COLUMBUS, Ga. – The WCU men's and women's swim teams recently competed in the Small College Championship Cup, with the men's team finishing fifth with a total of 392 points, while the women secured fourth place with 346 points.
 
The competition began with the women's 200-yard medley relay team, consisting of Grace Funck, Chloe Picon, Eszter Kardos, and Brooks Sipes, who earned fourth place with a time of 1:48. The men followed suit in their 200-yard medley, where Yusuf Balaban, Hunter Boudreau, Nedas Giedraitis, and Janos Szabo posted the second fastest time in the NAIA this season of 1:29 to take second place.
 
In the 500-yard freestyle, Kardos and Funck recorded impressive times of 5:19 and 5:23, respectively. For the men, Miguel Vieira shone with a third-place finish at 4:33, while Braedan Jacobs and Szabo contributed times of 4:41 and 4:47.
 
Abbie Krot achieved a tenth-place finish in the women's 200-yard individual medley (IM) with a time of 2:13, just ahead of Picon, who finished at 2:14. In the men's event, Balaban earned a top-five spot with a time of 1:51, while Giedraitis finished ninth.
 
The women's 800-yard relay team of Kardos, Funck, Picon, and Krot clocked in at 8:00, securing third place, while the men's team of Balaban, Josiah Blankenship, Szabo, and Vieira also performed well, finishing fifth in 6:53.
 
Another strong relay performance for the women came from Kardos, Funck, Sipes, and Khan, who completed the 200-yard relay in 1:39, finishing in the top five. The men's relay team, consisting of Szabo, Blaise Boyd, Blankenship, and Giedraitis, narrowly missed the top five, finishing sixth with a time of 1:24.
 
In the women's 100-yard butterfly, Kardos finished eighth with a time of 1:00.09 and Khan followed closely in 12th with 1:00.15. For the men, Giedraitis claimed third place with a strong time of 48.68, setting a program record and #4 time in the NAIA while Boyd finished in 51.65.
 
Balaban secured another top-three finish for the men in the 400-yard IM with a time of 3:57. Szabo excelled in the 200-yard freestyle, finishing fourth with a time of 1:40. For the women, Picon recorded a third-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke at 1:05, while Sipes took fifth at 1:06 and Shand finished eighth at 1:07. Boudreau also performed admirably on the men's side, finishing third in the same event with a time of 54.71.
 
Further showcasing their talent, Funck earned a second-place finish in the women's 100-yard backstroke, posting a time of 58.27. In the women's 400-yard medley relay, Funck, Picon, Krot, and Sipes finished fourth with a time of 3:57. The men's team of Balaban, Boudreau, Giedraitis, and Szabo claimed a strong third place with a time of 3:18 to set the third fastest time in the NAIA this season and new program record.
 
Victoria Murphy achieved a ninth-place finish in the 1650-yard freestyle for the women, while Vieira excelled in the men's event,setting a new school record and the #2 time in the NAIA this season with a time of 15:37 to finish in second place, and Jacobs finishing eighth.
 
In the 200-yard backstroke, Funck delivered an outstanding performance with a time of 2:09. Szabo also had a noteworthy performance in the men's 100-yard freestyle, finishing sixth with a time of 45.71.
 
In the women's 200-yard breaststroke, Sipes achieved a ninth-place finish with a time of 2:25, while Picon and Shand finished in 12th and 14th place, respectively. Boudreau topped the men's 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:58, to set a new WCU record and the third fastest time in the NAIA thiis season while Joshua Pratt finished 13th.
 
Krot and Kardos both shone in the women's 200-yard butterfly, with Krot setting a new program record with a time of 2:08 to finish in second with Kardos claiming fourth at 2:11. In the men's 200-yard butterfly, Giedraitis took second at 1:48, with Balaban finishing fourth at 1:49.
 
Closing out the competition, both the men's and women's 400-yard freestyle relay teams finished in sixth place, with Sipes, Khan, Funck, and Lee competing for the women with Szabo, Balaban, Giedraitis, and Blankenship going for the men.

Both squads returned to the pool on December 19, as they travel to Cleveland, Miss. for the Delta State Shootout.