JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – It's the beginning of a new, long season for the Carson-Newman swim team. And for a team in only its second year of existence, a young, youthful squad is set to take on the grind of the Bluegrass Mountain Conference slate.
One year ago, in the program's inaugural season, the Eagles finishesd sixth at the BMC Championship. This year, they will be looking for a higher finish this season.
That season gets off the starting block Friday night as the Eagles host BMC foe Lenior-Rhyne at Maddox Pool.
"We learned a lot about ourselves last year at Lenior-Rhyne. It was one of our travel meets. It was a great opportunity to get up and race," coach Paige McCord said. "I think it will be the same thing. I think our team can grow a lot. We are still young. And so, getting up and getting the jitters out of us will be good."
Last season, Carson-Newman faced Lenior-Rhyne at a tri-meet, which also featured Catawba. Both the Eagles' men's and women's teams knocked off the Bears in convincing fashion. The men won 117-75, the women won 128-61, those two scores resulted in a 245-136 combined win.
The Bears return junior Leah Watts who won the 400 IM at last season's tri-meet, while the Eagles return multiple race winners. Sophomore Natalie Burnett (Seviervile, Tenn.) won the 50-freestyle and the 200-butterfly in Salisbury last season.
Two weeks ago, the Eagles set five school records at the Second Splash, showcasing the program's youth. Three freshmen set four of the five school records.
On the women's side, Lexy Raybon (Sarasota, Fla.) set the school record in the 500 freestyle and Maggie Melhorn (Knoxville, Tenn.) set the lowest-time in the 100 breaststroke. Paul Ungur (Baia Mare, Romania) set two gold standards, in the 500 and 100 backstroke.
"The meet here with Lenior-Rhyne will be a great opportunity for us to see some good competition and have some challenges. They are a strong team and we are looking forward to the opportunity to race and race wel," McCord said.
The Carson-Newman/Lenior-Rhyne meet starts Friday night at 6 p.m. at Maddox Pool.
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