California Baptist University
Western Athletic Conference
CBU Posts Thunderous Results in Edinburg on Thursday
3/1/2024 12:59:00 AM | Swimming and Diving
EDINBURG, TEXAS - The California Baptist University men's and women's swim & dive teams kept pumping out winners on Thursday at the Western Athletic Conference Championships. After two days of championship action in Texas, CBU remains in second place in the team competition with 281 points. The Lancers trail only UNLV (393), who extended their lead on day two, but still lead Grand Canyon, who sit 35 points behind after 16 events. The CBU women found plenty of high-end success on Thursday but still dropped in the team rankings, now in fifth place out of eight teams with 177 points.
CBU claimed four WAC Champions on Thursday, split evenly between the teams. On the men's side, diver Mario Del Valle broke teammate Gael Jimenez's WAC point record in the 1-meter event, winning with a score of 408.20. Del Valle was joined on top of the podium by distance king Mark Kovacsics, who won the 500 Free in 4:18.63, well within the NCAA B Cut standard, besting the next closest swimmer by five seconds.
The women earned a second relay victory, this time with Naya Koc, Sofia Maksimova, Nicole Reynolds, and Emily Drossel winning the 200 Free Relay in 1:31.50, edging New Mexico State by .05 seconds. Maksimova climbed to the top of the podium twice on Thursday; the second time was for her meet-record win in the 50 Free in a time of 21.89.
Seven more Lancers earned All-WAC status before the action wrapped. Gael Jimenez led the group individually with a runner-up finish in the 1-meter event, posting a score of 388.75. The men's 200 Free Relay of Asa Frisbee, Tyler Mansheim, Ian Mullen, and Brendan Man made it onto the podium in third after finishing the race in 1:19.59.
Audrey Thordarson-Wehner (3-meter, 6th place), Koc (50 Free, 8th place), John Angelovic (1-meter, 7th Place), Nate Warson (1-meter, 8th Place), and Chase Allison (200 IM, 7th Place) all competed in the A Final for their individual events on Thursday, earning All-WAC status on that alone. Man, Frisbee, Mullen, Mansheim, Jacob Penman, Justin Welch, Cody Meyer, Liam Flaherty, Natallia Bedolla, and Bella Reynolds are all competitors who contributed to the Lancer point totals with B Final efforts.
Friday's action will see just the men diving, with platform prelims in the morning and finals in the evening. Swimmers will face the 400 IM, 100 Fly, 200 Free, 100 Breast, 100 Back, and 400 Medley Relay.
WAC CHAMPIONS
Women's 200 Free Relay - 1:31.50
- Koc, Maksimova, Reynolds, Drossel
- 1-meter - 408.20 *MEET RECORD*
- 500 Free - 4:18.63
- 50 Free - 21.89
ALL-WAC FINISHES
Men's 200 Free Relay - 3rd Place - 1:19.59
Frisbee, Mansheim, Mullen, Man
- 1-meter - 2nd Place - 388.75
- 1-meter - 7th Place - 289.70
- 1-meter - 8th Place - 265.05
- 200 IM - 7th Place - 1:47.46
- 50 Free - 8th Place - 23.42
- 3-meter - 6th Place - 302.50
IN THE POINTS
- 50 Free - 10th Place - 20.34
- 50 Free - 11th Place - 20.39
- 50 Free - T12th Place - 20.40
- 50 Free - T12th Place - 20.40
- 1-meter - 12th Place - 240.50
- 500 Free - 11th Place - 4:29.34
- 500 Free - 16th Place - 4:34.68
- 200 IM - 11th Place - 1:48.77
- 3-meter - 12th Place - 233.20
- 3-meter - 13th Place - 226.30
Players Mentioned
