The University of Redlands swimming & diving teams competed at the Thompson Aquatic Center on Saturday in the final home meet of the season and squared off against Whittier College on Senior Day. With a total team effort, the Maroon and Gray came away victorious against the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) foe, with the men taking down the Poets by a score of 183-52 and the women prevailing in a 137-89 decision.
Overall, Redlands registered plenty of solid results, as the men won 12 events and the women topped the competition in seven of them. In addition, the teams earned 34 second or third-place showings for an outstanding Senior Day.
After honoring the various careers of the 11 Bulldog seniors, Redlands went right to work to sweep the men's 400 Medley Relay, with four seniors among the medalists. Senior Brian Wright (Kent, WA) joined first-year Eric Forbes (Ladera Ranch, CA), and sophomores Matt Skinner (Lakewood, CO) and Michael Talag (Lakewood, CA) on the winning quartet that touched the wall in 3:35.37. Senior Corey Winter (Ripon, CA), first-years Zack Glenn (Mill Valley, CA) and Jordan Convery (Fairview, OR), and sophomore Carson Brett (Exeter, CA) teamed up to take second place in 3:42.55, while seniors Henry Stuckenschmidt (Fresno, CA) and Tristan Wheeler (Wellington, FL) joined junior Lucas Ulmer (Camas, WA) and first-year John Nelson (Parker, CO) for a third-place time of 3:48.47.
Senior Samuel Meyer (Seattle, WA) kept things rolling along for the Bulldogs by finishing third in the 1650 Free with a time of 18:00.25. First-year Rafael Zasas (Johannesburg, South Africa) and junior Sean Todd (Highland, CA) completed the 1-2-3 effort by the Bulldogs with their respective times of 17:16.57 and 17:55.43.
Wright headlined the 50 Free by taking home the gold with a time of 21.80, as Winter won the 200 Fly with the only sub-two-minute mark at 1:58.83. In addition, Stuckenschmidt left it all in the pool in the 500 Free with the only sub-five-minute showing that landed him atop the podium at 4:55.58.
The meet finished on a high night for the seniors, as four of them competed on four different teams in the 200 Free Relay. Wright contributed to the winning quartet that included junior Aaron Bauer (Garden Grove, CA), Talag, and Skinner, and touched the wall in 1:27.07, while Wheeler joined Brett, Zasas, and sophomore Bryce Hurick (Exeter, CA) for a second-place time of 1:29.02. Meyer swam on the fourth-place relay (1:33.27), while senior Payden Daly (Portland, OR) added his talents to the fifth-place quartet (1:33.66) to complete the outstanding day.
Beyond the seniors' success, Bauer finished first in the 200 Free by clocking a time of 1:47.41, while Talag and Brett added impressive firepower in this event with their second- (1:48.16) and third-place results (1:49.84). Bauer supplied a winning time of 48.23 in the 100 Free, as Nelson came away victorious in the 200 Back with a time of 2:03.88. Forbes uncorked a top time of 2:14.01 to take first place in the 200 Breast.
Furthermore, sophomore Jacob Miner (Antioch, CA) won both diving events, as he topped the all-Redlands field on the one-meter board with a score of 268.60 and eked out a nine-point victory over first-year Max Spiegel (Englewood, CO) in the three-meter competition with a score of 279.55.
For the women, the day began with a second-place effort by the 400 Medley Relay of senior Alex Amaro (Sugar Land, TX), junior Alden Lovaas (Colorado Springs, CO), first-year Rachel Carnell (Gilroy, CA), and sophomore Marie Sandstrom (Rhinelander, WI) that completed the race in 4:25.40.
Senior Emily Waddell (Bellevue, WA) headed up a strong Bulldog showing in the 50 Free by winning the competition in 24.86, while senior Olivia Rock (Boulder, CO) added a third-place time of 25.96. Waddell added another event win with the fastest time in the 100 Free at 54.80. Rock also joined her on the podium in that race by clocking a 56.94 for third.
Redlands swept the 200 Fly, as first-year Karina Lanning (Cupertino, CA), junior Wendy McAleer (Simi Valley, CA), and Amaro finished in first (2:15.90), second (2:17.13), and third (2:22.54), respectively.
The Bulldogs' fastest 200 Free Relay included a pair of seniors in Rock and Waddell, who joined forces with junior IveLee Senn (Novato, CA) and McAleer for a lethal combination that touched that wall in 1:41.99. Amaro teamed up with sophomore Taylor Cadile (San Jose, CA), first-year Cassy Hauserman (South Elgin, IL), and Sandstrom for second place in 1:49.49.
Beyond the seniors, Senn came away victorious in the 500 Free with a winning time of 5:31.36, while first-year August Key (Albuquerque, NM) and Carnell completed the Bulldog sweep in this event with respective times of 5:36.56 and 5:43.47. Furthermore, Senn added an event win in the 200 Free (2:02.96).
In the diving competition, sophomore Sami Scarano (Boulder, CO) registered a score of 266.15 to win the one-meter event and tallied a second-place mark of 218.45 on the three-meter board.
Redlands heads to the University of La Verne on Saturday, February 10, for the final SCIAC meet of the season. In addition to the Leopards, the teams take on Cal Lutheran University at 10 a.m.