George leads Blue Team to victory
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn.- Carson-Newman swim's blue team took home a win from the eighth annual Blue v. Orange World Championships this evening, lengthening the series lead to 5-3.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn.- Carson-Newman swim's blue team took home a win from the eighth annual Blue v. Orange World Championships this evening, lengthening the series lead to 5-3.
The blue team reigned victorious this evening, winning the eighth annual Blue v. Orange World Championships with a final score of 192-161. Graduate assistant for the swim program, Matthew George, coached the blue team through the meet.
"The meet was awesome. It was everything we expected and we wanted from blue and orange," graduate assitant for the swim program Matthew George said. "The atmoshpere was electric. We had the first-ever 200 mixed medley relay. For those who don't know, that's two guys and two girls racing together, so that forms a different dynamic for the race. The swimmers really took to that challenge."
The blue team won 11 of 19 total events throughout the meet. During the mixed 200-yard medley relay, the blue team finished first and second in the event. Kyla Blakemore, Benaiah McDowell, Daniel de Oliveira, and Lily Parr grabbed gold in the event in 1:38.57. Less than two seconds later, teammates Tyler Schehr, Breanna Belcher, Chrisman Rand, and Carson Jones placed second (1:40:50).
"We were so pumped. It was definitely going to be a close race tonight, but the blue team pulled through. The energy was up there, and the effort was all-in. I love the relays. It's so fun being able to race with the team and seeing everyone encourage each other. It's just fun doing it as a team," women's swimmer Blakemore said.
Blakemore also contributed to a blue team victory in the women's 400-yard freestyle relay. She swam with teammates Antonia Sanint, Parr, and Rand. The quartet finished in 3:31.77. Blakemore continued to race fast with a win in the women's 100-yard backstroke (56.82) and 100-yard butterfly (57.24).
"Going forward this season, we're just looking to build. We had so many great swims tonight, and great swims for the freshman. The freshman that have come in are so good, and they've been such great additions to the team. The team has meshed really well, and they've really come together around the culture that we want to create within the team," George said.
There were a number of standout performances throughout the meet. Freshman de Oliveira and Daniel Ribeiro made an impact with a pair of first-place finishes each. Ribeiro won the men's 50-yard freestyle (21.15) and 100-yard backstroke (52.01) while de Oliveira snagged first in 200-yard freestyle (1:41.43) and 100-yard butterfly (49.10).
"The newcomers are adjusting pretty well, especially the international students who aren't used to the American system of competition. These meets are really good for that practice and preparing for conference. We just need to continue doing what we have been doing and keep taking care of the details and our bodies," men's swimmer Jakov Igrec said.
Igrec, swimmer for the orange team, had a win of his own in the men's 400-yard IM. He finished the event in 4:15.30. Igrec also snagged silver in the 500-yard freestyle in 4:52.35.
The Eagles will kick off the regular season against Emory & Henry next Friday, Oct. 6. The meet will begin at 6:00 p.m. at the Emory & Henry Aquatic Center in Emory, Va.
"It's all about preparation. The final goal is to win conference and then place as high at nationals as we can. In order to do that, we have to prepare," George said. "We're just focusing on the details because those little things add up. Going forward to Emory & Henry next week, it's a chance to practice every single aspect of swimming. It's the warm-ups, nutrition, and preparation. In the races, it's the race tactics, the mentality, and physical preparation. It's about all the facets of swimming, and being able to fine-tune that throughout the season is all we ask."
The blue team took home a victory at the eighth annual Blue v. Orange Championships with a final score of 192-161. Blue maintains the series lead, extending that lead to 5-3 overall. C-N swim will be back in action next Friday, Oct. 6 at 6:00 p.m. in Emory, Va. Stay up to date on cneagles.com.
