Freshmen swimmers impress at Bay Area Invite

ORANGE, Calif. – Chapman University's men's and women's swimming teams began the 2014-15 season with a combined fourth-place finish out of six schools at the Bay Area Invitational hosted by Mills College on Saturday. The Panthers then lost to the College of Idaho, but defeated Mills in a dual meet at Mills on Sunday.

In his first weekend swimming collegiately, freshman Jonathan Lee set a Chapman record on Sunday with a second-place finish in the 200-yard individual medley. The rookie finished in 2:01.83, shaving more than two seconds off the previous school record of 2:02.87 set by Hayden Boal in 2013. Lee also had a couple good sprints on Saturday with a second-place finish in the 50 freestyle (22.43) and earning third in the 100 freestyle (49.77).

Another freshman Mary Welton may have been the best all-around swimmer for the Panther women over the two days, including a first-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle on Sunday with a time of 2:04.56. The rookie also placed second in the 100 breaststroke and the 200 IM on Sunday, as well as third in the 1,650-yard freestyle on Saturday.

Senior sprinter Kirsten Spicer began the season with a flash, placing second on Saturday in the 50 freestyle and a time of 25.65, less than a second off her school-record pace of 24.74. Senior Emily Holmquist was runner-up on Saturday in the 200 freestyle (2:04.15) and then took first on Sunday in the 500 freestyle (5:34.90).

Next up for Chapman will be the Pomona-Pitzer Fall Relays in Claremont on Nov. 1.

by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director

Saturday Results: http://chapmanathletics.com/sports/swimdive/2014-15/files/BayAreaInvite.pdf
Sunday Results: http://chapmanathletics.com/sports/swimdive/2014-15/files/BayAreaDual.pdf

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