OFFICIAL RESULTS
LONG BEACH, Calif. --- The Biola University swim team broke nine school records and added 14 new national qualifying times during the 2007 Pacific Collegiate Swimming Conference Championships this week at Belmont Olympic Plaza Pool in Long Beach.
The Eagles, who are having the best season in program history, swam well in their final tuneup prior to the NAIA National Championships March 1-3 in San Antonio, Texas. The PCSC is made up of 14 different schools, mostly on the NCAA Division I or II levels. In this elite group, Biola's men's team finished seventh of eight teams in the conference while the women's team took 10th out of 14.
Freshman Ben Oviedo had another strong showing, placing in the top 10 in three different events. Oviedo broke the school record by placing fifth in the 100 butterfly in a time of 51.72. In addition, he placed sixth in the 100 backstroke and 10th in the 200 back.
Sophomore Ricky Nerud finished just behind Oviedo in the 100 butterfly, placing eighth overall. However, it was the 200 fly that Nerud excelled, placing 15th in the event with a time of 2:03.06.
Freshman Zachary Perkins broke his own school record in the 50 free with the first sub-22 second performance in Biola history. Perkins was 19th overall in the event with a time of 21.94.
Sophomore Erik Scott also broke his own school record with a 1.02.77 in the 100 breaststroke, good enough for 18th overall.
Sophomore Jeremy Davidson placed in the top-20 in two events, finishing 13th in the 100 backstroke and 17th in the 200 back. His times were good enough to qualify for the NAIA championships in both events.
On the women's side, senior Leigh Pearce shattered an eight-year-old record in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:14.69 during a time trial swim on Thursday night. Pearce beat the old mark which was set during the 1999 season by nearly a full second. She also had a top-20 finish during the championships, taking 20th overall in the 200 butterfly.
Junior Christina Piakak also set a new Biola record in the 100 fly with a time of 59.73. She broke her old record set during the 2006 NAIA Championships by five one-hundredths of a second.
Additionally, three new marks were established in the relay events. Biola's record books will be rewritten in the women's 800 free relay and in the men's 200 and 400 medley relays. The men's relays were swam by Oviedo, Scott, Nerud and Perkins. The women's swimmers in the 800 free were Sarah Warkentin, Lindsey Hagensen, Brittany Sharpe, and Shannon Lawrence.
Three other swimmers qualified for the NAIA National Championships. Sharpe punched her ticket in the 100 free, Jaclynn Petrelli in the 200 IM and Megan DeForest in the 100 and 200 breaststrokes.
Biola now begins final preparations for the 2007 NAIA National Championships which will take place at the Palo Alto Natatorium in San Antonio, Texas, March 1-3.
