CBU Wins Big for RMAC Title

Wednesday, February 14

Lewisville, Texas

8:00 AM

California Baptist University

RMAC Championships

CBU Wins Big for RMAC Title

2/17/2018 7:32:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving, Swimming and Diving

By: Andrew Shortall, Asst. Sports Information Director

RESULTS

LEWISVILLE, Texas – Hopes were high California Baptist University would win its second Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference title in three years coming into the 2018 conference meet. The Lancers left little doubt they would accomplish that feat after they took a day-one lead and never looked back en route to winning the crown on Saturday evening at the LISD Aquatic Center.

CBU swept both the men's and women's RMAC championships for the second time after they did so in 2016. The Lancers leave the conference having gone seven-for-10 in RMAC team titles since they joined the conference in 2014. CBU will compete in NCAA Division I and the Western Athletic Conference next season.

Coach Rick Rowland was voted the RMAC Coach of the Year and Jacob Leahy was named the Freshman of the Meet after he won his second individual conference title on Saturday.

The Lancers posted 1,064 points in the victory, with Oklahoma Baptist not far off (1,028.5) and Colorado Mesa (908). It all came down to the last race of the night and CBU ended it in style with a win in the 400-yard freestyle relay when Jerome Heidrich, Josh Walters, Bernardo Valentim and Alexis Ohmar touched first in two minutes, 57.66 seconds to set a new CBU record. It was also good for a D-II consideration time and good for 40 points, while CBU's B relay for Adrien Deloffre, Colton Babcock, Tanner Shore and Brandon Schuster took ninth in 3:01.98 for 18 points.

Leahy added another victory for CBU in the 200 backstroke. He coasted to an almost three-second margin of victory over Colorado Mesa's Eric Berg with an NCAA Division II consideration time of 1:46.46, while the Mavericks' top finisher clocked in at 1:49.18.

Four other Lancers helped pile on the points in the event, with Schuster joining Leahy on the podium with a third-place swim (1:50.59). Christian Britton (1:52.66), Matt Amano (1:52.71) and Justin Quiroga (1:52.96) also swept 10^th through 12^th, which all would have been top-eight times in the championship heat.

Scott Tolman won the 200 breaststroke in a consideration time of 1:56.56, while Deloffre advanced to the finals and took sixth (2:02.22). Sean Foster also took 14^th in the race (2:09.24).

Robert Griffith nabbed a runner-up finish and consideration time in the 1650 free (15:37.97). Josh Fluetsch (15:53.41), Shore (16:00.76) and Babcock (16:00.91) swept seventh through ninth place in the race with consideration times, while Quinn Birtles also took 14^th (16:48.86).

Four Lancers placed in the top eight of the 100 freestyle, with Heidrich leading the quartet in third place (44.17). Walters came in fifth (44.62), Valentim seventh (45.11) and Ohmar eighth (45.30) with all four posting consideration times.

Three Lancers advanced to the finals for the 3-meter diving event. Zach Parry (482.60) and Garret Chew (461.45) posted automatic qualifying totals to take fifth and sixth, while true freshman Zane Freeman took seventh (432.60). Keifer Rex notched six more points for CBU by taking 11^th (299).