FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno Pacific men's swim and dive traveled a stone's throw away to compete against Division I host Fresno State and Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday afternoon. The Saturday showdown ended with the Sunbirds falling to the Runners, 101-185.

"The men had a great time racing today. They are putting in the work, day in and day out in practice and it is starting to show," said first-year head coach Raymond Eggert. "Since the boys were able to suit up, they were extremely excited to get up and compete. The energy, positivity and support were evident from start to finish."

Leading the way was Tony Montes, who dominated the backstroke events with a first-place finish in the 200-yard backstroke (1:54.94) and a second-place finish in the 100 backstroke (51.20). August Ottesen delivered a stellar performance across multiple sprints, winning the 50 freestyle (20.85) with a new personal best, taking second in the 100 freestyle (46.64), and placing third in the 100 butterfly (51.31) to close out a busy meet.

Right behind him, Laurenz Privo also posted a pair of personal bests, finishing second in the 50 freestyle (20.86) and clocking a 48.47 in the 100 freestyle. Other strong swims came from Nico Barna, who led the Sunbirds in the 100 breaststroke (59.02, 1st) and helped the 200 freestyle relay to a third-place finish. Theo Schiesari added points in the 200 backstroke (1:59.07, 3rd) and 200 IM (2:04.32, 5th), while Oskar Herbut placed second in the 1000 freestyle (9:59.44) and fourth in the 500 free (4:46.39).

"The team is ready for the mid-season meet coming up in a couple weeks and we are all very excited to see what we can accomplish there."

The 200 freestyle relay team of Privo, Barna, Ottesen, and Olivier Petre wrapped up the day with a third-place finish (1:25.38), just tenths off CSU Bakersfield's "A" team.

"It was so fun to watch the men's team get up and race today," said assistant coach Rebeca Bribiesca Spears. "The energy on deck was amazing from start to finish. Oskar broke 10 minutes in the 1000 freestyle, Tony had strong races in both backstroke events, Nico threw down a solid 100 breast, Enzo tied his personal best in the 1000, and Justin had a great swim in the 200 IM. Overall, such an exciting meet to watch. So proud of this group and the effort they brought!"

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