FRESNO, Calif. – Fresno Pacific sophomore Laura Fornshell achieved three NCAA B-standard times on Saturday as the Sunbirds competed in a dual meet with crosstown-rival Fresno State. The men also faced UC Santa Cruz in a dual meet and picked up a dominant 201-93 victory.
 
INSIDE THE MEET:
Location: Fresno State Aquatics Center | Fresno, Calif.
Results
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QUOTABLE:
On the Meet Overall:
• "Overall, we had a very solid day today. This is a long season and you want stay invested in the process and keep getting better. We showed some significant strides from last weekend and it's obvious we're moving in the right direction." – head coach Josh Christensen
 
On the Women's Performance:
• "The ladies were outstanding today. I thought we swam well last weekend and we were much better today. We swim a very tough schedule and it's great to see us embrace that challenge and use it to raise our game. We raced tough the whole day against a solid D1 program and I'm really proud of the way we represented who we are as a team." – Christensen
 
• "Laura is doing special things right now. She's grown leaps and bounds in the last year and it's fun to be part of this process with her." – Christensen
 
• "I'm so proud of Daria (Belova) and Bavi (Basra). Their toughness and maturity really showed today. We have an amazing group of seniors that are leading us and putting the finishing touches on a legacy they can be proud of." - Christensen

On the Men's Performance:
• "We saw a lot of our men take a positive step forward this weekend. We still have a lot of places we need to be better, but we can take some momentum from this as we move forward. Our goal is to be at our best in February and March." – Christensen.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
• The women battled Fresno State tough, but narrowly fell to the Bulldogs by a score of 185-115.
• Fornshell dominated throughout the afternoon for the Sunbirds. She picked up wins in the 1000 free (10:19.88), the 200 free (1:52.45) and the 500 free (4:58.47). All three are NCAA B-cuts.
• Daria Belova also had a strong day for FPU, as the senior won the 100 breast with a time of 1:04.57 (B-standard) and 100 fly at 56.92. She also went 2:21.31 in the 200 breast for a third-place finish.
• Another senior, Bavindeep Basra, stepped up for the 'Birds on the day and won the 200 IM (2:08.06) and finished third in the 200 fly (2:06.67).
• Newcomer Olga Tovstogan jumped in the Sunbird record books in fourth in both the 100 breast (1:04.85) and the 200 breast (2:19.83), as the junior finished second in both events.
• Other highlights came from Kaylee Cooper (3rd, 10:38.17) in the 1000 free, Hannah Freeman (6th, 10:58.27) in the 1000 free, Olivia Hynes (2nd, 24.36) in the 50 free, Olga Melnikova (2nd, 2:06.37) in the 200 back and the 400 free relay (2nd, 3:31.44).
 
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• The men picked up 13 victories on the day, as the 'Birds defeated the Banana Slugs by a score of 201-93.
• Aleksei Averchenko highlighted the day for the Sunbirds, as the sophomore won the 200 fly at 1:51.28, the 200 back with a time of 1:52.67 and the 200 IM at 1:56.44.
• Collin Moore also had a solid day for FPU and finished second in the 200 fly (2:00.58), the 500 free (4:55.03) and the 1000 free (10:04.19).
• Other highlights for FPU came from Michael Chiodo, who won the 500 free with a time of 4:54.94, and Kyle Jones, who was victorious in the 200 free at 1:43.80.

BEYOND THE HEAT SHEET:
• Fornshell's time in the 500 free is the fastest in Division II this season. She also now ranks fourth in the 1000 free and fifth in the 200 free.
• Averchenko's time in the 200 fly currently ranks fifth best in Division II.
• Belova's 100 fly ranks third, while her 100 and 200 breast times are eighth in Division II.
• Tovstogan now ranks fifth in the 200 breast in D2.
• Melnikova is sixth in the 200 back after today in Division II.
• FPU was competing at the Bulldog Invite for the first fourth straight season. The 'Birds defeated the Bulldogs last season.
• The Sunbird women are ranked No. 13 and the men No. 17 in Division II.

UP NEXT:
• The Sunbirds now head to the A3 Invitational, hosted by UC San Diego, on Nov. 16-17.