(Bri Nitsberg | Student Life)

In front of a packed crowd, the Washington University men’s and women’s swim teams opened their season against Division I St. Louis University Billikens on Oct. 20. The men — who placed seventh last year at the NCAA Championship — beat the Billikens with a scoreline of 128.50-105.50 and the women beat the Billikens 129.50-113.50. Following this victory, both teams moved to 1-0 on the season.

According to Head Coach Bradley Shively, the team spent this offseason “focusing on competing at the highest level but also taking advantage of the resources available to students at WashU to help our team to support athletic, academic and personal growth.” The Bears’ work during the offseason was in full display during the meet. The men and women both clinched decisive victories in the 200 medley relay, the first event of the meet.

Soon after, sophomore Rin Iimi made a late surge to the wall, coming out victorious in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:11.00. Iimi also tied for first place with Billikens swimmer Elena Escalante in the 100 freestyle, going a time of 54.20.

“I am typically a back half swimmer. Typically, I don’t go out super fast,” said Iimi. “I also tend to have a stronger freestyle than most of my other strokes.”

Another sophomore, Ethan Feng, snagged two first place finishes for the Bears in the 200 freestyle and 100 freestyle, with times of 1:42.82 and 47.91 respectively. Feng led the way for the entirety of the 200 freestyle, but in the 100 freestyle needed an impressive second 50 to take the victory.

Feng noted that the 200 freestyle has been a strong event for the Bears over the years.

“Last year we lost one of our seniors, Mason Kelber, and he was a major contributor. His best event was probably the 200 free, so for me swimming the 200 free in his place is honoring him and his work ethic,” Feng said.

Throughout the meet, the Bears showed their power and strength, coming back in the later stages of races to secure top three finishes. In the final length of the 1000 freestyle, junior Orluke Borjigin made a final push to squeeze into second place with a time of 9:53.94, only four seconds off his best time in the event.

Similarly, in the 500 freestyle, freshman Marco Minai was able to hold on for second place, while junior Ryan Hillery was able to comfortably cruise to a first place finish for the Bears.

For the women’s team, the impressive freshman class put on a dominant showing in multiple events. Peyton Watson, Elizabeth Chen, Hannah Lee, and Rachel Bello found success in their college debuts, with Watson coming away victorious in the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly, Chen in the 100 backstroke, Lee in the 100 breastroke, and Bello in the 200 freestyle.

These victories by freshmen confirm Shively’s hopes with this year’s recruit class, who he believes will further strengthen the Bears Squad. “They are very strong students and athletes and we’ve been really impressed with their work ethic and sense of camaraderie,” Shively said.

Along with Shively, Iimi is optimistic about what this year’s recruit class will bring to the team in their quest for the UAA and NCAA Championships.

“I think this year we have the potential to bring every relay and have more girls swimming individual events and have a really good turnout there,” Iimi said.

With 12 returning All-America Swimmers and a strong recruit class, Shively hoped the team would use this meet to perform well and they did just that.

The pressure and excitement of the season opener made for an exciting environment for both swimmers and fans. The energy at the Millstone Pool was palpable as the Bears began their season.

From the first race all the way through to the end, the Bears fans showed out and cheered on the Bears, in part through WashU SAAC’s Bears Supporting Bears Program and the First-Year Student Night at Athletics. “I thought it was great to see the volleyball team out there,” Iimi said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a swim meet so crowded.”

The Bears hope to keep the momentum they face-off against the University of Chicago on Oct. 28, and compete in the DIII Shootout on Nov. 3 and 4. “They’re really fast and I just want to beat them,” Feng said of UChicago. “I just want to beat them really bad, no other way to put it