IRVINE, Calif. – The Pepperdine swimming and diving team wrapped up the UC Irvine Invitational by placing fourth in the Sprint Invitational, Sixth in the Distance Invitational and second in the Diving Invitational during Saturday's competition.
The Waves finished the sprint invitational in fourth place with 173 points, as Washington State claimed the crown with 659 points. Ali McLeod (Austin, Texas/Cedar Park HS) was Pepperdine’s top finisher in the meet, as she placed second in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 59.91. McLeod also finished in fourth place in the 100-yard butterfly at 59.31, while Loriann Mark (Malibu, Calif./Malibu HS) notched four top 10 finishes, placing fourth in the 200-yard freestyle (1:56.80), seventh in the 200-yard butterfly (2:14.88) ninth in the 100-yard freestyle (54.73) and sixth in the 100-yard butterfly (1:00.67). Other top 10 finishers included Ali Chester (Riverside, Calif./Riverside Poly HS) who finished ninth in the 200-yard backstroke (2:17.08) and 10th in the 100-yard backstroke (1:01.83), Dani Kimmel (San Diego, Calif./Eastlake HS), who finished sixth in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:09.31), and Kayleen Hicks (Chico, Calif./Chico HS), who finished seventh in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:09.62).
The Waves finished the distance invitational in sixth place with 21 points, as the host Anteaters claimed the team title with 166 points. Mark finished third in the 500-yard freestyle (5:06.67), which was good for the third best time in school history, while Brianna Blanchard (Agoura, Calif./La Reina HS) finished 12th in the same event with a time of 5:22.35.
The Waves competed in the Diving Invitational during Saturday's 3-meter diving portion of the event, with Amanda Pond (Wayland, Mass./Wayland HS) placing fourth with a score of 199.60, while Shannon Hedman (Fair Oaks, Calif./Loretto HS) took sixth place with a score of 184.50. The Waves finished the event in second place and did not compete in Sunday's 1-meter event.
Up next, the Waves will travel to face Cal State Northridge in a dual meet on Saturday, Jan. 12 at 12 p.m in Northridge, Calif.
