PASADENA, Calif. — Fresno Pacific swimming and diving opened its season Saturday afternoon against Caltech. Despite traveling with a limited roster, the Sunbirds competed and earned multiple top-finishes in their first meet of the year against the Beavers.
"The meet went really well. Spirit was high and encouraging," said head coach Ray Eggert. "The team seemed to enjoy getting back into the swing of things. This was our first meet of the season, so it was really just about getting a starting point for racing."
On the women's side, the Sunbirds made the most of their opportunities, finishing first or second in all five individual events they contested.
Kaylin Mutoli led the way in the 100-yard freestyle, taking first in 55.67 seconds, while
McKenzie Fowler followed in second at 57.16.
The men found success in the 50-yard freestyle, where
Santiago Schutte captured first place in 21.07 seconds and
Ryan Nasalroad finished second in 23.85. Schutte also delivered a standout performance in the 100-yard freestyle, splitting 47.11 seconds as the leadoff swimmer on Fresno Pacific's 400-yard freestyle relay. Both his 50-yard freestyle and relay-leadoff 100-yard freestyle were season-best times, as was Mutoli's 100-yard freestyle.
"Overall, it was a very good performance by everyone," mentioned assistant coach
Rebeca Bribiesca Spears. "They all showed up and raced at 100% even though we're on the hardest part of the season training-wise. Jazlin competed in her first collegiate meet and
Hermione Roe performed well in the 500 free and 100 breaststroke."
Fresno Pacific fell in the team scoring, with the women dropping a 166-56 decision and the men falling 144-46. Despite the scoring gap, the Sunbirds found plenty of positives to build on as they begin the season.
"The scoring difference was a little rough since we only traveled five men and nine women," said Eggert, "but we still had some really good finishes in the events. Great place to start and many more races to come."
UP NEXT: The Sunbird women travel to Santa Barbara to compete against Westmont on October 31st. The Blue and Orange then host a tri-meet at Sanger West High School on November 7th with Bakersfield College and College of the Sequoias.
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