The first night of competition at the MPSF Swimming and Diving Championships proved fruitful as the Redhawks set four new school records in four events at the Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool in Long Beach, Calif.
“They’ve been preparing to do this all year and we’re really proud of the work they’ve done,” said interim head coach Kat Cuevas. “It’s set a great tone for the rest of the meet.”
The men set a new school record in the 200 medley relay when Keith Andrews (Hillsboro, Ore.), Erin Warren (Seattle, Wash.), Jordan Anderson (Newberg, Ore.), and Jeff Tibbals (Moscow, Idaho) all combined for a second-place finish in 1:30.58, surpassing the old record of 1:31.07. The men’s second record came in the final event of the day when Murray Longbotham (Mercer Island, Wash.), Nicolas Morrell (Bend, Ore.), Joe Wertz (Richland, Wash.), and James Gilmore (Eugene, Ore.) finished in 6:42.98 in the 800 freestyle relay, passing the old record of 6:48.32. In addition, Longbotham's lead leg split of 1:38.74 qualifies as a new 200 freestyle school record, breaking his own record set earlier this year.
Tina Nguyen (Hillsboro, Ore.), Alexis Morehouse (Vancouver, Wash.), Briley Boggs (Federal Way, Wash.), and Kelsey Henan (Billings, Mont.) finished ninth in the 200 medley relay with a new school record of 1:46.38, beating the previous record of 1:47.62. Nguyen, Marina Pomar-Enders (Mill Creek, Wash.), Hanna Basler (El Cajon, Calif.), and Hayley Cobb (Irvine, Calif.) also finished ninth in the 800 freestyle relay with a time of 7:40.76, just missing the school record by .16.
“They’re enjoying the fruits of a season they’ve worked really hard for,” said Cuevas.
The Championships continue Thursday, Feb. 24, with the morning preliminaries beginning at 10:30 am.