Results:  Saturday Finals | Sunday Finals

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Mariam Lowe, Madison Hauanio, and Courtney Schwiesow qualified for the championship final in individual events at the 2014 UNLV Winter Invitational on Sunday at the Buchanan Natatorium. Lowe in the 100-yard backstroke and Hauanio in the 400-yard individual medley were the only non-Division I participants in their respective events to qualify for the "A" final.

Live Results: 2014 UNLV Winter Invite

Lowe earned a podium finish after placing third in the 100 back (56.76). She out touched a group of three swimmers who finished within one-tenth of a second of each other to nab a top three finish. Lowe's time is less than seven tenths of a second off the East Bay program record set last season.

Hauanio's prelims time of 4:32.62 was sixth best among the field landing her one of eight coveted spots in the finals. The mark was a personal best and within one second of the program record set by senior teammate Alyssa Tenney a season ago. Tenney placed 15th overall in 400 IM on Saturday.

Schwiesow was one of eight swimmers in the preliminary session to complete the four lengths of breaststroke in under 1 minute, 6 seconds to qualify for the "A" final. Her time of 1:05.75 was a season best and she went on to place eighth in the finals.

The night ended on a high note as the four member squad of Hauanio, Kali Kearns, Hannah Cutts, and Rachel Shimizu combined to place sixth overall in the 800-yard medley relay. The Pioneer quartet knocked off more than 28 seconds from its entry time and posted a mark of 7:40.72, within six seconds of the oldest program relay record.

"The focus of this meet is a unique combination of achievement and orientation toward the process of improvement. This is a high level meet that is challenging to our best swimmers, and that is why we are here," said East Bay Head Coach Ben Loorz of the UNLV Winter Invitational. "We are also well on the way to achieving the goal that the team set for 'percentage of season-best times.'  The entire squad is doing an excellent job of dropping time at this meet."

Cal State East Bay moved up to sixth in the team standings scoring an abundance of points with three individual "A" finalists and a top-8 finish in the 800 free relay. The Pioneers passed Fresno Pacific in the process and only trail Division I programs heading into the final day of competition on Monday, Dec. 15.

"I have been impressed with the way the team has risen to the challenge, earning spots in the finals sessions. We are focusing on what needs to happen as we enter the final stage of the season. We are nine weeks away from (Pacific Collegiate Swim Conference) Championships, and what we do here prepares and teaches us as we begin to look ahead," Loorz added.