California Baptist University
MPSF Open Water 5k
Lancers Claim Victory at the MPSF Open Water Championships
10/18/2025 4:00:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving
LONG BEACH --- The 2025-26 swim season got underway on Saturday as Long Beach's Marine Stadium played host to the MPSF Open Water Championship. Competing in the individual 5K and the 2K relay, CBU's men's side started the year as champions of the event.
The CBU men scored 135 points, placing them on top of the podium for the nine-team field. The CBU women's team placed third out of 17 programs with 89 points.
Saturday began with the men's 5K freestyle. Leading the Lancers was Mark Kovacsics, who placed second with a time of 59:07. Holden Short was next to finish, as his time of 1:01:56 was good enough for fifth. Cody Meyer (1:02:03) finished in seventh, followed by Fernando Manceras (1:02:08) in eighth, giving the Lancers four top ten finishes. Liam Flaherty (1:04:19) rounded out the field of Lancers with a 14th-place finish.
The women's 5K freestyle was next on the schedule. Leading the Lancers was Gabriela Robles (1:03:44) with a ninth-place finish. Kai Flanagan (1:03:45) rounded out the top ten with a tenth-place finish in the field of 76 swimmers. Abigail Skinder (1:05:48) finished 21st to round out the field of Lancers.
Next up was the start of relay racing, as the men returned to the water for the 2000m freestyle.
The Lancers secured victory in the men's relay, besting the team from BYU by five seconds. Grand Canyon placed third in the event. The men's relay team posted a time of 24:30. The relay team consisted of Kovacsics, Short, Andrew Teh, and Eli Rollen.
Saturday's final event was the women's 2000m freestyle relay. Ambrin Pienaar, Flanagan, Robles, and Skinder made up the CBU team that placed fourth at 26:13. Rice placed first in the women's relay, followed by Washington State and BYU.
Rice finished first as a team in the women's competition with 148 points.
The Lancers will continue their season next week as they compete in the pool for the first time. CBU will head to Claremont on Saturday, October 25, for a meet with Pomona-Pitzer. The meet will include both swimming and diving events, as it marks the season opener for the CBU dive team.
Next week's meeting in Claremont is scheduled to start at 11 a.m.
Players Mentioned
