After a three-week break, the swim team headed to East Los Angeles College to compete in their biggest event of the season to date. Despite the long break, the Eagles showed few signs of rust in the first day of the La Verne Invitational on Dec. 2.
Junior Lisa Tixier added yet another win to what has already become a very impressive season. Tixier, who has far and away been the Eagles’ best swimmer this season, won the women’s 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:04.05. She also contributed to a relay team that came second to Cal State East Bay in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The four-woman squad, which also included freshman Grace Tan, sophomore Rebecca Brandt and freshman Emily Silzel, recorded a solid 1:38.38 time in the final.
The men’s relay teams also found success on Dec. 2. They finished sixth in a field of 20 in the men’s 200-yard freestyle relay, but their best showing came in the 400-yard medley. There, a unit comprised of freshman Matthew Roe, freshman Raymond Kam, junior Daniel Vale and senior Tom Franicevich finished with a time of 3:34.64 to give the Eagles a third-place finish behind Pomona Pitzer Colleges and Occidental College.
After the first day, Biola’s women had recorded a team point total of 137.5, good for fourth place among nine teams at the open. The men currently sit at fifth out of six teams with 131 points. The Eagles will look to improve upon those scores in the next two days of the invitational on Dec. 3-4.
