MALIBU, Calif. – Hundreds of collegiate swimmers and divers from all around Southern California head to Pepperdine University and the Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool this Saturday for the Malibu Invitational.

The all-day, two-session event is free to the public and features men’s and women’s teams from Azusa Pacific, Biola, California Baptist, Cal Poly, Cal Lutheran, Cal State Northridge, Concordia Irvine, Loyola Marymount (women only), Pepperdine (women only), Soka and La Verne.

Biola, California Baptist, LMU and Soka are all Pepperdine’s rivals within the Pacific Collegiate Swimming and Diving Conference.

The morning sprint meet begins at 9:30 a.m. with the women’s 50-yard butterfly and is scheduled to conclude at 1 p.m. with the men’s 300 freestyle relay. The afternoon’s distance session commences at 2 p.m. with the 200 fly and ends around 6 p.m. with the men’s 400 medley.

 

A total of 34 races are listed on the schedule of events, not including diving, which takes place between 1 and 2 p.m.

No team scores will be kept; however, there will be individual scoring for each school’s high point award (one for men, one for women). Each school will receive points based on a standard 9-4-3-2-1 place scoring system. Relays will not be scored.

 

“This meet is proving to be huge, and I’m pleased to see so many teams liked our format and decided to get involved,” Pepperdine head coach Nick Rodionoff said. “It’s going to make for a long day, but it’s also going to be very exciting for us. There’s definitely plenty of competition.”

 

The Malibu Invitational, considered to be the biggest collegiate meet ever held at Pepperdine, is the Waves’ second event of their 2008-09 season as well as their home opener.

 

Pepperdine kicked off its year in grand fashion two weeks ago by winning both the PCSC Pentathlon and Relay Invitationals.

Pepperdine beat LMU by 48 points for the PCSC relay title, 273-225, and by more than 157 points for the pentathlon crown, 704-546.5.

Highlights from the Waves’ season-opener included sophomore Kayleen Hicks (Chico, Calif./Chico HS) recording a varsity record of 1:05.17 in the 100 breaststroke, and senior Haley Wilson (Carpinteria, Calif./Santa Barbara HS) and junior Dani Kimmel (Chula Vista, Calif./Eastlake HS) both winning their respective pentathlons.

 

Wilson placed first in the middle distance/individual medley pentathlon with a cumulative time of 6:19.85, while Kimmel was tops in the sprint/IM pentathlon at 2:52.35.

 

Pepperdine diving also dominated the PCSC competition, winning all four springboard competitions during the two-day meet at Cal Baptist. Sophomores Shannon Hedman (Fair Oaks, Calif./Loretto HS) and Tiffany Martz (Folsom, Calif./Folsom HS) combined to win the 1- and 3-meter titles at the relay meet, and senior Amanda Pond was first off both boards at the pentathlon.

 

“I’m expecting to see our freshmen really take off this week, and I’d like to see those that swam well two weeks ago achieve similar times while improving in different areas.” Rodionoff said. “With a week in between meets, we’re hoping to perfect a hit-and-relax rhythm to our season.”

 

Results from each Malibu Invitational session will be posted late Saturday on the World Wide Web at pepperdinesports.com.