EAST LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps swimming and diving teams both had their SCIAC Championships quests come right down to the final events, and the Athenas and Stags both prevailed over Pomona-Pitzer by a thin margin of just 37 points combined, with the Athenas winning by 10 (989-979) and the Stags winning by 27 (958-931).

Both programs reached landmark figures in their histories with the 2022-23 title, as the men's swimming and diving team won its 40th conference championship (since the program began in 1958-59), while the women's swimming and diving team won its 20th (since its inaugural season in 1976-1977). 

There were a few events where the CMS dominance was pivotal in winning the championships. For the Athenas, the divers went 1-2-3 on both boards, providing a combined 106 points (20 for first place, 17 for second place and 16 for third place), compared to just 42 for Pomona-Pitzer. Emma Ng Pack was named the SCIAC Diver of the Year after winning the one-meter dive and coming in second in the three-meter dive, while Izzy Doud won the one-meter and came in second in the three-meter, and Makenna Parkinson earned All-SCIAC honors by coming in second in the one-meter and third in the three-meter. 

The Athenas were also once again dominant in the distance events, led by SCIAC Newcomer of the Year Katy Shaw, who swept the titles in the 500 free and the 1650 free in her first season. Ella Blake was also second in both of the distance events, and won the 200 free, with Shaw finishing third. CMS has won the 1650 every year since 2016-17, with Elizabeth Carrade, Mia Syme (twice), Gracey Hiebert, Ella Blake and now Katy Shaw taking turns on top of the podium. 

The 200-yard backstroke proved to be vital to the CMS championship as well, led by Jameson Mitchum, who swept the titles in the 100 and 200 back. On Saturday's final day, the Athenas placed four swimmers in the 200-yard backstroke final with Mitchum finishing first, Quinn Katayama-Stall third, Anna Werts fourth, and Sammy Ennis sixth, which provided 64 points for the Athenas in an event where Pomona-Pitzer earned only 32. 

Finally, the return of Augusta Lewis, the two-time SCIAC Swimmer of the Year, who took the fall semester off and returned to the Athenas for her fifth season this spring, was a major factor in putting CMS over the top. Lewis won both individual medley events, going 8-for-8 in IM titles in her career, and added a second-place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke to provide 57 points for CMS in her three events. She will next turn her attention to nationals, where she will try to win a national title after finishing second (400 IM), third (200 IM) and fourth (200 breast) in her three races a year ago. 

Lewis wasn't alone in providing big points in the 200 IM, as Mitchum finished second to join her on the All-SCIAC podium, while Mackenzie Mayfield was fourth and Allyson Yao fifth. CMS also opened the championship with a SCIAC record in the 800-yard freestyle, with Sun Young Byun, Shaw, Lewis and Blake clocking a 7:29.28 to beat Pomona-Pitzer's time of 7:29.40. That touch to the wall on the first day from Blake, just ahead of SCIAC Swimmer of the Year Alex Turvey of Pomona-Pitzer, as it turns out, was the difference between CMS winning by 10 or Pomona-Pitzer winning by two.

For the Stags, the backstroke and butterfly were pivotal on the final day of the competition, led by 200 back champion Anderson Breazeale and 200 fly champion Frank Applebaum, who is also the defending national champion in that event.

The Stags had five of the eight finalists in the 200 back that gave them the separation they needed to hold off Pomona-Pitzer. Breazeale came in first place by swimming 5.2 seconds faster than he did in prelims to touch the wall in 1:48.46 to repeat as champion. The Stags also had Korin Aldam-Tajima, Dylan Krueger, Weston Crewe and Grant Stucky in the final, as the five CMS swimmers combined for 70 points, while Pomona-Pitzer managed only 21. 

CMS also had similar success in the 100 back on Friday, where they swept the podium with a 1-2-3 finish. Nick Tekieli repeated as league champion, with Stucky and Jeremy Tan finishing in the second and third spots. Krueger also finished sixth, as CMS had 87 points from seven swimmers, with Pomona-Pitzer managing just 31. 

The Sagehens made up most of the deficit from the 200 back final with strong performances in the 100 free and the 200 breast, which had the CMS lead down to single digits heading into the 200 fly. But Applebaum was a virtual lock for the 20 points for an individual title, which he accomplished with a win by over two seconds, while Henrik Barck, Thayer Breazeale and Tyler Headley joined him in the finals, compared to just one Sagehen. The 59-28 differential in points was more than enough to give the Stags the cushion they needed to clinch the title by merely not suffering a disqualification in the final relay. 

Applebaum had a sensational weekend for CMS, winning all three of his individual races by wide margins (100 fly, 200 fly, 200 IM) and providing a dominant swim in the butterfly leg of the 400-yard medley relay, taking over with the Stags trailing by one-hundredth of a second, and turning it over to Anderson Breazeale for the freestyle with a lead of over two seconds. 

Evan Deedy also earned the SCIAC Newcomer of the Year Award for his big performance in the breaststroke, filling the most glaring need that CMS had after the graduation of Walter Limm, who was All-SCIAC and swam the breaststroke leg in medley relays. Deedy was the champion in the 100 breast and added All-SCIAC honors in the 200 breast with a third-place finish, and was part of the winning medley relays for the Stags as well. Anderson Breazeale, Deedy, Crewe and Tekieli won the 200 medley relay, and Tekieli, Deedy, Applebaum, and Anderson Breazeale were the 400 medley relay champs. 

Lucas Lang began the final day of swimming with a win in the 1650 to repeat as league champion (after finishing a close second in the 500), and Jack Griffith earned an individual championship in the one-meter dive. 

With the league titles under their belts, the CMS swimming and diving teams will now await official invitations to the NCAA Division III Championships, which will be held next month in Greensboro, N.C. The primary storylines there will be Applebaum's quest to repeat in the 200 fly, where he set the NCAA Division III record last year with a 1:44.01, and Lewis' quest to earn an individual title after her second, third and fourth-place finishes from a year ago.

Meanwhile, Mitchum, Tekieli and Lang were first-team All-Americans last season in individual events and will try to reach the top of their podiums as well, while Anderson Breazeale and Blake were honorable mention All-Americans and will be pursuing spots in the finals. The CMS divers will have regional qualifications next weekend in Emory to tro to earn their way to Greensboro. Doud and Gaylord both qualified a year ago and were honorable mention All-Americans.