The Washington University swimming and diving teams made a splash in their season opener with a pair of victories over Division I Saint Louis University.

It marked the first time in at least 25 years that the Bears beat the Billikens in both women’s and men’s competition. The women won six events for a 125-116 final score while the men won seven events and defeated SLU 125-114.

A trio of talented underclassmen led the way for Wash. U. with multiple wins in individual events.

Freshman Lauren Sapp anchored the women’s 200-yard freestyle relay team to first place and won both freestyle sprint events, including a tight victory in the 50 free when she touched the wall just five-hundredths of a second ahead of her All-American teammate, junior MariMac Collins.

On the men’s side, freshman Kevin Van Cleave placed first in both the 200 individual medley and the 100 backstroke, each time narrowly edging out a Saint Louis University swimmer.

Sophomore Ryan Nathenson also gave the Bears key points in the diving events with a pair of convincing victories in the 1- and 3-meter dives.

Overall, 17 different Wash. U. swimmers and divers either won an event or contributed to a winning relay team.

The Bears return to the pool next week at the Show-Me Showdown at the University of Missouri-Columbia, where they will face off against a field of Missouri colleges and universities.