By Anne Evans
The 2019-2020 swim team for William Peace University raised expectations and set many records for the Pacers. This season, which wrapped up Jan. 26, consisted of over 50 best times, 18 school records, and an immense amount of hard work and practice.
The season began on Oct. 5 in Greensboro, NC at the Guilford Invitational, where the men’s team brought home two first place finishes in the 200 Freestyle Relay and the 200 Medley Relay. The men’s team went on to finish second in the meet. The women’s team finished 4th out of 7 teams. This meet would set the pace for the rest of the season for the Pacers.
Midway through the season, the men’s team held an impressive record of 4-2 after winning the Pacer Invite, while the women’s team sat at 3-5.
The second half of the season was just as successful for the Pacers. The men’s team finished the season 7-3 after winning meets against Greensboro College and Warren Wilson College.
The women’s team finished the season with a record of 6-7, which makes this the first season the Lady Pacers have won more than one meet.
This year’s swim team consisted of a number of new faces for the Pacers.
For the men, freshmen Stephen Lundberg and Christian Patricio-Taylor lead the way. Lundberg finished the season with a best time of 4:53.44 in 500 Yard Freestyle, along with many first place finishes throughout the season.
Joining the team midway through the season, Patricio-Taylor set the pace in his first ever collegiate meet. He took home first place in all three of his individual events and helped propel the men’s teams relays to first place at Greensboro College. Both Patricio-Taylor and Lundberg will be key assets for the Pacers success in the pool in the future.
Newcomers for the women’s team include freshmen Peyton Leishcner, Alisha Dhar, and Ally Swain. These freshmen were critical in helping propel the women’s team to their most successful season in program history.
“My first season as a Pacer was an amazing experience,” said Dhar. “Our team became very close and it’s nice seeing everyone come together and support each other in the pool, even though swimming is more of an individual sport.”
Freshman Leischner set a new team record in the 1000 Yard Freestyle with a time of 12:25.10. She also set another school record in the 1650 Freestyle with a time of 20:57.83.
The 2019-2020 swim season for Peace has left a mark in the history books as many records were made this season.
Visit GoPeacePacers.com to stay updated on all of Peace’s athletic teams.