NEWBERG, Ore. -- The George Fox men's and women's concluded the Bruin Invite after a successful second day of competition; the men took third place (567) while the women achieved first place (970).

Top Performers
After a dominant first day in the invite, the women's team came prepared to hold their first place standing. In the 200 Medley Relay, Leah Meeuwsen, Gabbie Patti, Riley Parker, and Donna Talmadge earned a third place finish (1:52.18) for the Lady Bruins. And just like the first day, Patti continued to impress; she achieved first place in both the women's 50 Freestyle (24.30) as well as the 200 Freestyle (1:54.95). To end her day, Patti along with Parker, Heidi Gray, and Addie Gustin placed in third for the women's 400 Freestyle Relay with a time of 3:44.36. 

In both the men's and women's 400 IM, GFU had two top five finishers; for the men's, Wyatt Greene — with a time of 4:26.96 — placed in second and Aiden Buchanan placed in fifth (4:35.03). Jesse Urback earned a second place finish and clocked in a swift time of 4:51.86, and alongside Urback was Ellie Hoover who placed in fifth (5:02.01).

Beside Patti in the women's 50 Freestyle was Talmadge; clocking in a time of 25.66, she earned a fourth place finish for George Fox. Achieving a fourth place for the men's 50 Freestyle was Cameron Alexander with a speedy time of 22.15. 

The Lady Bruins kept their momentum going into the 100 Breaststroke as well as the 100 Backstroke. For the Breaststoke, Parker (1:11.15) and Meeuwsen (1:11.54) placed in fourth and fifth, respectively. Senior Claire Harmon earned third place with a time of 1:05.38, and right on Harmon's heels was Zoey Stapelman in fourth (1:05.93). 

When the 50 Breaststroke came around, George Fox had a fifth place finish on both the men's and women's team; Strom Nordeng clocked in a time of 27.71 while Clara Green finished with a 34.16. 

Out of all the events, the Bruins' men's team was most successful in the 200 Butterfly. Buchanan achieved third place (2:05.62), Tobin Jansen got fourth (2:06.28), and Alexander rounded their score in fifth (2:06.71).

Coach's Thoughts
"Our team put together an outstanding weekend of racing," said Bruin head coach Natalie Turner. "Our women came away with the win and our men battled hard for a strong third-place finish, but what stood out most was the sheer number of finals swims and best times across the board. This meet gives our athletes invaluable racing experience, and the way they continue to elevate from prelims to finals shows just how determined and resilient they are. They race a lot in two days and continue to show incredible fortitude." 

"With our fall racing now complete, we're shifting our focus toward winter training and preparing for championship season in February. This meet always gives us great insight into where we stack up in the conference, and we're excited to keep building on this momentum heading into the new year. And keep an eye on our freshmen — they're quickly becoming a standout class and continue to make a big impact on our program."

What Happens Next
Both the George Fox men's and women's teams will be taking a break through the holiday before competing again on Friday, January 9 against the College Of Idaho. The meet is set to begin at 5:00 p.m in Newberg, Ore. at the Chehalem Aquatic and Fitness Center.