Fielding just two participants a year ago, second year Head Coach Matt Gilbert and the reloaded Barton Community College women's swimming team sent a statement through the waves Wednesday at the NJCAA National Championships held in Fort Pierce, Florida.
Competing in the first of the four-day meet, the Cougars posted the the second highest team mark of 128 points through five events edging out Southwestern Oregon Community College's 126 points and fourth place Iowa Central Community College's 120 score.
Trailing host school Indian River State College by 147, Barton will return to the historic Anne Wilder Aquatic Complex Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. (CT) to kick off the second day of action featuring seven more events.
The Cougars pieced together 10 new personal best marks, seven new program top-10 times and a trio of top-five finishes on the opening day of competition.
Mikwena Lierman turned in the highest individual finish of the day with a bronze medal in the 50-freestyle edging out teammate Linda Franco by one one-hundredth of a second as the freshman duo obtained the second and third fastest times in the program's record book of 24.28 and 24.29 outperforming their prelim marks of 24.35 and 24.61 respectfully.
In the 200 IM preliminaries Olivia Kerr secured a spot in the "A" finals with the fifth best time of the 14-entry field touching the wall in 2:13.82. Unfortunately, the freshman would settle for a sixth place finish with a 2:14.94 timing in the evening's final event.
Dominique Cos captured the additional individual podium finish with a seventh place 31.16 stoppage in the 50-breaststroke improving her prior fourth fastest program time of 31.43 set in the morning prelims session.
Lierman snatched her second podium finish in the final event of the evening opening as a member of the fourth place 4x800 freestyle relay joined by Cindy Broadrick, Andrea Fernandez and Kerr timing the second-best program spot of 8:10.86.
Complete Meet Results from Day 1
Complete Women's Results *PB denotes Personal Best
Vali Bequette: 3 points
50 Freestyle: 14th (26.77 PB)
Dominique Cos: 12 points
50 Breaststroke: 7th (31.16 PB, *4th program fastest)
Linda Franco: 15 points
50 Freestyle: 4th (24.29 PB, *3rd program fastest)
Ashley Gilmore: 9 points
200 IM: 9th (2:36.07, .20 faster than prelims)
Summer Gomez: 9 points
50 Freestyle: 9th (25.31, .07 faster than prelims)
Olivia Kerr: 14 points
200 IM: 6th (2:14.94, Prelims 2:13.82)
Mikwena Lierman: 16 points
50 Freestyle: 3rd (24.28 PB, *2nd program fastest)
Andrea Fernandez: 5 points
1000 Freestyle: 12th (11:29.87 PB, *2nd program fastest)
Stephanie Ramirez: 10 points
50 Breaststroke: 14th (37.87, Prelims 37.74 PB)
200 IM: 10th (2:39.33)
Leeya Van Druff: 5 points
50 Breaststroke: 12th (35.38 PB, *7th program fastest)
Relay Results
800 Freestyle Relay: Lierman, Broadrick, Fernandez, Kerr – 4th (8:10.86 PB, *2nd program fastest)