Warriors start new year with new season bests

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. – Sterling College Swim opened up the new year with new season best times at the Saint Mary Double Dual on Saturday, Jan. 10. Juwayne "JJ" Silmon and Lydia Nelson both posted season best times in the 100Y freestyle while Parker Rea had a personal best swim in the 100Y breaststroke.

For the women, Lydia Nelson led the way for Sterling with a second-place finish in the 100Y breaststroke, swimming a time of 1:13.62. She also posted a season best time of 1:00.88 in the 100Y freestyle to finish fifth. Abby Cagle also swam in the 100Y freestyle finishing 11th with a time of 1:04.87.

A whole battalion of Lady Warriors competed in the 50Y freestyle with Cagle leading the way with a fifth-place finish and a time of 27.47. Hilde Heskett, Allison Reed and Bree Pickerell placed eighth, ninth and 10th with times of 28.36, 28.49 and 28.92, respectively.

Pickerell also represented Sterling in the distance swims, finishing fourth in the 1000 freestyle with a time of 11:53.60 and fifth in the 200Y backstroke with a time of 2:22.65. Reed was a few strokes behind Pickerell in the 200Y backstroke finishing with a time of 2:38.02 to place ninth. In addition, she competed in the 100Y backstroke placing ninth with a time of 1:13.59.

Campbell Elliot had two strong individual swims finishing sixth in both the 200Y freestyle (2:19.10) and 100Y butterfly (1:15.58).

In the 400Y medley relay, the team of Reed, Nelson, Cagle and Elliott finished sixth with a time of 4:43.17. In the 200Y freestyle relay, Elliott, Nelson, Pickerell and Cagle posted a time of 1:53.07 to finish seventh.

For the men, Parker Rea, Ian Esquivel and Gavin Turner all competed in the 50Y freestyle swimming times of 24.53, 26.05 and 29.68 to finish fifth, eighth and ninth, respectively. IN the 100Y freestyle, Rea, Juwayne "JJ" Silmon and Esquivel placed sixth, eighth and ninth with times of 54.51, 57.77 and 59.03, respectively.

Rea swam a personal best time in the 100Y breaststroke, with a time of 1:11.97 to finish seventh while Gavin Turner competed in the 100Y backstroke, finishing fifth with a time of 1:10.84.

In the 100Y butterfly, Silmon and Esquivel went fourth and fifth with times of 1:06.13 and 1:08.48, respectively.

Esquivel, Turner, Silmon and Rea came together to compete in the 200Y freestyle relay, finishing with a time of 1:44.64 to place fifth.

The Warriors will be back in action on Saturday, Jan. 17 for the Sterling Triangular to be hosted in Wichita, Kan. at the Wichita Swim Club.