Marshall Swim to Send Seven to NCAA Invitational Championships

Lydia Montague, Student Reporter

Marshall junior Eszter Laban finished first in the 1650-yard freestyle at the Missouri Valley Swim and Dive Championships Saturday Feb. 18.

Laban completed the race with a time of 16:50.44 starting off the final day well. 

The championships saw 5 more top-10 Marshall finishes, putting the team’s final score at 791 points and closing out the weekend with a sixth place finish overall.

Freshman Mia McBride added a top-ten program history finish to the day’s success with her 200-yard backstroke. Her time of 2:00.88 put her in ninth on the record.

“I think we were all nervous but excited. We all kind of did our own thing to mentally prepare and relax but came together as a team,” Klava Katayama said. 

Katayama added to Marshall’s sixth place finish in the 400-yard freestyle relay along with teammates Gabrielle Ivey, Madeline Hart and Audrey West, finishing sixth with a time of 3:26.16.

The team is looking forward to sending seven members to the NCAA Invitational Championships in Elkhart, Indiana from Mar. 9-11.