Christine Tixier has had an impressive swim career at Biola, notching her second straight NAIA title in the 100 fly this weekend at the 2013 NAIA Swimming and Diving National Championships. The sophomore led the way for the Eagles, who as a team notched six All-Americans and set 16 school records.
Both the men’s and women’s teams picked up top-10 finishes. The women took seventh with 242 overall points and the men picked up eighth with 198.
Various records fall on day one
On day one of competition — Feb. 28 — Biola saw five school records fall. On the women’s side Tixier teamed up with fellow sophomore Megan Nerud and freshmen Sarah Shepard and Angela Kirschner for the school record in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:47.58.
Tixier also picked up her first All-American of the trip, taking third in the 200 individual medley.
The men took four records on Thursday with the first coming in the 200 medley relay. The team consisted of freshmen Eric Sirjord and Brandon Hughes as well as senior Chris Stutzman and sophomore Austin Sarna and they swam a time of 1:35.03, breaking the old record of 1:35.94.
Hughes broke his own coach Eddie Shepard’s ten year old school record in the 200 individual medley with a time of 1:55.59.
Tixier keeps 100 fly crown on day two
Tixier had the highlight of her trip to Oklahoma City on day two, winning the 100 fly for the second year in a row, but just missing the NAIA record she set last year by 15 hundredths of a second.
It was the Eagles’ lone All-American finish on the day that was filled with six school records being broken.
Four All-American performances cap off day three
The final day of the meet saw three swimmers and a relay team go All-American to cap off the very successful trip.
Tixier finished her season with a second place, school record-setting swim in the 200 fly with a time of 2:03.43, missing first place by one tenth of a second.
Sirjord set a school record in the 1,650-meter with a time of 15:57.42 and placing second place for his first All-American.
Stutzman finished his impressive meet grabbing two All-Americans: one solo and one relay. He picked up All-American honors in the 100 free, placing third with a time of 44:76 and swam the anchor of the 400 free relay team that also earned an All-American. Sophomores Nick Steadman and Sarna, as well as Hughes, joined Stutzman on the team that recorded a time of 3:04.49, a school record time that placed third.
Along with the All-American and school records, the Eagles picked up many top-10 finishes throughout to cap off an amazing season.
