GAMBIER, Ohio -- For the second time in less than 24 hours, Kenyon College's Steen Aquatic Center was full of swimmers looking to shave seconds off their season-best times ahead of the upcoming 2025 NCAA Division III Women's Swimming and Diving Championship. Owls swimmers cleared the NCAA 'B' cut standard in three races at Saturday's Fast Chance Invitational, with two individuals tallying times that were season- and career-best marks.
Ashlyn Widmer whipped up Kenyon's first 'B' cut when she stopped the clock at 4:24.04 and finished first in the 400-yard individual medley. The sophomore's time easily cleared the 'B' standard of 4:29.40, and it also set a new season- and career-best mark for Widmer in the event. After coming in 0.02 seconds behind her previous season-best time of 4:26.93 last night, Saturday's showing marks a nearly three-second improvement upon her top time. Additionally, the new mark came in under her career-best time of 4:25.33 set at last year's Fast Chance meet, and it stands as Kenyon's top time in the event this season.
Gabrielle Wei also doubled up with a time that improved upon both her best mark of the season and of her career. Wei touched third in the 200-yard freestyle at 1:51.06, coming in over a second better than the event's 1:52.17 'B' cut. The mark was Wei's first 'B' time of the season, bettering her previous best of 1:52.92, and it also set a new career-best in the event for the senior.
A quartet of Kenyon swimmers also combined to clear a 'B' cut in the 200-yard medley relay. Gwen Eisenbeis, Grace Jansen, Celia Ford, and Molly Haag stopped the clock at 1:43.93, pacing the field and coming in under the 1:44.61 'B' cutoff. However, the time was not better than Kenyon's season-best showing of 1:40.77, set by Eisenbeis, Jennah Fadely, Ford, and Sydney Geboy at last week's North Coast Athletic Conference Championship.
Also of note in the meet, Kenyon swimmers finished 1-2-3 in the 100-yard individual medley. Despite not being an NCAA event with a 'B' cut to clear, Jansen (1:00.66), Jean Cook (1:02.46), and Alaina Pizarro (1:02.84) led the way in the race. Jansen and Pizarro's times were career bests.
With the last chance for fast times in the book, Kenyon will wait to hear who makes the cut and earns a spot on the team's roster at the upcoming NCAA Championship. Owls divers will also have a shot to qualify for a spot on the roster at next weekend's NCAA Diving Regional.
