Swimming & Diving readies for SCIAC Championships
ORANGE, Calif. – The Chapman University swimming & diving teams open competition at the SCIAC Championships tomorrow at East LA College. The Panthers head into the championship meet for the first time under head coach Juliet Suess after the most successful duals seasons in school history.
Both Panther teams have and abundance of excitement as they look to improve on their standings from a year ago when the High Tops came in third and Low Tops took sixth.
Avery Hall heads into the championships with a chance to final in three freestyle events. She currently ranks in the top-12 of the 50 free, 100 free and 200 free. In the 50 free, Hall will be fighting for a spot on the podium as her season-best of 24.04 ranks fourth in the SCIAC. She will also push for a spot in the championship final in the 100 free with her 53.05.In the 200 free, she ranks 11th overall.
The Panthers will have opportunities to rake in some points in the freestyle with at least one swimming in the top-20 of every event. Ryanne Doherty ranks 10th in the 100 free alongside Hall's No. 8 ranking and Meghan Kluck's No. 11 ranking. Alexis Anderson leads the Panthers in the distance events. She'll push for the finals in the 500 free where she currently ranks 15th. She'll also look to score some points for the Panther high tops in the 1650 free with a ranking of No. 16.
Four Panthers are in line for a finals appearance in the 100 back – led by Bianca Bayer. Bayers's 1:00.75 ranks 11th and is just ahead of teammate Ashlyn Walters in 12th. Carolina Kundahl enters the event at No. 15 and Hannah Parulan at No. 16. Parulan is also 15th in the 200 back with Walters coming at No. 16 in the event.
Kluck, who finished third in the 100 breast last year, will look to climb the podium again as she comes into the meet ranked fourth in the event with a 1:06.00. Sophia Ryu could make her way into the championship final as well as she checks in at No. 10 with Doherty and Sydney Snider also in the top 18. Ryu also ranks 10th in the 200 breast with Emily Kinney coming into the meet ranked 12th in the event.
Kiana Tanizaki-Hudson will look for her first All-SCIAC finish in the 100 fly where she is currently slotted at No. 3 in the SCIAC with a 57.01. Her 2:07.58 ranks fifth in the 200 fly and she also ranks 13th in the 200 IM. Inez Amer and Summer Solomon join Tanizaki-Hudson in the top-18 of the 200 fly while Bayer comes into SCIAC ranked 17th in the 200 IM.
Three more Panthers in the top-18 of the 400 IM, led by Ella McShane in 11th. Kinney and Sydney Kirchoff join her in the top-18.
The High Tops will also look to pick up some points in the relay as all five relay teams are in the top-5 of the conference. The 200 medley relay team comes in ranked the highest at third.
The Low Tops are no slouch either heading in with a great chance to make waves in the championships after their best showing in the regular season in program history. Cole Kershner ranks second in the SCIAC in the 50 free and has set the fastest relay split in the 200 free relay. Kershner also ranks in the top-18 in the 100 fly at 14th.
Three Panthers rank in the top-18 in the 200 back as well, with Bryce Grover leading the pack at No. 11. Brandon Leung, who sits in No. 14, also has a shot in the 400 IM where he has the 11th best qualifying time in the conference. Zach Waddell is also in line for a finals appearance at No. 17 in the event.
Joining Leung in the 400 IM is Noah Kim who is ranked 16th overall. Another Kim who's seen success this season is Jason Kim; he's 14th in the 200 fly.
As for the distance swimmers, there is a duo headed for championship contention with Miles Duncan and Willis Boyd ranked at No. 15 and No. 17 respectively.
And finishing the swimmers out is Simon Jacobs. Jacobs won a pair of events on senior day and sits at 11th in the 200 breaststroke.
The Low Tops have been exceptional off the diving boards this season with Reid Omilian and Jake Randazzo qualifying for regionals this season, both have an opportunity to take home the top spot in the SCIAC championship. Omilian leads the way off the one-meter ranking third, while Randazzo is the better of the two off the three-meter, also in third. Mohamed El Askary has a chance to place in both events as he ranks in the top-nine in the three-meter, and is 13th in the one-meter.
By Steven Olveda
Sports Information Director
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