Video: Jordan Taylor Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – 2022 is off to a strong start for Carson-Newman swimming as the Eagles got back into action Saturday for the first time in 63 days, welcoming in the Emory & Henry Wasps for the first time ever in dual-meet fashion.
The action inside the pool favored the Eagles as the program splashed past their competition and led from start to finish to wrap up their first victory in 2022. This is the third straight overall victory for the women's team, both previous results coming in part of a tri-meet in 2014-15 and 2015-16. Meanwhile, for the men's side of C-N, this is their first ever victory as they have never seen action against the Wasps prior to Saturday.
Overall, C-N maintains their unblemished record when competing inside the MSAC in 2021-22, after defeating Milligan and Lees-McRae earlier in the fall, and now moving to 3-0 in home meets.
"We started off the week with some adversity and knowledge that we may not be at full strength," Kennadi King said. "However, those of us who did compete, we knew we just had to go out and control what we could and swim our fastest to get the win."
The Eagles were dominant once the whistle finally blew as they won 19 out of the 20 total races from the MSAC pool on the campus of Carson-Newman Saturday afternoon. The Eagles saw victories in every relay on Saturday as well as a standout performance from Brandon Meier and Kennadi King.
To start the day, Carson-Newman took home victories in the men's and women's 200-yard medley relay. In the women's competition, the quartet of Meredith Ginn (Ocala, Fla.), Kailee Morgan (Greenville, S.C.), Rebecca Peden (Boiling Springs, S.C.), and Antonia Sanint (Bogota, Colombia) took the win in a time of 1:50.30 as the 'B' team for C-N relays.
Then, the men's 200-yard medley relay went in favor of C-N after a winning time of 1:33.68 turned in by Nikita Puzevich (Belarus), Asger Hartvig (Hoersholm, Denmark), Christian Balint (North Richard Hills, Texas), and Brandon Meier (Greenville, S.C.).
Through eight of the total 20 events, Carson-Newman was in firm control of the meet as they led 118-25 over the Wasps. The men's team was leading 58-14 while the women's team saw a 60-11 lead on their ledger early in the meet.
One of the many bright spots for the Carson-Newman men's swimming on Saturday would be senior Brandon Meier. After starting his competition off as the anchor leg of the winning men's 200-yard medley relay, Meier would go on to take the men's 100-yard freestyle in a time of 47.35. Overall, it was a team effort for the men's side of C-N competition as no male swimmer captured more than one individual event victory on the day.
"It was amazing to see the newcomers to the programs join in with the veterans such as Brandon, Meredith, and many others," head coach Jordan Taylor said. "I know that C-N swim alumni and fans are going to see how fast this team can be and how much we need each other when it comes to Conference and Nationals later this season."
A major standout for the C-N women's team on Saturday was sophomore Kennadi King (Marietta, Ga.). The Peach State native begun her day taking the victory in the women's 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:59.97. Very soon after, King would sweep the freestyle events as she won the women's 100-yard freestyle in a time of 54.57, besting teammate Summer Osborne in the process.
The Eagles looked to be on cruise control as through 16 events, the end was in sight and they were absolutely splashing their way to the lead, 225-60, over Emory & Henry. Team wise, it was C-N men's leading 119-29 while the women's side of the pool fell 106-31 in favor of the Eagles as well.
Then, the afternoon concluded with a sweep in the men's and women's 200-yard freestyle relay by the Eagles. First, the women's quartet of Rachel Peden (Boiling Springs, S.C.), Linda Ungerboeck (Vienna, Austria), Chrisman Rand (Mount Pleasant, S.C.), and Kennadi King (Marietta, Ga.). swam past their opponents to a time of 1:41.38 and the event win. This is the third straight dual meet in which the Eagles have won the women's 200-yard freestyle relay this season.
Finally, the men's 200-yard freestyle relay team for C-N would be a full-fledged effort. The team of Nikita Puzevich, Benaiah McDowell, Brandon Meier, and Nicolas Lenuza (Spain) turned in a time of 1:24.20. This would win the event as the men's team have seen a similar result as the women's team, winning the event in three straight dual meets this season.
The Carson-Newman swim team will now get ready for another home dual meet next Saturday, January 22, as they welcome the Lions of Mars Hill to Mossy Creek for a 1:00 p.m. start. Next Saturday will also serve as the annual Senior Day for C-N as they will honor 10 athletes and a pair of coaches for their time on the banks of Mossy Creek.
"I remember being there to recruit this group of seniors when they were in high school and so it just goes to show how fast time flies," Taylor said. "I know they will go out there next week and swim their best one last time. I commend America for how they recognize seniors in college and high school and making sure it is known how important these days are for the individuals."
Be sure to keep up with the team across C-N's social media platforms and on cneagles.com.
