LONG BEACH, Calif. --- Biola's swim team opened the 2009 Pacific Collegiate Swim Conference Championships with a respectable showing on Wednesday evening at Belmont Olympic Plaza in Long Beach.

The first day consisted of a pair of relays to get the teams warmed up for the four-day event which features a number of NCAA Division I, II and III schools as well as some fellow NAIA teams. The championships serve as a final tuneup for the Eagles before heading off to the NAIA Championships in March. Tonight's competition was light and featured the 200 medley and 800 free relays.

The men's team posted a pair of season best times, lowering its NAIA automatic qualifying times in both relays. First up was the 200 medley relay where the quartet of Ben Oviedo, Micah Perryman, Brian Shepard and Zachary Perkins swam to an eighth place finish with a time of 1:41.80, just over a half-second behind the seventh place team from Chapman.

The Eagles were flying in the 800 free relay and recorded an impressive time of 7:16.94. The team of Perkins, Oviedo, Paul Mendoza and Shepard placed seventh overall and dramatically lowered its best time of the season.

The Biola women were also up to the task as the 200 medley relay team opened with a quick 1:54.64, good enough for 10th place overall. The relay team was comprised of Rachel Sirjord, Hannah Lawman, Brittany Rosania and Emily Mosbacher. Later on, the 800 free relay also posted an impressive time, touching in 8:08.80, which was good enough for ninth place. The team of April Smith, Sirjord, Amber Kiel and Sarah Warkentin also lowered its season best with the swim.

The second day of the championships begins early on Thursday with prelims starting at 9:00 a.m. Thursday's events are the 50 and 500 freestyles, the 200 individual medley and the 200 free relay.