Beavers Set Seven Records at Intrasquad
September 26, 2015 | Women's Swimming
Corvallis, Ore. - The Oregon State swim team set seven meet records on Saturday at its annual Orange and Black Intrasquad Meet at the Osborn Aquatic Center, the final tune-up before the Oct. 3 season-opener against Arizona State.
“It was a good meet. We are swimming pretty well and are ahead of where we were last year,” coach Larry Liebowitz said afterward. “The group is gelling nicely and looks to be one that will work well together.
“I'm pretty pleased with the start of this year.”
The meet was scored as a dual and the Black Cats, captained by junior Andrea Young, edged the Orange Oranges, captained by senior All-American Sammy Harrison, by a 122-119 count. A 2-3 finish in the 400-yard freestyle relay, the final event, cemented the victory for the Black Cats.
Freshman Megan Lam won three events and seniors Sammy Harrison and Amani Amr took two apiece. All three also swam legs on record-setting relay teams.
Lam set meet marks in the 100 butterfly (58.73) and 200 individual medley (2:10.21) and just missed a third record while winning the 200 butterfly (2:10.02). She is a freshman from Sunset High School who competed for the Tualatin Hills Swim Club.
“It was my first college meet, so it was exciting,” she said. “I really like the training we've been doing, that's helping me.
“I really like the group I'm swimming with. The training isn't that different from what I did on my club but I really like the atmosphere and energy during practice.
“I just want to have fun and improve.”
A 2015 All-American who placed seventh in the 1,650 at the NCAA meet in a school-record 15:54.61 after a second-place finish at the Pac-12 Championships, Harrison claimed the 200 freestyle in a meet-record 1:53.46 and the 500 freestyle in 5:06.97, just a second off her 2012 meet-record time.
Senior Amani Amr also doubled in the 100 (59:33) and 200 (2:07.80) backstroke and narrowly missed breaking her own meet records in each event.
Amr, Young, and juniors Czsarina Isleta and Anni Hecker combined for a record-setting win in the 200 medley relay (1:48.33). Harrison, Lam, sophomore Tair Maimon and senior Constance Toulemonde captured the 400 free relay in a meet-record 3:38.39.
Saturday's other winners were sophomore Corrine Shigeta in the 100 breaststroke (1:07.65); Hecker in the 50 freestyle (24.88); Toulemonde in the 100 freestyle in a meet-record 53.48, and Isleta in the 200 breaststroke in a meet-record 2:24.03.
Liebowitz said he was especially interested in how freshmen Lam, Kenzie Settelmeyer (West Albany), Lauren Hunter (North Medford) and Alyssa Bennett (North Bend) performed on a larger stage.
“It looks as if they all will be players in what we're trying to do this year,” he said. “You never know how fast they are going to be when they show up.
“When they came in, we said, 'OK, they can help if they're close,' ” to their high school times. “They are all right on their times, so they did a good job over the summer.
“Our best people – Sammy, Amani, Constance, Czsarina – are still our best people. Czarina swam off-events today and did great. And Megan Lam is impressive. She has a real chance to be an NCAA qualifier.”
The season-opener with the Sun Devils is set for 11 a.m. at the Osborn Aquatic Center.
Players Mentioned
