Rachel and Rebecca Peden Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn.- Eagles take down Mars Hill on Senior Night.
Carson-Newman swim took home a 307-93 victory tonight over Mars Hill in the Maddox Pool. The women finished the night with 155 points on the board, and the men added 152 to the combined team score.
Prior to the meet, Carson-Newman swim celebrated the 2023 graduating class for Senior Night. All the seniors, ten in total, are on the women's swim team at Carson-Newman. Linda Ungerboeck, Katelyn Toussaint, Antonia Sanint, Natalia Amano, Summer Osborne, Manon Compagner, Alexis Bender, Grace Rathe, Rebecca Peden, and Rachel Peden were each celebrated in the night's festivities.
"Our seniors have been fantastic. There's ten of them, so it will look a lot different next year. We will have a lot of rebuilding and replenishing to do. Our seniors held the standard of this team up for the last four years, and we will most certainly miss them when they go," head coach for the swim team Ben Young said.
Antonia Sanint produced three first-place finishes on the night. Individually, she won gold in the women's 50-yard freestyle in 24.37. Sanint also won the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:07.34. She competed with fellow seniors Natalia Amano, Manon Compagner, and Rachel Peden in the women's 200-yard medley relay and finished first with a time of 1:46.95.
"This team has meant everything to me. I extended my major so I could stay with the team one more year. It's my family, so I have so much support and community around me. The coaches are incredible, and I'm in awe of what the team means to me. I never thought I could have another family, aside from the one I was born into, but it is possible," women's swimmer Antonia Sanint said.
Rachel Peden is one of the captains for the women's swim team this year. Aside from her contribution to the 200-yard medley relay, Peden finished first in the 500-yard freestyle relay with a finals time of 5:04.17. Rebecca Peden is the other senior captain for the Carson-Newman women's swim team this year, and the two sisters have been swimming together for over ten years.
"We've been swimming together since we were ten years old. We've always been swim buddies. It's special that we were able to come to college and swim together. It's bittersweet, but I've loved swimming with her, and I wouldn't have it any other way," senior captain Rachel Peden said.
Rebecca Peden placed second in the 200-yard medley relay with fellow seniors Summer Osborne, Alexis Bender, and Linda Ungerboeck (1:52.43).
"One piece of advice, and something I'd like to challenge this next group of swimmers who are coming with, is that it doesn't matter how you're swimming, and it doesn't matter the speed. You are always going to have an impact with how you carry yourself and your attitude," senior swimmer and captain Rebecca Peden said.
On the men's side of competition, Will Humphreys found gold in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:41.03. Ridge McCay finished first in the 50-yard freestyle (20.75), and Henrique Januario snagged a first-place finish in the 200-yard IM in 1:51.72. Januario also won the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 57.20. Wander Sousa finished first in the 100-yard freestyle (46.31), and Arthur Gluzman made his mark in the 100-yard backstroke with a first-place finish in 50.89.
"It was good. We had a lot of really solid swims tonight. The team really rose to the occasion. I think a lot of them are beginning to realize how much more speed they have and how much more they have to give. It's reassuring to us to see where we are headed right now," Young said.
The Eagles are back in action on Jan. 27 at Georgia Tech to compete again. Stay up to date on cneagles.com.
