OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. --- Twenty All-American honors. Seventeen new school records. Three national championships. Three national records. Eleven Top-3 finishes and two NAIA Champions of Character. Could three days at a swim meet get any better?
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The number of remarkable swims on the women's side resulted in a seventh-place team finish with 296 team points. Oklahoma Baptist won the team championship with 745 points.
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The men's side also corralled a top-10 finish, placing 10
th overall with 162 team points. The men's team moved up one spot from its 2013-14 finish and the women stayed exactly where they finished last year. OBU also won the men's championship, getting 876.5 total points.
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Speaking of championships,
Christine Tixier won her eighth, and final, individual NAIA National Championship in the 200-butterfly. She swam a 2:00.89 to set a new NAIA record and make it three championships and three national records in her three individual swims at this meet.
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"I was so proud of our seniors and the immense contribution they've given to this team," said Head Coach
Eddie Shepard. "
Christine Tixier had the meet of a lifetime and put up a truly historical performance. It is literally impossible to swim any better than she did this week with three championships and three records."
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Tixier was also a part of another record-setting All-American relay, the third of this meet for the Eagles. She and Lisa Tixier, combined with
Victoria Turner and
Angela Kirschner set a new school record with a 3:29.46 and a third-place finish in the 400-freestyle relay.
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Lisa Tixier also tacked on one more individual All-American honor to bring her tally of plaques at the meet up to six. She swam a :50.91, breaking the school record of course, in the 100-freestyle, placing third in a ridiculously fast event.
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Biola's final All-American came with a national runner-up finish by
Shane Brinson in the men's three-meter dive. The junior posted a 272.20 to corral his second All-American award of the meet.
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Today's seven All-American recipients brought the Eagles' total for the three-day meet up to 20, highlighted by six to each Tixier, three to Kirschner and two to Brinson.
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"I could not have imagined that we would have swum this well when we started this meet on Thursday," said Shepard. "Every one of our swimmers stepped up at one point or another to contribute to our success this week. They worked so hard all year long and it was an incredible blessing for me to get to see all their hard work pay off."
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Biola saw two more school records fall on Saturday, as
Edward Campana broke another one of Shepard's school records and
Charles Nanfria set a new low mark in the 200-butterfly. Campana swam a 1:50.38 to finish 10
th and break the record in the 200-backstroke and Nanfria posted a 1:55.69 in his 13
th-place finish.
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Campana was involved in another of the Eagles' fast relays on Saturday as he,
Bretton Smith,
Cort Sharp and
Matthew Flodin finished sixth in the men's 400-freestyle relay with a 3:06.57.
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Rounding out Biola's top swims on the final day were
Sophia Dammann and
Sammy Dammann. The twins earned 14
th and 10
th place finishes in the 200-butterfly, respectively.
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Kenny Alcosiba and
Victoria Turner were selected as NAIA Champions of Character representing Biola.
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Biola's season comes to a close with this remarkable meet, but a large chunk of these competitors, including five of the seven All-Americans, will be back in the pool again once the fall rolls around.