The Barton Community College swimming programs kicked off the 2023-24 season Saturday afternoon at the Sam Freas Invitational held inside the Mitch Park in Edmond, OK.
Competing as the lone NJCAA program, the Cougars displayed solid performances throughout the afternoon with both squads returning home with fourth place finishes.
Barton will have a week off before diving back in the pool October 6th for the Sunflower Showdown Invitational held at the Robinson Natatorium in Lawrence, KS.
Women's Recap
Despite not claiming an individual or relay title on the afternoon, the Cougar women swam to eight new program top-10 times, in their fourth-place finish of 266.5 points. Claiming the team title was host Oklahoma Christian University scoring 730 points to edge out NCAA Division I University of North Texas' point accumulation of 578.
Making her Barton debut Hazel Bentley posted the top finish for the squad with a third-place result in the 200-yard breaststroke. Clocking the program's third quickest time (2:15.64), the freshman highlights a trio of Cougars earning top-8 finishes as teammates Aleksandra Cicha and Elena Lara turned in seventh and eighth place results with the program's fourth and fifth fastest times of (2:19.54) and (2:20.61) respectfully.
Bentley highlighted three more program top-10 times recorded in the 500-meter freestyle exhibiting the program's second fastest stoppage of 5:25.67 with a fourth-place finish. Cicha edged out Lara with an eight place (5:35.41) for fifth quickest in school history and Lara succeeding touching the wall ninth quick (5:44.41) for seventh fastest in program history.
In the 100-yard butterfly, Cicha found the podium for the third time on the afternoon with a seventh place (1:04.19) in the 100-yard butterfly and leaped inside the top-10 books again with the seventh fastest all-time.
Barton's final program top-10 time would come from Bentley, as the freshman finished fifth with a 1:06.03 for sixth best in program history, as Claire Holt (1:08.62) and Lilly Krohlow (1:09.10) secured eighth and ninth place finishes respectfully.
Men's Recap
On the men's side, Louis Ainley swam the Cougars to a pair of individual championships in the 100-yard breaststroke and a sweep of the top three spots in the 100-yard IM. The freshman claimed his first gold besting the field of 14 with the program's third best stoppage (51.21).
Ainley wrapped up his Barton debut leading a trio of Cougars to the top three spots of the podium in the 100-yard IM posting the school's third quickest time (51.74) edging out Ethan Baylin's runner-up and sixth all-time mark (53.05) and William McCabe's bronze finish (55.12).
Baylin added a bronze medal finish in the 50-yard freestyle logging the sixth quickest stoppage in program history (21.15). McCabe concluded his sophomore season debut securing his second bronze on the afternoon in the 200-yard freestyle (1:46.90).
Javan Titus fell just outside a top-3 performance in the 100-yard breaststroke earning a fourth-place finish (1:02.34) while Brenden Swindle (1:03.33) fell two spots back earning one of his two sixth place finishes on the day.
Earning the team title was Oklahoma Christian tallying up 854.5 points over 13 events with the University of North Texas falling runner-up with 701 points.
Complete Sam Feas Invitational Results