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SOUTH GATE, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay swim team had another outstanding day on Saturday at the Collegiate Winter Invitational, showcasing its depth to extend its first place lead in the eight-team field.

The Pioneers only won two of the seven races on Day 2 of the weekend meet, but they got scoring contributions from all over the roster and now lead second-place Loyola Marymount by more than 500 points.

The day started with a thrilling victory for CSUEB in the 200 Medley Relay. Vivu Hua, Ciera Nasso, and Victoria Zukeran were dead even with both LMU and Biola through the first three legs, and then Allie Klinger dominated the final leg to win the race by nearly two seconds. Klinger's 50 Free split of 22.83 is faster than Caitlin Denise's school record at that distance, and it's very likely the fastest split in program history. 

"We really emphasize the relays and the toughness it takes to swim for each other," commented head coach Shane Pelton after the evening finals session. "This meet gives us an opportunity to race some of the top teams in our conference, so coming out on top thus far is a good sign."

The first individual event of the day was the 400 IM, which saw four Pioneers reach the "A" final. Senior Laurel Carpenter led the way with a runner-up finish in 4:35.51, followed by Ryleigh Weight in fourth, Landry Walker in fifth, and Madison Chase in eighth. Serene Augustain placed second in prelims and Miranda McDonnell qualified seventh, but neither competed in the event final in the evening.

Nowhere was CSUEB's depth on display more than in the 100 Fly, as eight different East Bay swimmers scored. Although the Pioneers didn't have the first place finisher, they did boast Nos. 2-5. Klinger was the runner-up in 56.38, followed closely by Hua in third, Zukeran in fourth, and Tatum Roepke in fifth. Lauren Ostrander and Alondra Ortiz both scored in the "B" final of the 100 Fly, as did Sofia Moufarrej and Nasso in the "C" final. 

Augustain was a fingernail short of claiming a win in the next event, the 200 Free. She was out-touched by two hundredths of a second, settling for a runner-up finish and an NCAA "B" cut time of 1:53.34. Peyton Wayment took fourth for CSUEB, and Isabel Rishwain made it three Pioneers in the "A" final with a seventh place effort.

"Serene has been a beast this weekend," Pelton praised. "She has been tested with a lot of swimming and a lot races, and yet she continues to get faster. She did a tough double this morning (400 IM and 200 Free) and managed to get lifetime bests in both. Then she came back tonight and swam faster in the 200 Free. I love what I have seen from her, and I think this is just the beginning."

Impressively, nine different Pioneers scored in the 200 Free. Abigail Mitchell won the "B" final to place ninth, with Maddie Hulse close behind in 11th and Jande Monteon in 13th.

A pair of rookies paced the Pioneers in the 100 Breast, as Rebecca Bay placed fourth in 1:08.30, followed closely by Nasso in fifth. Zukeran also qualified eighth into the "A" final, but didn't compete in the evening session. Carpenter scored 13th place points in the "B" final of that event, while Walker finished 17th.

In the 100 Back, Roepke was the top finisher for East Bay in seventh place after a strong qualifying time of 58.95. McDonnell won the "B" final in 59.63 to place ninth, and Paige Branson added 13th place points. Hua actually finished second in the 100 Back prelims and Klinger qualified seventh, by neither of them swam in the evening race.

The Pioneers finished off the day with a dominant effort in the 800 Free Relay, as the foursome of Augustain, Hua, Mitchell, and Wayment turned in a time of 7:40.13 to win by more than three full seconds. East Bay's "B" team notched fourth place points in that event as well.

"Overall, I love what I have seen from this team," Pelton added. "We had a lot of holes to fill from last season to this season, but we've had so many swimmers step up this weekend and start coming into their own. Abby has put together some great races, and Tori has been super consistent and way ahead of where she was last year. The same can be said for Peyton and Lo. I'm also very impressed with Sofia and Madison, who have both performed great this weekend."

East Bay wraps up its midseason meet with the third and final day of action on Sunday. The program will consist of the 1650 Free, 100 IM, 200 Back, 100 Free, 200 Breast, 200 Fly, and 400 Free Relay, with morning prelims and evening event finals.