NEWBERG, Ore. -- After 16 events on Saturday to kick off the 2024 Bruin Invitational, the George Fox men's swim team leads the pack with 494 points, while the women's team finished the day in second place with a score of 370.5. 

How It Happened
The first podium of the day came from the men's 200-yard freestyle relay, as Alexander Cameron, Kaden Opera, August Maberry, and Aries Valenzuela swam a 128.98 and finished less than a second behind the leaders. 

In the men's 200 breaststroke, Strom Nordeng grabbed third place for the Bruins with a time of 2:18.96.

Christopher McLellan took second place in the men's 200 backstroke, edging out the third-place finisher by over four seconds with a time of 2:05.13. In the men's 100 freestyle, Valenzuela took second with a quick 49.82. 

Riley Parker got on the podium in the women's 200 IM, finishing just two seconds off the leader with a time of 2:16.07. Jesse Urback finished the same event just tenths of a second off the podium, with a time of 2:18.66, good for fourth. On the men's side of the same event, Wyatt Greene finished in third with a 2:05.26. 

The Bruins' women dominated the distance events, sweeping the podium in the 500 freestyle – the longest event on day one – as Urback came in first with a time of 5:22, Kaylee Dicey in second with a time of 5:23, and Laurel Knox rounded out the podium with a 5:26. Micah Hugo came in first for the men's 500 free, winning with a time of 5:05. 

The Bruins men's team grabbed one last podium in the 400 medley relay, as Valenzuela, Jared Gray, Cameron, and Wyatt checked in at third with a time of 3:42.28, just over a second off the second-place team. 

What It Means
The Bruins set themselves up for success on day two, as the second day features several distance events that have been a place of strength historically for GFU. These events give the Bruins a chance to compete for first-place finishes overall on both the men's and women's sides.

What Comes Next
Fox returns to the pool Sunday, November 24, at 10 a.m. for preliminary action before the final heats begin at 4 p.m. at the Chehalem Aquatic Center in Newberg, Ore.