JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn.- Carson-Newman swim is headed to Greensboro, N.C. to compete in the 2024 South Atlantic Conference Men's & Women's Swimming Championships this Wednesday, Feb. 14 through Saturday, Feb. 17.
"This past week has involved a lot of rest for our swimmers. We came down in overall volume and really focused on getting prepared for this week," head swim coach Ben Young said. "It's a long meet. Four days, for anybody, is a long time to stay mentally focused and completely prepared for everything to come. For us, it's important to make sure the athletes understand that. We have to keep smiling and not worry about the things we can't control. Utlimately, the goal is to stay as focused as you can throughout the entire meet".
Carson-Newman swim will wrap up the 2023-24 swimming season at the 2024 SAC Swimming Championships beginning tomorrow, Feb. 14. The four-day meet will host five teams alongside the Eagles, including Wingate, Mars Hill, Lenoir-Rhyne, Catawba, and Emory & Henry. Each day of competition will begin at 10:00 a.m. with preliminary events followed by a second session at 5:00 p.m. to host finals.
"I know we will be in absolute fight with Catawba on the men's side. Catawba has put together an absolutely amazing squad this year," Young said. "It's going to be a really fun week. There's a chance that Wingate will more than likely run away with it, but for us, it's always about closing that gap. This meet is one where we really focus on being strategic. We've got some people who aren't used to swimming the mile that will be in the mile. For us, it's making sure we are putting together the best team possible".
At last year's SAC Swimming Championships, C-N swim finished second on both sides of competition. Carson-Newman women's swim finished the weekend with 1,666 points following closely behind Wingate with 2,038. Standout performances included Kyla Blakemore's first-place finish in the women's 100-yard backstroke in 54.90. Blakemore earned an NCAA "B" Cut for her performance as well as a new personal best in the event. Kennadi King finished fifth in the 100-yard freestyle with a "B" Cut time of 51.23. Lily Parr also received an NCAA DII "B" Cut for the event with her seventh-place finish in 51.65. Maria Tirulli placed third in the women's 200-yard butterfly in 2:05.80. Carson-Newman women's swim also won the 400-yard medley relay with a time of 3:42.52 securing an NCAA "B" Cut. The men placed second in 3:15.07 to secure another "B" Cut for the Eagles.
"Once you get to conference, there are a lot of conversations about making it back to finals," Young said. "As long as you have a lane, anything is possible. It doesn't matter if you are lane 1 or lane 8 because as long as you have a lane, you have another opportunity to swim".
Carson-Newman men's swim left last year's championship meet with 1,496 points. Wingate placed first with 1,952 points. The Eagles took a first-place finish in the men's 200-yard medley relay with a finals time of 1:28.26. Arthur Gluzman, Asger Hartvig, and Will Humphreys participated in the event and secured an NCAA Qualifying Cut for the performance. Gluzman went on to place second in the men's 100 back with an NCAA "B" Cut time of 48.82. Gluzman beat his personal best (50.33) by over a second.
The 2024 SAC Swimming Championships are the last opportunity for C-N swimmers to qualify for the 2024 NCAA DII Swimming & Diving Championships that are set to begin Monday, Mar. 11 in Geneva, Ohio. The Eagles will race for a spot in the national competition throughout the conference meet.
"Primarily, the main focus this week is on NCAA cuts," Young said. "We've got several that are right on the bubble. So, that's really a focus, is getting those individuals to nationals. At the same time, we are having conversations with seniors about finishing out their swimming careers on a high note and putting everything possible into every race. So, it's about taking a deep breath and taking it all in. It's a great opportunity for us to showcase the amount of work that has been put in this year, so our goal is to really piece everything together".
The 2024 SAC Men's & Women's Swimming Championships are set to begin tomorrow, Feb. 14 at 10:00 a.m. The full meet schedule can be found HERE. Stay up to date on cneagles.com.
