The Eagles traveled to the University of Redlands last weekend for the Bulldog Pentathlon and posted noteworthy times from both the men’s and women’s teams.

Swimmers competed in a 100 of each stroke and a 100 individual medley to end the Pentathlon. The five swims were tallied up and the swimmers were ranked from highest to lowest by their achievement of shortest times.

Over 75 male and 125 female swimmers were present from eight different colleges including Biola. On the men’s side, five Eagle swimmers finish in the top 15. Women had only had two in the top 15. However, No. 1 on the list went to Biola’s own, junior April Smith.

“I didn’t expect it, but it was a seasonal best and personal best,” said Smith. “All have been working hard though, but it was a nice surprise for me.”

Smith won the 100 IM (1:02.30), placed second in the 100 free (55.40), second in the breaststroke (1:09.04), 13th in the 100 fly (1:04.01) and 15th in the 100 back. The other Biola swimmer who came in 13th place, sophomore Brittney Rosania, had a total time of 5:33.55 with 100 fly being her best event.

Senior, Brian Shepard, earned the 5th place spot for the men with an overall time of 4:45.21.The host grabbed first place honors with a cumulative time of 4:37.65 which means that Shepard was eight seconds slower.

Shepard finished the 100 fly in 53.81, the 100 Back in 57.18, the 100 Breaststroke in 1:07.54, the 100 free in 49.59, and the 100 IM in 57.09.

Other team members like freshmen Jacob Neller, Chris Stutzmans, sophomore Nathan Roe, and senior Zachary Perkins all rounded off the top 15 for Biola in the Pentathlon.

Team bonding continues to be the foundation of the Eagles performances. Although swimmers gather together for breakfast regularly, they all warm up differently for scheduled meets. “I had a good stretching session,” said Smith when asked how she prepares for a meet. “I had a good workout listening to pump up music.”

Much of the success for Smith last Saturday was due to the work ethic installed by the coaches. Smith said that swimmers wake up early and condition then they have regular practice. They also lift weights helping with endurance and strength.

Biola swimmers next meet will not be until Dec. 5th, in which they will have to travel again. However, this time they will be diving into a double dual at Chapman University against Chapman and Whittier College.