Eagles shine on Senior Day against Lees-McRae

Posted: Feb 06, 2021

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Senior Day is always a special occasion for any team, but for Carson-Newman Swimming, it also marked another successful home win. The Eagles saw action against Lees-McRae to end the regular season Saturday as the team now focuses on Conference in two weeks. The Eagles pull out the team victory 390-116 over the Bobcats of Lees-McRae; men were victors 199-53 while the women gather another top-notch win 191-63.

"Today was all about showing up and racing hard to make that final step toward Conference. I felt this team was up to par and now can rest up to get ready for Conference in a couple weeks," head coach Jordan Taylor said. "This senior class was my first recruiting class and have a special place in my heart. It's crazy how fast four years have gone for them but they help us to be our best."

Eagles started off the afternoon with a victory in the women's 400-yd freestyle relay with a team time of 1:46.72 while senior CJ Jensen (Cophengan, Denmark) set the pace with her start on the relay to lead the Eagles. The men continued the successful start in the 400-yd freestyle with their time of 1:34.86 while Danel Jacob anchored the Eagles to victory.

Among many of the bright spots for the Eagles Saturday was freshman Denilson Cyprianos (Bulawayo, Matabeleland, Zimbabwe). Cyprianos won the men's 1000 free (9:42.89) in his first attempt at the event, the men's 200-free in 1:45.10, the men's 100 back in 50.45, the men's 200 back in a time of 1:49.70 and ended his day with the victory in the men's 500 free with a time of 4:46.82.

"It was nice to be out there. I'd say I'm in the best form I've been in a while as we go into Conference," Cyprianos said. "I'm really excited to be apart of the team even though my arrival was delayed. Competing for the first time in the 1000 free and winning is something I'm proud of for sure."

On the women's side, one of the biggest standouts was sophomore Linda Ungerboeck (Vienna, Austria). She was the victor in the women's 1000 free in 10:40.03 while also being the anchor leg of a women's 400 freestyle relay team to end the night.

"It was really good to be out there and compete. I'm excited as Conference is close," Ungerboeck said. "I hope this team continues to step up and do our best."

Individual highlights include freshman Carson Jones (Southaven, Miss.) Jones competed in the men's 50 free, coming in at 21.75, was second in the men's 100 fly with his time of 53.71, (9:49.31), and was the anchor for the winning men's 400 freestyle relay who finished in 3:10.09.

For the women, sophomore Summer Osborne (Clearwater, Fla) provided consistency as part of the Eagles victory. Osborne gained the victory with a time of 1:54.57 in the women's 200 free, battled hard for a second place finish in the women's 100 breaststroke (1:12,05), finished top-3 for the women's 200 backstroke (2:10.30), and was part of the winning women's 400 freestyle relay team who came in at 3:38.21.

Taylor knows what these next few weeks mean to the team and staff as they near Conference. He knows how hard the team has been working to get to this point and he is excited to see his squad showcase their talent in South Carolina.

"I hope these seven swimmers have enjoyed their time as part of this program. They've set a solid standard for not only their team but for what we do here at Carson-Newman," Taylor said. "We'll take less training than normal for Conference but we're excited to see where we rank up and prove our national ranking."

UP NEXT
The Eagles will prepare to make their annual trip to Bluegrass Mountain Conference Championships in two weeks. The event will be Feb. 18 – Feb. 21, 2021 in Fort Mill, SC

-CN-