Swimming tunes up for midseason meet at Liberty

LYNCHBURG, Va. (November 4, 2023) – The Milligan University swimming teams both collected wins in their final meet before the Buffs' midseason meet at the Liberty Natatorium on Saturday afternoon against Lynchburg and Sweet Briar.

Milligan's men took a 193-69 head-to-head victory over Lynchburg. The Buffs' women defeated Lynchburg 153-108 and Sweet Briar 218-25.

"We swam well and look ready to go for midseason in about a week and a half," said head coach Spencer Scarth. "Excited to see what we can do with some long overdue rest."

The Buffs set season best times and collected meet titles in both 200-yard medley relays. Samantha van Vuure, Kaylee Williams, Gabby MacPherson and Hanne te Velthuis recorded a time of 1:50.90. Paxton Smith, Caleb Fry, Andre Bazzana and Jayden Bearden finished in 1:35.68.

Mary Grace Bitting won the 400-yard individual medley with a national provisional time of 4:44.11. She added two more provisional finishes in the 100-yard freestyle (55.84) and 100-yard butterfly (1:01.03).

The Buffs swept one-through-three with three provisional swims in the men's 400 IM. Stephen Gilbert took the meet title in 4:13.37, Peter Gilbert was second in 4:19.73 and Simon Popelka placed third in 4:21.71. Stephen Gilbert also won the men's 200-yard backstroke (1:59.23). Peter Gilbert won the men's 500 free in 4:53.62.

Milligan had three provisional swims in the men's 100 fly with Stephen Gilbert (50.92), Sergio Tudor (51.55) and Smith (52.52) sweeping the top three spots. Tudor won the men's 200 fly in 2:01.65.

Riley Renaud became the third different women's swimmer to recorded a provisional swim in the 200-yard freestyle as she took the meet title in 2:01.52. She went on to win the 500 free with a provisional time of 5:24.82.

Bazzana notched a men's 200 free season-best provisional time of 1:44.92 and another provisional standard in the 100 free (48.52). He also won the men's 200 IM in 2:01.50.

Tyler Cates (1:01.49) and van Vuure (1:02.42) finished first and second in the women's 100 back with provisional swims. Van Vuure picked up a win and provisional time in the 200 back in 2:12.11.

Williams was a national provisional qualifier in the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:09.36 and won the 200 breast with a provisional time of 2:33.61. Caleb Fry won the men's 100 breast with a provisional mark of 59.12. Ben Hawkins won the 200 breast in 2:12.86.

MacPherson won the 200 fly in 2:13.34 and the 100 fly in 1:00.37, two national provisional times.

Te Velthuis notched another national provisional time in the 50 free (24.87) and the 100 free (54.81).

Smith hit the national provisional standard in the men's 50 free (21.58).

The Buffs closed the meet with a pair of wins in the 400 free relays.

The Buffs return to action Nov. 15-17 at Milligan's midseason meet, the Gamecock Invitational hosted by the University of South Carolina.