Redlands Swimming & Diving Sinks Whittier

Redlands Swimming & Diving Sinks Whittier

The University of Redlands swimming & diving teams defeated Whittier College on Saturday morning in Redlands. The women won, 195-33, while the men prevailed, 182-52.

Prior to the start of the meet, the Bulldogs honored their 19 seniors for their years of contribution to the program.

Redlands’ women won each of the 13 contested events.

Freshman Lauren Craig (Newcastle, CA) and sophomore Shelby Mann (Bainbridge Island, WA) led the charge for the Bulldogs. Craig stopped the clock first in the 100 butterfly (1:02.04) before taking the 100 breaststroke (1:10.74) later on in the contest. Mann supplied an all-around solid performance on the boards, claiming wins in the 1-meter (177.65) and the 3-meter (170.50).

Freshman Laura Hunter (Glendora, CA) covered the 1000 freestyle in a first-place 12:01.63, which stood as her first collegiate victory.

In the 200 freestyle, sophomore Joy Corona (Lake Bluff, IL) set the pace, clocking the event’s top time of 2:06.03.

Redlands accounted for the three fastest standards in the 50 freestyle. Freshman Lauren Zehner (Portland, OR) spearheaded the 1-2-3 finish with a first-place 26.02.

Junior Kayla Desai (Lakewood, CO) enjoyed a standout performance in the 400 individual medley, registering the gold standard of 4:51.99.

Freshman Allie Bollella (Palo Alto, CA) won by more than a second in the 100 freestyle (56.20) after jumping out to a sizable lead at the 50-yard mark.

The 100 backstroke featured an impressive effort by freshman Jessica Medvec (Tualatin, OR), whose 1:01.14 nearly missed the pool record of 1:00.83.

Senior Melanie Loo (Waipahu, HI) did not lead until the final 100 of the 500 freestyle, but she touched out her teammate, senior Kelly Goeres (Tigard, OR), by two-tenths of a second to triumph in 5:30.38.

Both relays went to the Bulldogs. Freshman Jessie Chansler (Kirkland, WA), sophomore McKenzie Nakamura (Kenmore, WA), Zehner and Bollella teamed up to capture the 200 medley relay (1:55.98) while the 200 freestyle relay squad of freshman Kara Parker (Houston, TX), junior Julie Schiering (Upland, CA), sophomore Casey Sripramong (Glendale, CA) and freshman Chelsea Kyffin (San Jose, CA) combined for a first-place 1:48.56.

Second-place performances came from: senior Jade Valenzuela (Indio, CA) in the 1000 freestyle (12:23.28), freshman Dionna Anast (Aloha, OR) in the 200 freestyle (2:07.53), sophomore Jaime Nippert (Gresham, OR) in the 50 freestyle (26.26), junior Michelle Camburn (Sunnyvale, CA) in the 400 individual medley (4:53.89), senior Chelsea Hamilton (Parker, CO) in the 3-meter (145.00), Nakamura in the 100 butterfly (1:02.77), Schiering in the 100 freestyle (57.72), Chansler in the 100 backstroke (1:03.30), Goeres in the 500 freestyle (5:30.58) and freshman Shirin Sedaghat (Boulder, CO) in the 100 breaststroke (1:11.83).

The men also took care of Whittier with ease, winning all but two events.

Sophomore Collin Gladys (Yorba Linda, CA) notched the top standard in each of the individual events he swam. He went a 48.71 100 freestyle and uncorked a 59.86 100 breaststroke.

Sophomore Mike Camp (Palos Verdes Estates, CA) cruised to a 10:51.01 victory in the 1000 freestyle, maintaining solid splits throughout.

The Bulldogs dominated the 200 freestyle, occupying each of the three top scoring spots. Junior Alec Alders (Los Angeles, CA) led the way with a 1:48.37 effort.

Sophomore Tyler Harp (San Bernardino, CA) gained the top mark in the 50 freestyle, slamming the touchpad first at 21.65.

Proficient at every stroke, freshman Chris Depew (Naperville, IL) had no trouble besting the 400 individual medley field. He extended his lead throughout the race and finished with a time of 4:20.81.

Junior Miran Terzic (Mostar, Bosna i Hercegovina) edged Harp in the 100 butterfly with a strong finish. Terzic’s 53.08 bested Harp by .09 seconds.

In the 100 backstroke, senior Ian Starkie (Arroyo Grande, CA) utilized a swift first 50 to stave off the competition (56.80).

Junior Drew Fischer (Highland, CA) battled back and forth with Whittier’s Cameron Rehm in the 500 freestyle. Fischer pushed through the final 15 meters of the race to claim the top time of 5:09.83.

Senior Matt Adams (Vista, CA) posted the highest score in the 3-meter (207.60), which served as Redlands’ lone diving win on the men’s side.

The foursome of Starkie, senior Scott Tsukamoto (Dana Point, CA), Terzic and senior John Floersch (San Jose, CA) registered the fastest time in the 200 medley relay (1:39.45).

Other standout performances came from: junior Sonny Morin (Seattle, WA) in the 1000 freestyle (11:56.33), senior Sheldon Gruendl (Danville, CA) in the 200 freestyle (1:50.33), senior Ryan Floersch (San Jose, CA) in the 50 freestyle (22.19), sophomore Will Houser (Woodinville, WA) in the 400 individual medley (4:30.49), Adams in the 1-meter (224.15), Harp in the 100 butterfly (53.17), freshman Matt Zaggy (University City, MO) in the 100 freestyle (49.14), sophomore Ben Ballard (Riverside, CA) in the 100 backstroke (56.96) and sophomore Mike Grant (Weston, MA) in the 100 breaststroke (1:01.63).

Redlands (6-1, 6-0 SCIAC; 6-1, 6-0 SCIAC) and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges meet up on Saturday, Feb. 6, in a battle of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) unbeatens. Both the Athenas and Stags are 6-0 in SCIAC competition. Diving is scheduled to commence at 10 a.m. in Claremont, with the swimming events to follow at 11 a.m.