Redlands Swimmers Excel at Bulldog Pentathlon as Depew Wins Men’s Competition

Swimmers competed at the Bulldog Pentathlon on Saturday at the Thompson Aquatic Center, and Jeff Depew (right) won the men's competition by more than five seconds.

Posted: Nov 09, 2013

The University of Redlands swimming teams hosted the annual Bulldog Pentathlon on Saturday at the Thompson Aquatic Center, and U of R men's junior swimmer Jeff Depew (Naperville, IL) finished in first place overall on the men's side, while U of R senior David Ortyn (Bainbridge Island, WA) placed second overall. For the Redlands women, it was freshman Jessica Rivers (Renton, WA) who led the way, notching an 11th place finish against the tough competition.

While taking on various Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) schools as well as Biola University, all Bulldog swimmers competed in 100 yards of each stroke before swimming one last time in the IM race. At the end of meet, all of the times were combined, and Depew won the men's event by more than five seconds, registering a total time of 4:29.91.

Watch Depew talk about the Bulldog Pentathlon.

On the day, Depew excelled in the 100 Fly (51.73), 100 Back (52.84), 100 Breast (1:01.23), 100 Free (50.63), and the 100 IM (53.48). Ortyn followed closely behind for the U of R, notching solid times in the 100 Fly (52.06), 100 back (55.45), 100 Breast (1:04.12), 100 Free (48.98), and the 100 IM (55.08) for a total time of 4:35.69.

Watch both Depew and Ortyn compete in the final heat of the 100 Fly.

In addition to these men's standouts, freshman Eric Bugna (Vancouver, WA) registered a 14th-place showing with a total time of 4:44.76, while fellow freshman Luke Marshall (Lake Oswego, OR) recorded a 27th-place finish with a combined mark of 4:54.41.

On the women's side, Rivers led the way in her first-ever Bulldog Pentathlon with a total time of 5:18.21. In the individual events, she recorded impressive marks in the 100 Fly (1:02.83), 100 Back (1:05.43), 100 Breast (1:10.24), 100 Free (56.55) and the 100 IM (1:03.16). In addition, freshman teammate Ellie Jaques (Covina, CA) registered a solid total time of 5:21.01 for 16th place at the meet.

Moreover, junior Haley Thiltgen (San Diego, CA) finished with a 21st-place showing (5:26.08), while sophomore Lauren Robeznieks (Tigard, OR) followed not far behind in 26th (5:30.02).

The Redlands divers look forward to hosting the Bulldog Diving Invite on Saturday, November 16 at the Thompson Aquatic Center, scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. The Bulldog swimmers jump back into action when they host Caltech on November 23 for the first SCIAC meet of the 2013-14 campaign.