MONTEREY PARK, Calif. - The Fresno Pacific swim and dive team competed down at the La Verne Winter Invitational from November 21-23. Each day brought on new challenges for the Sunbirds, yet multiple Fresno Pacific student-athletes were finalists in the day's prelims with two Sunbirds making NCAA "B" Cut.

"I'm extremely proud of this group and the hard work they've put in. It's exciting to see that dedication reflected in the results," said assistant coach Rebeca Bribiesca Spears. Overall, the energy was high, the swims were outstanding, and we're excited for what's still to come!"

The first day at Winter Invite set an incredible tone for the weekend. Fresno Pacific opened the meet with high energy and delivered strong swims across the board. On the women's side, Charlotte Wilbers advanced to the B final in the 500 freestyle, dropping two seconds from her morning swim, while Jillian Lambert earned a NCAA Nationals "B" cut in the 50 freestyle and won the event. The men continued the momentum with standout performances as well. Justin Ferrer dropped time in the 200 IM, the 200 freestyle relay secured a third-place finish, Oskar Herbut placed in the top five of the 500 freestyle, and Enzo Perragine posted another time drop from prelims.

"Started out strong for the first day of our midseason meet," said head coach Raymond Eggert. "The team was both nervous and excited about getting to this meet and swimming fast. Almost all had either season or personal best times. Along with a couple of men's relays close to NCAA cuts. Great energy and love seeing all of the cheering behind the lanes! Felt like great team atmosphere!"

Saturday's events kicked off just like day one with fast swims and great energy from the entire team. On the women's side, Hermione had a strong swim in the 100 breaststroke, and Mia Manno delivered an impressive personal best in the 100 butterfly to earn a spot in the final. For the men, Olivier Petre highlighted the session with a standout performance in the 200 freestyle, entering finals in second place while also posting a personal best and earning an NCAA Nationals "B" cut.

"What a last day! The whole meet was phenomenal! 37 personal best times and 46 season best times achieved throughout the meet! Crazy that only after 4 months of being here we could accomplish so much. I am extremely proud of this team. The last day was rough for all of the athletes, all were tired and most were sick and coughing, but they still found a way to step on the blocks and not only complete, but do well. There were some that were unable to swim and others on the team stepped up and and swam fast in their stead."

Even after two days of intense competition, Fresno Pacific's swimmers showed incredible grit and gave everything they had. A standout moment came from freshman Mia Manno, who secured a spot in the A final of the 200 butterfly, along with Cara Moehle joining the C final of the same event. The team's distance group also shined in the mile, earning personal bests from Mia Buller, Olivia Correa, Anja Gundesdottir, Enzo Duffey, and Herbut. Nico Barna captured first in the individual medley with a time of 51.51. The men came in fourth with a time of 3:03.89 in the 400 Freestyle Relay, thanks to contributions from August Ottensen, Herbut, Schutte, and Petre.

"The times were all good and well, but I was more impressed by how this team cared itself through the meet," mentioned Eggert. "The support that the whole team showed throughout the races, throughout the meetings, throughout the hardships makes me more proud of each member of this team more than their times. They are building a culture that FPU, myself and God can be proud of. There is still work to be done, but these wonderful student-athletes are laying a strong and lasting foundation brick by brick. We are all excited to get back to work after the holidays and continue building something truly great! Go Birds!!"

SUNBIRD SOCIAL 

• X - @fpusunbirds 
• Instagram - @fpusunbirds 
• Facebook - /FPUsunbirds 

#TeamFPU