Kingsport, TN – Men's swimming competed in the MSC Championships Friday and Saturday, fielding a pair of competitors in Evan Vanlierop and Isaiah Juneau.  

On Thursday, both Juneau and Vanlierop got started with the 50-yard Freestyle event. Juneau swam a 26.06 which is a lifetime best for the sophomore and notches a new record for the program. Vanlierop, who was swimming in his first ever competition for the Bears, recorded a new personal best 31.91 in the 50 free. The dual-sport athlete bested his top practice time by over a second. 

Friday saw Juneau line up for the 100 Butterfly event in which he finished with a new team best 1:09.9, which is 2.5 seconds better than his previous mark.  

In the 100 Yard Backstroke on Friday, Vanlierop made it two for two on personal bests with a time of 1:26.71. The Bellevue, KY native made a huge PR drop in the event, going 13 seconds faster than his PR time set in practice earlier this week.  

The best performances for both Vanlierop and Juneau came on Saturday, each beating their goal time by over a second. Juneau took three seconds off his team record, going :58.8. Vanlierop shaved off seven seconds to go 1:12.  

Being the first meet after what has been a challenging year for the young team, Coach Parker was impressed with the improvement made by his team.  

"For UPike's first appearance at MSC Championships, Evan and Isaiah set personal goals for each of their 6 total races," said Parker.  

"Isaiah is our Team Captain and led the way by going 3/3 on his goal times, setting a team-record in all 3 events. Evan has only been a swimmer for a couple months, and this was his first ever swim meet at any level. Despite being in completely unfamiliar territory, he also went 3/3 on personal records (from practice) and smashed all his goal times." 

UPIKE swimming looks forward to returning in the fall with a full roster and competition ahead.