CLEVELAND, Miss. – The William Carey University women's swim & dive team opened the fall portion of its season in impressive fashion, capturing a first-place team finish at the Magnolia Invite, hosted by Delta State.
 
The Lady Crusaders started the meet strong in the 200-yard Medley Relay, where the team of Grace Funck, Chloe Picon, Nadine Wilson, and Marissa Losonczy earned a second-place finish. William Carey also received a fourth-place performance from the relay squad of Pene Smith, Kelsey Shand, Greta Sztruhar, and Bisma Khan.
 
Abigail Krot led the way in the 1,000-yard Freestyle with a third-place finish after posting a time of 11:32. In the 200-yard Freestyle, the Lady Crusaders claimed three of the top four spots as Losonczy finished second, Chloe Lee placed third, and Amabile Scabacino took fourth.
 
William Carey continued to score valuable points in the 100-yard Backstroke. Smith finished third with a time of 1:00, Funck placed fourth in 1:01, and Kara Bond added a sixth-place finish with a time of 1:06.
 
The Lady Crusaders dominated the 100-yard Breaststroke by securing positions three through six. Picon finished third, Brooks Sipes placed fourth, while Shand and Sophia Martin rounded out the event in fifth and sixth. Wilson then delivered Carey's first event victory of the day in the 200-yard Butterfly, touching the wall in 2:14 to claim first place, while Krot followed with a runner-up finish in 2:19.
 
In the sprint events, Khan recorded a second-place finish in the 50-yard Freestyle, with Shand taking third and Kayleigh Gary placing fifth. The success continued in the 100-yard Freestyle as Losonczy earned a second-place finish with a time of 55.83, Sztruhar placed third in 56.84, and Sipes finished fourth at 57.20.
 
Wilson added another podium finish in the 200-yard Backstroke, earning second place, while Funck finished third. In the 200-yard Breaststroke, Picon posted a third-place finish in 2:33, followed by fourth-place finisher Lillian Windham and fifth-place finisher Martin.
 
Scabacino and Bond turned in second- and third-place finishes, in the 500-yard Freestyle, while Smith and Sztruhar finished third and fourth in the 100-yard Butterfly.
 
The Lady Crusaders closed the meet with strong performances in the 200-yard Individual Medley and the 200-yard Freestyle Relay. Krot finished second in the 200 IM with a time of 2:21, while Windham placed fourth in 2:22.
 
To conclude the competition, William Carey placed three relay teams among the top five finishers in the 200-yard Freestyle Relay. Smith, Losonczy, Khan, and Sztruhar combined for a second-place finish, while Funck, Windham, Picon, and Sipes placed third. Lee, Scabacino, Wilson, and Shand rounded out the event with a fifth-place finish.
 
William Carey returns to action on Friday, October 23, at the Biloxi Natatorium, with competition scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.