SALEM, S.C. – Carson-Newman swept the men's and women's gold medals Saturday at the Upstate Splash in Salem, S.C. 

Jakov Igrec took home first place for the men's race with a time of 53:13.5, while Linda Ungerboeck swam a 53:22.4 to secure a gold for the women in a 2.4-mile open water race.

The Eagles took to the water for the first time this past Saturday to kick off the 2022-2023 season. The Upstate Splash in Salem, S.C. provided an opportunity for C-N to get out of their practice routine and into a real race.

"It was good to see our swimmers attack the race and get out of the normal, daily routine of staring at a black line in the pool," Carson-Newman head coach Ben Young said.

The Eagles swam in Lake Jocassee for the charity event. Young was pleased with the efforts over the weekend.

"It should have been some good practice for them as we get ready to race back in the pool this week and in the coming weeks," Young said.

The Eagles finished with seven top-five finishes on the weekend.

Beside's Igrec's gold, C-N also snatched another spot on the podium. Martins Guilherme placed third at 55:33.6. Ethan Lawless finished top-five with a time of 58:44.5.

Carson-Newman's women swept the podium Saturday. After Ungerboeck's gold, Rachel Peden came in second at 58:15.1. Kate Salsbury and Rebecca Peden were close behind with times of 59:20.9 and 59:26.5 respectively.

The success at the race began with the mindset that Young spoke on last week. "We were there to have fun, but we definitely wanted to see them get up and race. The message prior to leaving was just to get up and race each other," Young said.

The Eagles will be back in action this Friday for the annual Blue v. Orange World Championships. This will be C-N's first full-team event, and it will be held in the Maddox Pool on Carson-Newman's campus.