined by the Sagehens' Haley Kirtland who enters championship action with a top seeded time of 51.82. Natalia Orbach-Mandel of CMS and Zumuhl of Pomona-Pitzer follow in second and third. Orbach-Mandel and Zurmuhl finished tied for third in the event in 2019, while Madison Kauahi of Pomona-Pitzer logged the winning time of 51.35 a year ago.
Headlining the men's 200-yard freestyle event is CMS's Breazeale who enters championship action with a seed time of 1:39.44. Last year's champion in the event - Will Abele of Pomona-Pitzer - is slotted second, followed by teammate DeGiulio. The women's 200-yard freestyle features top-seeded Kirtland of Pomona-Pitzer who enters the race with a time of 1:52.96, while Ella Blake and Orbach-Mandel are tabbed second and third in the race. Orbach-Mandel finished third a year ago.
In the men's 500-yard freestyle, Paddy Baylis of Pomona-Pitzer is seeded first with a time of 4:32.25, followed by Ben Culberson of CMS and Dylan Hou of the Sagehens. Pomona-Pitzer's Abele won the event last season with a time of 4:27.60, while Baylis finished second in a time of 4:28.02. The women's 500-yard freestyle sees CMS's Ella Blake (5:05.80) seeded first, while teammates Christina Campbell and Gracey Hiebert enter with the second and third best seed times. The Athenas' Mia Syme won the event last year as she clocked a time of 4:59.35.
Pomona-Pitzer's Baylis is also featured as the top seed in the men's 1650-yard freestyle with a seed time of 15:49.57 after winning the event a year ago in 15:34.45. The Stags' Bulberson and Stephen Blaauw of Cal Lutheran are tabbed second and third in the event in 2020. CMS's Blake is the top seed in the women's 1650-yard freestyle with a top mark of 17:47.70, followed by the Sagehens' Katherine Lauerman, and the Athenas' Arisa Cowe. Syme won the event in 2019 with a first place time of 17:03.21.
BUTTERFLY
Conati will look to defend his crown in the men's 100-yard butterfly after he notched a winning time of 48.39. Conati enters this year's race with a top seeded time of 48.46, followed by CMS teammate Nathan Luis and Pomona-Pitzer's Gregory Havton. Also looking to retain the top spot in the event on the women's side is Sealander who posted a winning time of 55.54 in 2019. Carrying a seeded time of 55.75 into this year's contest, Sealander is followed by the Sagehens' Abby Smith and Allison Liu.
Pomona-Pitzer's Abele headlines the men's 200-yard butterfly as he enters the 2020 championships with a seed time of 1:50.92 in the race. Andreas Nybo of Cal Lutheran - the 2019 SCIAC Athlete of the Year on the men's side - is slotted second, while the Sagehens' Jack Montoro is tabbed third in the event. Nybo won the event last year with a time of 1:47.85, while Abele followed in second. In the women's 200-yard butterfly, Pomona-Pitzer's Abby Smith owns a top seed time of 2:03.73 while Annie Johnson and Cowe of the Athenas are close behind in second and third. Occidental's Cindy Dong posted a winning time of 2:02.13 in the race in 2019.
BREASTSTROKE
The men's 100-yard breaststroke sees Cal Lutheran's Luke Rodarte as the top seed in the event with an entry time of 55.33, while Walter Limm of CMS and Lukas Ming Menkhoff of Pomona-Pitzer are listed second and third. Menkhoff won the event in 2019 in 54.13. The Sagehens' Alexandra Gill is seeded first in the women's 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:04.14, followed by Athenas Suzanne Starzyk and Rachel Wander in second and third. Pomona-Pitzer's Mackenzie Cummings clocked a top mark of 1:04.53 to win the race in 2019.
Pomona-Pitzer's Dylan Hou is tabbed the top seed in the men's 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:03.88, while CMS's Sam Willett and Sean Hoerger are slated to finish second and third. Tom Gallup of Caltech won the event last year with a top mark of 2:01.39. The 2019 SCIAC Athlete and Newcomer of the Year on the women's side, Augusta Lewis of CMS is seeded first in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:17.24) after placing second in the race a year ago. Gill and Alexandra Werner of Pomona-Pitzer are slotted second and third in the event. Werner won the event a year ago with a time of 2:18.62.
BACKSTROKE
The 2020 100-yard men's backstroke features top-seeded Breazeale of CMS (49.32), followed by Liam O'Shea and the 2019 SCIAC Newcomer of the Year Jason Lu - both of Pomona-Pitzer - in second and third in the event. Nikhil Kundu of the Sagehens won last year's race with a time of 50.54. Pomona-Pitzer's Liu keys the women's 100-yard backstroke with a top-seeded mark of 57.43, while Caltech's Isabel Swafford and the Athena's Campbell are listed second and third. Angela Ling of the Sagehens won the race last year with a time of 55.69, while Liu was third.
Pomona-Pitzer's Lu is listed first in the men's 200-yard backstroke (1:50.22), while Breazeale of CMS and Baylis of the Sagehens are locked in at second and third in the race heading into this year's championships. Caltech's Nick Jasinski clocked a winning mark of 1:48.17 a year ago, while Lu placed second in 2019. The women's 200-yard backstroke features CMS's Campbell who enters with a top seed time of 2:03.88, while the Beavers' Danica Adams and Swafford follow as the second and third seeds. Ling won the event last year for the Sagehens with a time of 2:03.23.
INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
The men's 200-yard IM features Pomona-Pitzer's Lu who enters competition with a seed time of 1:50.93. CMS's Sam Willett and Alec Vercruysse are slotted in second and third. Cal Lutheran's Nybo won the event last year with a time of 1:49.43, while Lu finished second. CMS's Lewis won the 200-yard IM in 2019 with a time of 2:02.84 and is seeded first this year with a time of 2:03.14. Pomona-Pitzer's Kirtland and Abby Smith are seeded second and third in the race in 2020.
Lu won the men's 400-yard IM in 2019 in a time of 3:56.53 and holds a top seed time of 3:58.92 entering the 2020 championships. Ben Smith of the Stags, and O'Shea of Pomona-Pitzer are tabbed second and third respectively with O'Shea having finished second in the event a year ago. Lewis will look to defend her 400-yard IM title in 2020 after clocking a winning time of 4:23.43 in the race last year. Entering this year's event with a mark of 4:24.74, Lewis is followed by Abby Smith of the Sagehens, and teammate Natalie Larsen who placed second in the event in 2019.
RELAYS
Pomona-Pitzer won all five relays on the men's side during the 2019 SCIAC Championships while the Sagehens' women's team won four of the five relays last year as CMS clinched the top spot in the 800-yard freestyle relay.
Entering the 2020 SCIAC Championships, the Stags are seeded first in the 200-yard and 400-yard medley relays with respective seed times of 1:29.90 and 3:18.16, and the 400-yard freestyle relay with a seed time of 3:01.26. The Sagehens are seeded first in the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:23.79) and the 800-yard freestyle relay (6:47.07).
In the women's relays, the Athenas are tabbed the top seed in the 200-yard and 400-yard medley relays with respective entry times of 1:45.12 and 3:49.48. They are also slotted first in the 200-yard freestyle and 800-yard freestyle relays with times of 1:35.60 and 7:40.61. Pomona-Pitzer is the top seed in the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:29.24.
-- Release from Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) office
