GREENSBORO, N.C.- Carson-Newman swim left the 2024 SAC Men's & Women's Swimming Championships in second and third place this evening, Feb. 17. Women's swimmer Antonia Sanint grabbed gold in the women's 200-yard breaststroke in 2:18.35.
"It was an up and down night, and meet, for that matter," head swim coach Ben Young said. "It was emotional for a lot of the team, especially the seniors. It's crazy that you dedicate your entire life to a sport like swimming, and it all comes to a close within seconds and minutes. It was incredible to see the team rally together and support each other like they did. We had a slow first day, but we have been picking up speed this entire week. I can't express how proud I am of the entire team, and I am excited about the way we are moving forward as a program".
Sanint placed first in the women's 200-yard breaststroke in 2:18.35. She earned an NCAA DII "B" cut in the event. Teammate Breanna Belcher finished fourth in the event in 2:21.03.
"On the women's side, the swim of the night was hands down Antonia," Young said. "Her 200 breast was absolutely incredible. It's more than likely going to get her a national invite, and she has had an incredible journey. It's been a pleasure to watch her swim".
In the women's 100-yard freestyle, Kennadi King grabbed bronze in 50.87, another national cut time. For the men, Arthur Gluzman placed second in 44.09 seconds to grab an DII "B" cut in the event.
Kyla Blakemore finished second in the women's 200-yard backstroke in an NCAA "B" cut finals time of 2:00.17. Sarah Covington placed fourth in 2:03.29. Daniel de Oliveira placed second on the men's side of competition in 1:48.68. Tyler Schehr placed third in 1:49.94.
"On the men's side, I was really impressed with both Daniel and Tyler," Young said. "It was awesome to see them go second and third in the 200 back. They both pieced together some really good swims, and I have seen consistent improvement from the both of them throughout this season".
The Eagles swept the 400-yard freestyle relay to end the evening. Chrisman Rand, Emma Bowling, Sanint, and King placed first in 3:23.89. For the men, de Oliveira, Gluzman, Daniel Ribeiro, and Benaiah McDowell grabbed gold in 2:57.96. Both teams finished with NCAA DII "B" cut times.
"We swept the relays," Young said. "It was unreal, and it meant so much to us to be able to bring those wins home. It shows where we are and what we are made of as a program".
Carson-Newman women's swim ended the 2024 SAC Swimming Championships in second place with 1,557 points. The men finished in third place with 1,185 points.
"It was an awesome week," Young said. "We gave it all we had, and now it's time to see who gets the invite to national competition. Regardless, I am so proud of each and every one of our swimmers. They not only swam hard, but they swam for each other".
Carson-Newman swim will be back in action at the 2024 NCAA DII Swimming and Diving Championships in Geneva, Ohio beginning Monday, Mar. 11. Stay up to date on cneagles.com.
