WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Salem swim team will make its second of three trips to the Greensboro Aquatic Center on Friday afternoon when the Spirits face both Guilford and Sweet Briar in a tri-meet. The meet, which begins at 5 p.m., is the second in as many weeks for Salem. 

It will mark the second time in the 2019-20 campaign that Salem has competed against the Quakers, who hosted the Guilford College Invite which was the first meet of the season for the Spirits on October 5. Salem finished seventh in that meet, but since that point they claimed their first team win, against Greensboro (78-19) on Oct. 26.

The Spirits have placed inside the Top-3 on 17 occasions through the first four meets of the season with junior Olivia Kleven leading the way with eight. Allison Wakefield (two) and Corrin Shores (two) also have multiple Top-3 outings in the early season.

LAST TIME OUT FOR THE SPIRITS (vs. Pfeiffer): Pfeiffer came away with the 113-63 team win, however Salem closed with nine Top-3 finishes.

The Spirits were led by the duo of Wakefield and Kleven, who combined for three first-place performances in the meet. Wakefield laid claim to the top spot in the 400 freestyle, after streaking down the pool in a time of 6:22.58, marking the best finish of her collegiate career.

Kleven, who now has three first-place outings in her Spirits' career, was first in both the 100 individual medley and the 100 breaststroke. She becomes the first Salem swimmer to claim two first place finishes in a season since Bethany Eaton in 2009-10. Kleven also becomes the fourth swimmer to post at least three career first-place outings, joining Bethany Eaton, Rachel Fichthorn and Paige Martin as Spirits to achieve the feat.

The afternoon began with the 50-yard backstroke, where Ashleigh Nelson (42.46) and Kristen Kellogg (1:00.87) finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Shores, taking part in her first meet of the season, capped off the 50 butterfly with a second-place time of 34.08. That was quickly followed by a third-place finish by Emily Inman (2:57.56) in the 200 freestyle.

Kleven, in the sixth event of the day, came through with a decisive win over Kayleigh Hunt and Haley Zoltoski in the 100 individual medley by tapping the wall in 1:10.07.

Wakefield claimed her win in the 400 freestyle and Kleven followed with a first-place in the 100 breaststroke, with a personal-best time of 1:16.78.

For more information on Salem swimming check out www.salemspirits.com.