Lisa Tixier highlights a great team performance from Biola’s swim team at the PCSC meet.   |   Jacob Knopf/THE CHIMES

After finishing four days of competition at the Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference Championships hosted at East Los Angeles College from Feb. 8-11, Biola’s swim team emerged ninth of 12 teams on the women’s side and fifth of six teams for the men. The big news came in the form of five new National Championship qualifiers, plus a phenomenal performance from junior Lisa Tixier, who became the first Eagle to win in an individual event at PCSC.

Place in Biola history books

“That was kind of weird when they said that no one else had ever won conference before,” Tixier said. “I was like, ‘Wait, how has that happened? Why did I just win right now?’”

Tixier earned her place in Biola history books by winning not just one race, but two. On the second day of the meet, she took home her first victory in the 50-freestyle, when she finished in 23.55, beating the runner-up by four-hundredths of a second. That time set a new school record and improved on her personal best by fifteen-hundredths of a second.

On the fourth day of the meet, Tixier won her second race, the 100-freestyle. Her time of :51.13 not only beat the second-place swimmer by thirteen-hundredths of a second, but also beat her preliminary time by a full second.

excited for nationals

“It was really cool, and I feel really blessed that happened and I could swim really fast,” Tixier said. “And now I’m really excited for nationals.”

Regarding nationals, five additional swimmers earned qualifying times for the final meet of the season. Freshman Wes McCord qualified in the 1,650m, junior Dominique Kaijser hit the mark in the 100-butterfly and 100-freestyle, junior Thomine Mortenson qualified in the 50-freestyle, senior Haley Baker did it in the 100 and 200-freestyles and junior Daniel Vale hit the mark in the 50-freestyle, 100-freestyle and 100-butterfly.

“It was nice for all the hard work to pay off and to swim fast,” Vale said. “And to have everybody swim fast, that was really fun.”

In total, head coach Emily Mosbacher’s squad has 26 individuals who will compete at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics National Championships that will take place in Columbus, Georgia from March 1-4.