The University of La Verne duo of Marc Okimura and Madeline Lovrensky capped off the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships in record-setting fashion with a captivating close to their seasons on Saturday at Conroe Natatorium in Shenandoah, Texas.
Okimura garnered his second All-America honor with a fifth place finish in the men's 200 yard breaststroke final, posting a time of 2:02.14 to become a two-time All-America at the championships. In the prelims, Okimura grabbed the eighth and final spot for the championship final with a time of 2:02.06 to set a new La Verne school record.
Lovrensky set a new conference standard in the women's 200 yard backstroke with an all-time SCIAC best and Leopard school record of 2:01.64 to finish third in the consolation final and 11th overall in the event. Earlier in the day she set a then-conference record with a time of 2:02.52 in the prelims, dropping 1.8 seconds off her previous best as she entered the championships seeded 24th in the 200 back event.
The performances concluded an historic weekend for the Leopard swimming & diving program as the two-person contingent of Okimura and Lovrensky gave La Verne its best-ever combined effort at the NCAA Championships.
Overall, Lovrensky's efforts led the La Verne women to a tie for 27th place at the NCAAs with a total of 19 points while Okimura's two Top 8 finishes launched the Leopard men to a 29th place finish at the championships with 26 total points.
