California Baptist University
Pomona-Pitzer
Lancers Set Program and American Records In Home Opener on Friday Afternoon
10/26/2024 12:01:00 AM | Swimming and Diving
RIVERSIDE - California Baptist University men's and women's swim & dive teams opened up the home schedule in a big way on Friday afternoon against nearby DIII powerhouse Pomona-Pitzer. Gael Jimenez and Mario Del Valle thrived at home, crushing the men's pool and program records in the 1-and-3-meter diving events, respectively. On another level, freshman Braxton Wong set a new American S9 record in the 200 butterfly. CBU claimed wins in 28 of the 32 events that were participated in today.
SWIMMING
Seven CBU swimmers won multiple individual events on Friday, paced by super senior Lynn Henke, the only athlete to take home three wins on the day. The other half dozen Lancers who won a pair were Mark Kovacsics, Remi Fabiani, Jonathan Reiter, Andrew Teh, Naya Koc, and Kai Flanagan.
However, not all wins were first-place finishes on Friday. As mentioned in the opening paragraph, parathlete Braxton Wong has been in Riverside for less than three months but has already grown exponentially in the pool. Wong competes as an S9 para-swimmer, defined as swimmers with severe weakness in one leg or other disabilities that impact their swimming. Wong's right leg is amputated above the knee, but his training at CBU has paid off, as he is now the American record holder in the 200 Butterfly. Wong was an Olympic hopefully for Paris 2024 and still has his eyes set on Los Angeles 2028 and is now closer to achieving that goal than ever.
DIVING
On the boards, CBU swept the four events going away. The Lancers collected every podium spot on Friday, which was highlighted by Del Valle and Jimenez breaking program records along the way. Del Valle cruised past his 1-meter record, posting a score of 427.43, passing his old mark by 15 points. Jimenez took back his top spot from Del Valle, posting a 430.80 to best Mario's previous record of 422.60. Nate Warson and John Angelovic made plans for the Spring, earning three NCAA Zone Qualifying marks, with Nate hitting the mark on both boards while Angelovic completed his springboard double with his 1-meter score.
Audrey Thordarson-Wehner won both women's events, with Bella Reynolds joining her on the podium in both. Audrey Easter took third in the 3-meter competition, while new Lancers Jade Fontenelle posted her best finish of her young career, taking second in the 1-meter event with a score of 262.58.
The Lancers are back in the pool tomorrow morning, facing off with host Cal Tech and joined in Pasadena by San Diego. Saturday's meet is set to start at 10:00 a.m.
Players Mentioned
