Complete results

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Cal State East Bay swim team finished the 2013 NCAA Division II Championships on a high note, setting a new school record in the 400 freestyle relay on Saturday night in Birmingham, Ala. The Pioneers finished among the top 25 in the team standings and competed in five finals during the four-day championship meet.

On the final day of championships, East Bay proved its competitive spirit again, with the team of Jenel Lopez, Erica Crain, Brittany Rojo and Caitlin DeNise putting together an impressive performance in prelims. The group finished ninth in the prelims, taking more than a second off the school record with its time of 3:27.76. With the ninth-place showing, the Pioneers qualified for the B Final in the evening session.

In the final session at its first NCAA Division II championships since 1992, East Bay again showed up ready to go, breaking the record they set just hours earlier. The Pioneers took second in the B Final and 10th overall in the evening session, finishing in 3:26.41 to take another 1.3 seconds off the record and a full 2.6 seconds off the original record, set last month at PCSC Championships. Despite swimming without two members from the team that previously held the record, the Pioneers stepped up to the challenge to close out the championship meet on a high.

“To be at one's first national championship meet, can be an intimidating experience,” Head Coach Ben Loorz said. “One of our primary goals as a group heading into this NCAA experience was to swim with no fear, as we swim at every other meet, and to prove to anyone paying attention that East Bay belongs at this level and I am happy to report that this goal has been accomplished.”

Earlier in the day, Lopez also competed in the 100 free prelims, posting the 24th-fastest time in a field of 47. Lopez posted a time of 52.04, coming in just outside the group of finals qualifiers.

The Pioneers finished the meet with a total of 55 points to tie for 21st in the team standings with Indianapolis. East Bay joined joined UC San Diego (3rd), Simon Fraser (9th) and Alaska Fairbanks (19th) to give the PCSC four teams in the top 25 at NCAA Championships.

“We are very proud to have represented the PCSC this week,” Loorz said. “Alaska Fairbanks and Simon Fraser both had their first-ever DII National Champions, while UCSD continued to stand amongst the leaders at the national meet. We are excited to be in the process of building one of the best — if not the best — DII conference in the country. While the PCSC teams are our competitors, we are pleased for their success; we know that having great teams and swimmers in our own conference promotes the notion that a 'rising tide lifts all boats.' It is time that DII swimming on the West Coast comes into its own, and we are proud to be a part of that process.”

All told, the Pioneers competed in eight events, reaching the finals in five of those events, including two Championship Finals. Thanks to their eighth-place finish in the 200 free relay, Lopez, Crain, DeNise and Rojo each collected All-America honors, while both Lopez and DeNise also earned Honorable Mention All-America recognition for their finishes in the 200 free and 100 fly, respectively. The team also earned Honorable Mention honors for their finishes in both the 800 and 400 free relays.

“This is a very competitive group of women, and so while they were a bit disappointed with eighth (in the 200 free relay), they were thrilled to have earned All-American honors and to have represented East Bay next to the fastest in DII,” Loorz said.

The NCAA Championships served as a successful finish to another outstanding campaign for Loorz' group. East Bay posted program-best second-place showing at the PCSC Championships last month, coming home with eight medals and 16 top-five finishes, as well as Coach of the Meet honors for Loorz. In addition, the Pioneers collected eight dual-meet victories this season, were the top Division II team at the UNLV Invitational in December and set new school records in 17 events during the 2012-13 campaign.