STOCKTON, Calif. - The Fresno Pacific swim and dive team made their season debut against Division I University of the Pacific on Saturday afternoon.

The Sunbirds headed into their first dual swim meet of the season with first year head coach Raymond Eggert leading the charge.

"The meet went very well. Obviously, we were going against UOP, a strong division 1 program, but the point of the meet was to get the ball rolling," said head coach Raymond Eggert. "Now that we have a meet and some swims under our belts we are able to move forward and get better. We got to see how the training so far has been paying off and benefiting the swimmers, as well as see what we as coaches can incorporate into future practice to feel better prepared for certain races. All and all, it was a great to get out of our pool and race against another program. We are looking forward to the next couple meets coming up and hope that we can get people out to support. "

Despite a tough loss to the host team, the Sunbirds competed to the best of their ability in the upbeat and fast meet, in which every student-athlete swam in three events. Multiple incoming freshman and returners got their feet wet and leaned on one another throughout the meet. The team dynamic was great for the 'Birds despite the challenging competition.

"Things that stood out about the meet were everyone was in good positive spirits and cheering for each other during the races. Even though we knew it was going to be a rougher meet to gain points, the team was still cheering and competing to better themselves, that is what I love seeing. I also love the helpfulness of the team carrying thing to the bus, from the bus and making sure everything was cleansed when we left."

The men's team tallied 65 points overall. Sophomore Olivier Petre had an third place finish in the 200 Free with a time of 1:44.47 and captured second in the 100 Free (47.79). Freshman Santiago Schutte had a breakout performance for his first meet, hitting a personal best in the 200 Butterfly (2:01.38) and leading off the 400 Freestyle Relay (48.83). August Ottesen swam well in both the 50 and 100 Butterfly, securing a fourth place finish with a time of 53.11. Freshman Laurenz Privo placed fourth in the 50 Freestyle for his first meet as a Sunbird.

The women's team tallied 76 points overall with a strong performance from Jillian Lambert, who came in third place in the 50 Free with a time of 24.91. Anja Gunnsteinsdottir was the sole Sunbird to make the Top 10 performers in points on the women's side. Hermione Roe dominated in the Breaststroke, hitting a personal best inn the 50 split (30.24) and third place in the 100 (1:09.20). Freshman Mia Manno made her debut in the water, coming second in the 200 Butterfly with a time of 2:18.54 and hitting 26.10 in the 50 Butterfly split. To close it out, Mia Buller came in third place in the 1000 Freestyle with a time of 11:52.58.

"We saw some great swims from both sides this past weekend," said assistant coach Rebeca Bribiesca Spears. "It was a strong way to open the season, and the potential we showed gives us plenty of motivation to keep improving. I'm excited for the rest of the season!"

NEXT UP: The women's team competes against Alaska Fairbanks on Oct. 3rd-4th for the first home meet of the season. Day one of the meet starts at 5 pm, followed by an early 9 am start on Saturday.

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