Thursday, March 12
Cleveland, Ohio
All Day
California Baptist University
vs
CSCAA National Invitational Championship
Photo by: Robert Jordan
Lancers Ready for Another Run at CSCAA NIC
3/10/2020 11:50:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving, Swimming and Diving
CLEVELAND – California Baptist University will look to provide an exclamation point to its second NCAA Division I season at the 2020 College Swimming Coaches Association of America National Invitational Championship this week.
Fifteen Lancers – eight men and seven women – have qualified for the national meet, which will be hosted at Cleveland State's Busbey Natatorium Thursday through Saturday. CBU will look to build on its impressive debut at the event last season, as the men finished runner-up and the women took 21st in 2019.
There is excitement to get back to the traditional tournament format of prelims and finals, after a large water main break in Houston forced the Western Athletic Conference Championships to go with timed finals for three of the four days at the University of Houston two weeks ago.
Nevertheless, the Lancers' women took a program-best second place in the WAC, while the men came in fifth. CBU is hoping that, like last year, it has saved the best for last. Rick Rowland was named the CSCAA Men's Coach of the Year, while the Men's Swimmer of the Meet award was given to Jerome Heidrich in 2019.
MEET INFORMATION
Name: 2020 CSCAA National Invitational Championship
Dates/Times: Thursday, March 12 - Saturday, March 14 (6:30 a.m. prelims and 3:00 p.m. finals)
Location: Robert F. Busbey Natatorium at Cleveland State (Cleveland, Ohio)
Watch: Youtube (Finals Only)
Live Results: Swim Cloud and Meet Mobile
The youth movement continues for CBU's women, as six of their seven qualifiers are underclassmen. Sophomores Rebeca Oviedo, Rita Smirnova and Isabella Rhodes both return to the national meet after each swam on the All-American 400-free relay team last year. Rhodes is the top returner after being the lone Lancer on the team to log an individual All-American, fourth-place finish in the 100 free (fourth, 50.16).
Junior transfer Nicole Cienega and true freshmen Faith Brazil, Mackenzie Degn and Hannah Houlton will be making their debuts at the CSCAA NIC. The Lancers qualified all five of their relay teams, and have their seven swimmers qualified for 23 individual events.
There are multiple qualifiers in the 100 individual medley, the 50 and 100 butterflies; 50, 100, 200 and 500 freestyles.
The Lancers' men return five CSCAA All-Americans from last season in Jacob Leahy, Josh Walters, Sean Foster, Robert Moseley and Colton Babcock. Senior Quinn Birtles and junior transfer Joe Molinari are also poised to make their NIC debuts.
CBU has qualified all five relays for the meet, while its eight swimmers qualified for 32 individual events. The Lancers have multiple qualifiers in several events: the 50, 100 and 200 breaststrokes; 50, 100 and 200 backstrokes; 200 and 400 individual medleys; 50 and 100 freestyles. The Lancerss' 400-free (2:55.79) and 200-medley relay teams (1:26.89) are seeded fifth and sixth, respectively, going into the meet.
Leahy and Walters could be poised for another big showing at the national meet after solidifying themselves as multiple champions and All-Americans at the 2019 CSCAA NIC. They both swam on two victorious relay teams (200 and 400 free) and the runner-up 400-medley relay last year.
Coming into the week, Leahy is seeded in the top five of three individual events. He owns the second-fastest time in the 50 back this season (21.49) after he finished runner-up in the event last year (21.71). He is also seeded third in the 100 free (43.46) after he took second (43.46) in 2019, and also owns a top-five time in the 100 back (46.99).
Walters also took third in the 50 free (20.33). Foster was a top-seven finisher in both the 50 (25.00) and 200 breasts (1:58.88), while Moseley also took seventh in the 50 fly (22.33) and is seeded eighth in the 400 IM (3:53.98). Birtles could be a big scorer for CBU in his CSCAA debut, as he's seeded fifth in the 1000 free (9:25.44) and sixth in the 200 fly (1:47.04).
Psych Sheet for 2020 CSCAA NIC
Fifteen Lancers – eight men and seven women – have qualified for the national meet, which will be hosted at Cleveland State's Busbey Natatorium Thursday through Saturday. CBU will look to build on its impressive debut at the event last season, as the men finished runner-up and the women took 21st in 2019.
