HEAT SHEET | vs. Mount Vernon Nazarene-February 3
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Salem swim team will take part in the first of midweek meets on Wednesday when it heads to Meisenheimer, N.C., for a 3 p.m. clash with Pfeiffer. The Spirits will quickly follow that with a clash against Mount Vernon Nazarene on Thursday at 4 p.m., as part of a virtual meet with the Cougars.
It marks the second time this season that Salem and Pfeiffer have met head-to-head, the first coming in the season-opener for both units on October 9th. The two also competed against one another on Sunday, January 23rd in the William Peace Invitational.
The meet with Mount Vernon Nazarene marks the first time in Salem athletic program history that the two teams have met in any sport. Salem will send Kylie Clark, Olivia Nivens and Abigail Hawkins into competition against the Cougars in nine different events.
The rigorous stretch for Salem swim team continues this weekend when the Spirits head to Swannanoa, N.C., to take part in a meet which includes William Peace and host Warren Wilson on Saturday, February 5th.
These three meets come on the heels of a recent five-team dual, which took place on Saturday, January 29th, as the Spirits make their final preparation for the Sun Coast Championships set to begin on February 9th in Fort Pierce, Florida.
RECAPPING JANUARY 29 MEET AT SALEM: The duo of Kylie Clark and Olivia Nivens came through with eight Top-5 finishes for Salem swimming, which hosted a five-team dual at the Salem Aquatic.
Among the five teams competing at the dual event were Greensboro, St. Andrews, Piedmont, Warren Wilson and host Salem. Warren Wilson, due to mechanical issues with the team bus, was unable to participate in the morning session.
In that morning session, Clark came through with two fifth-place finishes for the Spirits, while Nivens posted a fourth-place and two fifth-place finishes. Clark's morning included a fifth-place performance in both the 100 backstroke (1:59.40) and 200 freestyle (3:35.20). She touched the wall sixth in the 50 freestyle, posting a time of 41.54, extracting 3.51 seconds from her previous best.
Meanwhile, Nivens narrowly missed the Top-3 in the 200 freestyle, finishing fourth with a mark of 2:52.87. She was fifth in both the 50 freestyle (34.01) and 100 breaststroke (1:46.98) events for head coach Vavina Lapham's squad.
With Warren Wilson's arrival prior to the start of the afternoon race, Clark posted the best Salem finish of the day (third) in the 200 backstroke. She touched the wall in 4:16.44, marking her seventh Top-10 finish of the season and best overall finish of her collegiate career. Clark also posted a time of 1:35.23 in the 100 freestyle, placing 11th overall.
Nivens competed in two events during the afternoon session, grabbing seventh in both the 500 freestyle (8:16.11) and 100 freestyle (1:16.37), which marks her best time of the season in the 100 freestyle. She completed her day with a trio of Top-3 finishes, giving her eight on the season.
Piedmont captured the team win in the morning session, scoring 95 points, while Greensboro came through with 12 and Salem scored six. The Lions also captured the afternoon win with 89 points, edging out Warren Wilson (14 points), Greensboro (10) and Salem (3).