CANTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University Swimming and Diving Team traveled back to Canton for the Malone Invitational last Thursday, Nov. 16 through Saturday, Nov. 18. Bluffton's men took 13th, while the women placed 14th, scoring 281.5 points at the Branin Natatorium.

Two-time HCAC Swimmer of the Week Grace Beck (Lima/Homeschooled) set a new school record in the 200 yard freestyle, going 2:06.41 and 2:07.51 for the top two spots all-time at Bluffton! Her 25.23 in the 50 yard freestyle is third all-time and it placed her 7th in the Malone preliminaries. She came back with a 25.33 and 8th place finish in the A-block final. Beck also put up the number two and three times on Bluffton's 100 yard freestyle list (56.37 and 56.43).

The sophomore standout was a key cog in Bluffton's school-record 400 yard freestyle relay that put up a time of 4:59.40, slicing 25 seconds off the previous best mark. Beck joined with Sydney Grisier (Bryan), Savannah Fritz (Temperance, Mich./Temperance Bedford) and Havin Montague (Celina) for that record as well as for the 4th best mark all-time in the 200 yard medley relay (2:27.00).

Grisier took 2nd in the 11-dive, 3 meter event, scoring a school-record 186.06 points. She placed 6th in the 1 meter dive with 202.55 points, narrowly edging out freshman Savannah Fritz who scored 201.90 for a 7th place finish across 11 dives. Grisier finished with 72 points for the Beavers.

Montague established new school records in the 400 yard IM (7:13.90) and the 200 yard butterfly (4:20.29).

Sophomore Riley Bruns showed out with a 24.27 in the 50 yard freestyle and a 55.76 in the 100 yard freestyle, just missing out on his own school records! His time of 1:20.69 pushed Bruns to 3rd all-time in the 100 yard breaststroke. 

Grant Patton (Clinton Twp., Mich./Chippewa Valley) set new school marks in both the 100 yard and 200 yard backstroke. His Malone Invitational times of 2:27.10 and 2:27.70 in the 200 yard are 1-2 all-time, while his 1:06.09 shaved over a second off the previous 100 yard time established by Keevan Lee.

Bluffton will be off for Thanksgiving before wrapping up 2023 at Baldwin Wallace on Saturday, Dec. 2.

-BEAVERS-