There is excitement to get back to the traditional tournament format of prelims and finals, after a large water main break in Houston forced the Western Athletic Conference Championships to go with timed finals for three of the four days at the University of Houston two weeks ago.
Nevertheless, the Lancers' women took a program-best second place in the WAC, while the men came in fifth. CBU is hoping that, like last year, it has saved the best for last. Rick Rowland was named the CSCAA Men's Coach of the Year, while the Men's Swimmer of the Meet award was given to Jerome Heidrich in 2019.
MEET INFORMATION
Name: 2020 CSCAA National Invitational Championship
Dates/Times: Thursday, March 12 - Saturday, March 14 (6:30 a.m. prelims and 3:00 p.m. finals)
Location: Robert F. Busbey Natatorium at Cleveland State (Cleveland, Ohio)
Watch: Youtube (Finals Only)
Live Results: Swim Cloud and Meet Mobile
Putting in the final preparations in our home pool for the @CSCAA #NICChamps.#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/qyb65pPEe7
— CBU Swimming & Diving (@CBUswim) March 9, 2020
The youth movement continues for CBU's women, as six of their seven qualifiers are underclassmen. Sophomores Rebeca Oviedo, Rita Smirnova and Isabella Rhodes both return to the national meet after each swam on the All-American 400-free relay team last year. Rhodes is the top returner after being the lone Lancer on the team to log an individual All-American, fourth-place finish in the 100 free (fourth, 50.16).
Junior transfer Nicole Cienega and true freshmen Faith Brazil, Mackenzie Degn and Hannah Houlton will be making their debuts at the CSCAA NIC. The Lancers qualified all five of their relay teams, and have their seven swimmers qualified for 23 individual events.
There are multiple qualifiers in the 100 individual medley, the 50 and 100 butterflies; 50, 100, 200 and 500 freestyles.
The Lancers' men return five CSCAA All-Americans from last season in Jacob Leahy, Josh Walters, Sean Foster, Robert Moseley and Colton Babcock. Senior Quinn Birtles and junior transfer Joe Molinari are also poised to make their NIC debuts.
CBU has qualified all five relays for the meet, while its eight swimmers qualified for 32 individual events. The Lancers have multiple qualifiers in several events: the 50, 100 and 200 breaststrokes; 50, 100 and 200 backstrokes; 200 and 400 individual medleys; 50 and 100 freestyles. The Lancerss' 400-free (2:55.79) and 200-medley relay teams (1:26.89) are seeded fifth and sixth, respectively, going into the meet.
Leahy and Walters could be poised for another big showing at the national meet after solidifying themselves as multiple champions and All-Americans at the 2019 CSCAA NIC. They both swam on two victorious relay teams (200 and 400 free) and the runner-up 400-medley relay last year.
Coming into the week, Leahy is seeded in the top five of three individual events. He owns the second-fastest time in the 50 back this season (21.49) after he finished runner-up in the event last year (21.71). He is also seeded third in the 100 free (43.46) after he took second (43.46) in 2019, and also owns a top-five time in the 100 back (46.99).
Walters also took third in the 50 free (20.33). Foster was a top-seven finisher in both the 50 (25.00) and 200 breasts (1:58.88), while Moseley also took seventh in the 50 fly (22.33) and is seeded eighth in the 400 IM (3:53.98). Birtles could be a big scorer for CBU in his CSCAA debut, as he's seeded fifth in the 1000 free (9:25.44) and sixth in the 200 fly (1:47.04).
Psych Sheet for 2020 CSCAA NIC
Players Mentioned
Free
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
Fly/Free
/ Swimming and Diving
Breast/IM
/ Swimming and Diving
Fly
/ Swimming and Diving
Free
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Breast/IM
/ Swimming and Diving
Free
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
Sprint
/ Swimming and Diving
Back
/ Swimming and Diving
Back/Fly/IM
/ Swimming and Diving
Back/IM
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
Free/IM
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
Sprint
/ Swimming and Diving
Free
/ Swimming and Diving
Fly/Back
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