GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Salem swim team posted eight top-three finishes in a dual with Greensboro and Virginia held at Royce Reynolds Pool on the Greensboro campus on Saturday, December 7.
The best individual finish in the meet for Salem came from Olivia Kleven, who touched the wall first in the 200 breaststroke, posting a time of 2:51.76 in the process. Kleven put together a dominating performance against Virginia Wesleyan's Kara Young, as she competed in the event for the first time this season.
Kleven also took part in the 100 breaststroke, placing third in a time of 1:16.31, as she posted her best time of the campaign. Joining Kleven in the event was teammate Amy Stutzer, who was fifth with a mark of 1:48.81, who shaved nine seconds off her time since the Guilford / Sweet Briar Dual on Nov. 16.
Corrin Shores, who participated in her third meet of the slate, enjoyed a pair of second place finishes. In the 200 freestyle, Shores closed with a time of 2:33.05, reducing her previous time in the event by four seconds. She also raced to a second-place finish in the 100 freestyle, posting a time of 1:08.72, marking the first time she competed in the event.
Allison Wakefield, who competed in four events over the course of the afternoon, was responsible for a second-place outing in the 1000 freestyle, her best finish of the day. Wakefield touched the wall in 16:05.84 in the event, just over a minute off the pace established by Virginia Wesleyan's Taylor Morich (14:48.13).
Wakefield earned third-place in the 500 freestyle with a mark of 7:37.37, taking close to a minute off her previous best mark (8:27.73), which came at the William Peace Invite. Wakefield came through with a fourth-place finish in the 100 freestyle for the Spirits, posting a mark of 1:17.79. That time marked the best time for Wakefield in the event this season.
The final top-three performance by a Salem individual came from Rachel Black, who was third in the 100 backstroke. Black, who joined the team a month in the Guilford / Sweet Briar Dual, competed in backstroke for the second time in 2019-20. She was also responsible for a sixth-place outing in the 100 freestyle, posting a time of 1:22.42.
Salem's team of Black, Kleven, Shores and Stutzer raced to a third-place finish in the 200 medley relay in a time of 2:33.46.
The Spirits' Kristen Kellogg put together a solid meet in both the 100 backstroke and 100 freestyle events. Kellogg narrowly missed a top-three finish in the 100 backstroke, enjoying a time of 2:09.24, as she crossed the line fourth. Kellogg's time in the backstroke was her best this season, six seconds faster than her previous best outing at the Greensboro College Dual on Oct. 26, where she posted a time of 2:15.65. She was ninth in the 100 freestyle after a time of 1:50.88.
The Spirits will resume their schedule on Saturday, Jan. 11, when they square off against the combination of William Peace, Warren Wilson, Bridgewater and Greensboro. For more information on Salem swimming check out www.salemspirits.com.