The University of Redlands swimming teams continued their 2014-15 campaign on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, by competing in the 2014 Collegiate Winter Invitational in Commerce, CA. While utilizing a small number of competitors, the men snagged sixth place and the women took seventh in a field of teams that ranged in size and included NCAA Division II, III and NAIA talents.
Highlighting the individual results, senior Jeff Depew (Naperville, IL) put together a solid set of performances, starting with a silver-medal showing in the 400 Individual Medley with an NCAA "B" cut time of 4:00.82. Depew continued to impress by grabbing another NCAA "B" cut time in the 200 Individual Medley, taking second place at 1:51.99. Depew rounded out his individual showing with a winning mark in the 200 Fly (1:49.19) for his third NCAA "B" cut of the meet.
In addition, sophomore Eric Bugna (Vancouver, WA) recorded a second-place effort in the 200 Fly with a time of 1:56.86, improving upon his preliminary finish by one position. He also supplied an eighth-place effort in the 100 Fly (52.81) and a ninth-place finish in the 500 Free (4:59.52).
Sophomore Will Tyrrell (Portland, OR) notched a second-place finish in the 100 Yard Free by recording a 47.30 mark. In addition, he took the bronze in the 100 Back with a time of 52.81 while earning ninth in the 200 Free with a time of 1:49.51.
Freshman Harlan Long (Orlando Park, IL) added quality performances for the Bulldogs, starting with a ninth-place finish in the 200 Individual Medley with a time of 2:02.31. He went on to place second in the "B" Final of the 100 Back, making him 12th overall, with a time of 1:02.48. This was nearly two seconds faster than his preliminary time. In the 100 Breast, Long continued to improve by taking first in the "B" Final with a time of 2:19.24 after shaving off five seconds from his prelim effort.
Furthermore, junior Patrick Fink (San Pedro, CA) placed sixth in the 100 Free by finishing with a 48.68-mark, while freshman Corey Winter (Ripon, CA) registered a sixth-place effort in the 200 Fly, completing the race in 2:01.21.
Among the men's relay competitions, the 4x50 Free Relay of Tyrrell, Long, Depew, and senior Eric LoPrete (Beaverton, OR) uncorked a second-place time of 1:36.25, while the quartet of Tyrrell, Long, Depew and Bugna put together a fourth-place showing in the 4x100 Medley Relay with a time of 3:35.37. In addition, the 4x100 Free Relay of Fink, Tyrrell, Bugna, and Depew took fourth by touching the wall in 3:14.57.
For the women, sophomore Ellie Jaques (Covina, CA) headlined the Bulldogs' outing by registering two NCAA "B" times, winning the 100 Fly, and earning three additional top-four finishes. She out-touched the competition in the 100 Fly with a winning time of 57.52 and collected a second-place showing in the 200 IM (2:08.01) after posting a B-cut time of 2:07.49 during the prelims. While taking third behind two swimmers from Biola University, she earned a B-cut time of 4:32.71 in the 400 Individual Medley. Her fourth-place effort in the 100 Free followed three NAIA competitors, as she completed the race in 53.35.
Furthermore, junior Lauren Robeznieks (Tigard, OR) finished fourth in the 100 Fly with a time of 59.13 before tying for fifth in the 50 Free with a time of 24.87. She came in eighth place in the 200 Free by registering a time of 1:57.76.
Freshman Claire Stuhr (Portland, OR) finished third in the "B" final, making her 13th overall, with a mark of 1:01.20. In addition, she tallied a ninth-place showing in the 200 IM with time of 2:16.25.
Sophomore Cassidy Cramton (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) placed eighth in the 500 Free (5:22.25) while taking ninth in the 200 Free (2:00.03).
Highlighting the women's relays, the 4x50 Free Relay of Jaques, Stuhr, Cramton, and Robeznieks tied for fifth with a time of 1:42.44, while Jaques, Cramton, freshman Brigid Mackey (Bellevue, WA), and Robeznieks put together a fifth-place effort in the 4x100 Free Relay, touching the wall in 3:42.34.
The Bulldogs look forward to a short break in the action before taking on the Occidental College Tigers in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic (SCIAC) competition on Saturday, January 10, at 10 a.m. in Eagle Rock.