(LONG BEACH, Calif.) For the third year in a row, Westmont Swim competed in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Open Water Championships at the Marine Stadium in Long Beach.

The facility, which was built for the 1932 Summer Olympics, will again serve as an Olympic venue in 2028, hosting rowing and canoe sprint events.

The field included 10 teams – six from NCAA Division I and two each from Division II and III. Westmont swimmers competed in two events – the 5,000 meter race and the 2,000 meter relay.

“We had a great time down in Long Beach,” reported Westmont Swimming’s head coach Jill Lin. “It is always fun to see what other teams show up at the event and the competition we have. It was a very competitive field, so it was some good experience for our athletes.”

Five Warriors took on the 5,000 meter race. Gabi Midgett was the first Westmont swimmer to complete the course, finishing 33rd in a time of 1:10:03.3. Willow Pezone recorded a time of 1:14:26.5 to finish 52nd, followed closely by Tiffany Ball who placed 53rd in a time of 1:14:32.2. Noelle Landon placed 55th with a time of 1:16:34.2 and Ella Kingsland took 61st in a time of 1:18:21.2.

“We had some great swims in the 5,000,” expressed Lin. “Two of our freshmen – Gabi and Ella – did a great job. Gabi was in good competition throughout most of the race. It was cool to see both of them try something out of their comfort zones.

“We also had Tiffany, Willow and Noelle in the 5,000 meters and they all did a tremendous job fighting through such a tough race. It is over an hour of swimming as fast as you can for as long as you can so you can stay in the race and finish strong.”

In the 2,000 meter relays, 20 foursomes from 10 schools competed. Westmont finished first among non-Division I schools.

Westmont’s A-relay team, which consisted of Kimberly Greene, Midgett, Grace McAnear and Kate Spraul, finished in ninth place in a time of 28 minutes flat. The Warriors beat out Biola by 15.2 seconds.

“It is an exciting thing to beat out Biola,” noted Lin. “It is always a goal of ours to have good competition with our fellow Pacific Collegiate Swim Conference members and with DII teams. Kimberly was in the top seven for the first leg and the others did a great job anchoring and finishing strong.”

The Warriors’ B-relay team consisted of Pezone, Landon, Ball and Megan Medina. The quartet posted a time of 30:12.0 to finish in 17th place.

“I want to give a huge shoutout to Tiffany Ball,” said Lin. “She has been such a dedicated and committed member of our teams the last three years. We are so proud to see her swim this race. It felt like it was meant for her. We have always known that she is a distance swimmer, but it was cool to see her do such a great job and have the opportunity to swim the 5,000 meters. We felt so excited about it we wanted to put her on the relay and she had a great relay leg. I am so proud of her.”

The Warriors will next compete on Saturday, October 31 when they host Fresno Pacific at the Tom and Meg Names Aquatic Center. The first race is scheduled for 9:30 a.m.