SAN ANTONIO --- Day two of the NAIA Swimming and Diving National Championships proved to be a great day for the Biola women as they moved into fourth place overall Friday night at the Palo Alto Natatorium in San Antonio.
The Biola women moved from sixth to fourth in the team standings with 215 team points. The Eagles are just three points ahead of Lindenwood University and Illinois Tech. Cal Baptist leads on both the men's and women's sides, scoring 533 points to hold the edge in the women's race.
Biola's men's team remained in seventh place overall in what is proving to be a tough men's competition. The Eagles have 133 points with the Lancers leading with 652.5.
Senior Leigh Pearce had a banner day, placing fourth in the 100 butterfly with an time of 58.69, nearly two-tenths of a second faster than her time in the morning qualifing round.
Pearce also swam the lead leg of the Eagles' 400 medley relay team that placed seventh with a time of 4.08:84. She was followed in the relay by sophomore Megan DeForest, junior Christina Piakak and senior Shannon Lawrence.
The other relay on the day was the 200 freestyle relay. The Eagles finished sixth in that relay, cracking 1:40 for the first time with a time of 1:39.40. Sophomore Sarah Warkentin, senior Lindsay Hagensen, junior Meghan Samsvick and Lawrence composed the relay squad.
Warkentin also swam in the finals of the 200 freestyle and placed eighth with a time of 2:00.87. She posted one of the best times in school history in the event in the morning session with a time of 1:57.98 to earn the spot in the finals.
Junior Brittany Sharpe also swam the 200 free and took 11th overall. She swam a 1:58.61 in the evening session after a 1:59.41 in the morning swim. Lawrence placed 16th in the event in 2:05.12 after a strong 2:01.90 in the morning. Hagensen placed 18th with a 2:02.92.
Joining Pearce in the 100 fly was Christina Piakak, who placed 13th in the event at 1:00.37. She just missed out on the finals in the morning swim after breaking one minute with a 59.99.
DeForest placed 12th in the 400 IM with a time of 4:54.26, knocking three seconds off her qualifying time in the morning session.
In the diving competition, twins Roxanne and Rachelle Peck took fifth and sixth in the 3-meter event with scores of 376 and 374.75, respectively.
The men's team also had a good day in the water, opening up with a seventh place finish in the 200 free relay. The young team of freshman Zach Perkins, sophomore Richard Nerud, sophomore Jeremy Davidson and freshman Ben Oviedo, swam a 1:29.35.
In the men's 100 fly, Nerud placed eighth in the finals with a time of 51.72 while Oviedo took 13th in 51.88.
Sophomore Erik Scott placed 12th in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:01.33.
In the 100 backstroke, Oviedo finished in 12th place in 54.89 with teammate Jeremy Davidson placing 16th at at 57.78.
The Eagles closed out the day with a sixth place finish in the 400 medley relay, finishing the evening swim in a time of 3:36.16--the exact time they had swam in the morning session. The relay team was made up of Oviedo, Scott, Nerud and Perkins.
The competition wraps up on Saturday (Mar. 3).
