GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (Feb. 18, 2021) – Oklahoma Christian swimmers
Elijah Tung,
Brandon Heredia and
Nathan Bruner each posted a NCAA Division II B-cut time on Thursday on the second day of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships at El Pomar Natatorium.
In the process, the Eagles moved into third place in the team race at the midway point of the meet. OC's biggest point haul came in the 200-yard freestyle, in which the Eagles placed three swimmers into the A final and another into the B final.
Heredia, a sophomore from Maryville, Mo., finished second in the event, posting a time of 1:39.18, which – when adjusted for altitude – will be listed as 1:37.98, a new OC mark. Heredia also held the former mark of 1:39.13, set during the 2019 RMAC meet in Lewisville, Texas. He finished behind only Matheus Laperriere of Colorado Mesa (1:37.83/1:36.63 adjusted).
On Thursday, Bruner, a senior from Cibolo, Texas, finished fourth in 1:39.91 and his altitude-adjusted time of 1:38.71 also surpassed the old record. Both Bruner and Heredia met the NCAA B-cut (provisional qualifying standard) for next month's Division II national meet.
Tung, a sophomore from Columbia, S.C., also reached the A final in the 200 freestyle and finished sixth in 1:42.70 (1:41.50 adjusted), while sophomore
Garrett White of Centreville, Va., made the B final and finished 14th overall in 1:46.01 (1:44.81 adjusted).
Tung's B-cut time came in the 100 butterfly, in which he finished fourth in 49.19 seconds. He finished one spot ahead of sophomore
Nathan Braun of Sycamore, Ill., whose time was 49.48 seconds. In the B final, senior
Ryan Jennings of Keller, Texas was 12th (50.70 seconds) and sophomore
Jacob Nixon of Livermore, Calif., was 15th (51.51 seconds).
In the 400 individual medley, senior
Zac Hawes of Houston made the A final and finished fifth in 4:10.68 (4:05.68 adjusted).
The Eagles took third among five teams in the 400 medley relay, with the quartet of senior
Noah Woollweever, Hawes, Braun and Nixon posting a time of 3:20.84.
Meet host Colorado Mesa still held a comfortable lead in the team race with 514.5 points, with Colorado School of Mines second with 372.5 points. OC eased into third with 233.5 points, just ahead of Oklahoma Baptist with 223.5 points. Adams State (Colo.) was fifth with 101 points.
On Friday, swimmers will compete in the 500 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke and 200 butterfly, along with the 800 freestyle relay.
