Swimming battles NCAA Division I Gardner-Webb

BOILING SPRING, N.C. (October 21, 2023) – The Milligan University swimming teams took on an NCAA Division I opponent for a head-to-head dual meet for the first time in program history as the Buffs traveled to Garder-Webb on Saturday.

Milligan finished second in both the men's and women's meets. The Buffs fell to the Bulldogs 142.5-110.5 on the men's side and 160-96 in the women's dual. Milligan had a slew of individual performances that were among the NAIA's best this season.

Milligan won the women's 400-yard medley relay with the NAIA's No. 2 time of 3:57.07 with Tyler Cates, Kaylee Williams, Gabby MacPherson and Hanne te Velthuis teaming up for the win. Milligan's 400 medley relay unit of Paxton Smith, Caleb Fry, Andre Bazzana and Stephen Gilbert also posted the second-fastest time in the nation this season (3:27.63) to finish second.

Gilbert recorded multipole national No. 1 times in the 200 back (1:51.57) and 200 IM (1:53.05), collecting meet titles in both events.

Samantha van Vuure posted the nation's No. 1 200-yard backstroke this season, touching the wall in 2:06.22. She also had the No. 2 100 back (58.86). Cates achieved top-10 marks for both backstroke events, swimming the 100 back in 59.91 and the 200 back in 2:10.21.

Te Vethuis matched the NAIA's fastest 50-yard free with a 24.51 and posted the third-fastest 100 free (54.10).

MacPherson won the 100-yard butterfly in 58.67, the third-fastest time in the nation and posted the NAIA's No. 4 200 free in 1:58.08.

Fry swam the third-fastest 100-yard breaststroke this season (57.77) and Mary Grace Bitting had the NAIA's No. 3 200-yard butterfly (2:11.51). Bazzana had the NAIA's No. 5 200 fly (1:55.992) and Williams had a top-10 swim in the 100 breast (1:09.20).

Peter Gilbert notched the fourth-fastest 1000-yard freestyle of the season in the NAIA with an effort of 10:03.02.

RJ Brumit had a top-10 national swim and a meet title in the 100 fly (51.64).

Milligan's women's 400-yard freestyle relay was the third-fastest in the country this season (3:38.87). Milligan's men closed the meet with a win in the 400 free relay (3:09.19).

The Buffs are idle next weekend.