LA MIRADA, Calif. --- It's one week into the 2021 season and Head Coach Ryan Kauth's Biola Swim & Dive team is already making waves around the Pacific Collegiate Swimming & Diving Conference.

The Eagles had a memorable dual meet at California Baptist on Saturday that resulted in the women's first dual meet win over a NCAA Division I opponent and a new school record for the men. Following that effort, the Eagles swept all four of the PCSC's NCAA Division II weekly honors. 

Tanner Smith was named the men's swimmer of the week, Kolya Vos named the women's swimmer of the week, Westin Dawe named men's diver of the week and Ashley Vitale named the women's diver of the week.

Smith was a part of the record-setting relay, had two individual second-place finishes in the 100- and 200-backstroke and was a part of the men's team's only win of the day in the 200-freestyle relay.

"Tanner has had a breakout year unlike anybody I've seen in the last three-and-a-half years at Biola," said Kauth. "Even in the midst of not competing in the fall, we've had intrasquad meets and time trials and he's exploded. You see it in his confidence in training and in the weight room and now we saw it this weekend. He's somebody who is really starting to believe he belongs in the conversation with the nation's best at the division II level."

Vos was a key piece as the women's team dominated their NCAA Division I foes this weekend. She won the 100- and 200-freestyle and finished second in the 500-freestyle, making a big splash on the scoreboard. Additionally, she swam the anchor of the women's 400-medley relay as BU opened the meet with a big win.

"Kolya essentially picked up right where she left off last year at the PCSC Championships," said Kauth. "Her confidence, as it grows, she becomes more and more dangerous. She is someone who hates losing even more than she loves to win. As a result, you see her performances get better and better and better. As her confidence builds she's going to continue to show performances like she did this week."

On the boards both Westin Dawe and Ashley Vitale got out to strong starts to their 2021 campaigns. Vitale placed as the top Eagle in both the one-meter and three-meter dives. She finished fourth in each event, going up against a stacked CBU diving team. Dawe also recorded tallies on both the boards, finishing second in both the 1m and 3m while also swimming the 500-free and the 200-freestyle relay.

"Westin is a jack of all trades. He came out as the conference diver of the week after just picking up diving a year ago," said Kauth. "He is somebody that is anxious to get better and has already put himself in the conversation as one of the conference's best divers. We expect to see more performances like this and see where he continues to grow."

"Ashley trained at home last semester. She just arrived back on campus three weeks ago. To enter into our first meet and already be the PCSC Diver of the Week is extraordinary," said Kauth. "I think with the new diving coaching staff coming into the program you are going to see incredible improvements from Ashley and an incredible amount of success."

Biola Swim & Dive is right back at it this Saturday with a road tri-meet at Westmont College, featuring Biola, Westmont and Simpson.