CONWAY, Ark. – The Southwestern men’s and women’s swim team raised their level of competition and contended with DI and DII schools at the Hendrix Relays on Saturday. Both teams finished in 7th place out of ten teams.

The women’s 400 meter relay of sophomore Sarah Ayers, senior Stephanie Morton, first-year Elizabeth Lewis and sophomore Christine Moody got things started on a good note with a fifth place finish in the 400 meter relay, earning 28 points finishing in a time of 4:24.48. The men’s team of junior Josh Stanfield, senior Jon LaRochelle, sophomore Evan Firth and junior John Prater followed suit with a strong start of their own, taking sixth place in a time of 3:54.48.

The women’s 300 yard backstroke relay turned it up a notch, taking fourth overall and first of DIII schools, in a time of 3:13.70. Ayers, first-year Sarah McCausland and junior Bailey Thompson earned another 30 points for the Pirates in the event.

In the 800 yard freestyle relay, both the men’s and women’s teams took fifth place. The women’s team of junior Michele Comerota, Thompson, first-year Melissa Nelson and Lewis finished in a time of 8:28.90 while the men’s team of Prater, first-year Stephen Montes, Firth, and junior Taylor Steele came in a 7:42.35.

Other top five finishes for the Pirates were the men’s 1500 free relay of Steele, LaRochelle and Montes took fifth in a time of 16:19.22, the women’s 300 yard medley relay of Ayers, Thompson and Nelson finished in fifth at 3:21.45, and the women’s 500 yard freestyle relay of Morton, first-year Katie Coleman, Lewis and McCausland came in fifth at 5:10.80.

Both teams head north to face Austin College and the University of North Texas on November 7th.