The Barton Community College women's swimming team closed out its season Saturday with a seventh-place finish at the NJCAA Swimming & Diving Championships, held at the Indian River State Aquatics Center in Fort Pierce, Florida.
Competing as a four-swimmer lineup across the four-day national meet, the Cougars tallied 195 points while producing seven new program top 10 performances and 15 personal-best marks against the nation's top-competition. Indian River State captured its 44th consecutive national championship with 1,291 points, followed by Southwest Oregon in second with 675 and Iowa Western in third with 516.5 points.
Freshman Avery Stewart led Barton with the squad's highest point total of 35 while producing the Cougars' top finishes of the Championships, placing sixth in both the 50-yard backstroke and 100-yard backstroke. Stewart also recorded personal best stoppages in all four of her individual events, including the 50 backstroke (29.64) ranking seventh all-time in program history, along with the 100 backstroke (1:06.08), 100 freestyle (1:00.32), and 100 IM (1:09.46).
Sophomore Katy Alvarez added the Cougars final top-eight individual performance, placing eighth in the 100-yard breaststroke. Alvarez concluded her two-year Barton career scoring the team's second-most 32 points while producing personal-best swims in the 100 IM (1:09.24) set in prelims and the 200 breaststroke (2:46.24), ranking eighth all-time in program history. Alvarez also recorded a season-best effort in the 50 breaststroke (34.14) during the preliminary session.
In the team events, the Cougars' four-pack delivered seventh-place finishes in all four relay races, posting personal-best times while moving into Barton's program top-10 record books in each event. The quartet produced marks in the 800 freestyle relay (9:18.00) ranking eighth all-time, the 200 freestyle relay (1:55.66) ninth in program history, the 200 medley relay (2:08.28) eighth best in the program, and the 400 freestyle relay (4:16.35) also eighth quickest in the Cougar record books.
Additional improvements came from sophomore MaKayla Baxter, who contributed three personal-best times in the 1000 freestyle (12:37.87), 400 IM (5:29.98) ranking seventh all-time in program history, and the 1650 freestyle (21:23.97), while also recording a season-best performance in the 200 backstroke (2:32.34) to close out her Cougar career. Freshman Jocelyn Hamilton added personal-best swims in the 50 butterfly (36.15) and 500 freestyle (6:43.31), helping round out the Cougars' collective showing across the four-day championship meet.
Barton Women's Results
50 Backstroke: 6th - Avery Stewart (29.64 PB *7th program fastest)
50 Breaststroke: 12th - Katy Alvarez (34.41) (34.14 SB in Prelims)
50 Butterfly: 15th - Jocelyn Hamilton (36.15 PB)100 Backstroke: 6th - Avery Stewart (1:06.08 PB)
100 Breaststroke: 8th - Katy Alvarez (1:15.34) (1:14.58 in Prelims)
100 Freestyle: 19th - Avery Stewart (1:00.32 PB); 23rd - Jocelyn Hamilton (1:11.48)
100 IM: 9th - Avery Stewart (1:09.46 PB); 10th - Katy Alvarez (1:09.96) (1:09.24 PB in Prelims)
200 Backstroke: 10th - MaKayla Baxter (2:32.34 SB)
200 Breaststroke: 9th - Katy Alvarez (2:46.24 PB *8th program fastest)
200 Freestyle: 17th - Jocelyn Hamilton (2:38.19)
400 IM: 9th - MaKayla Baxter (5:29.98 PB *7th program fastest)
500 Freestyle: 14th - Jocelyn Hamilton (6:43.31 PB)
1000 Freestyle: 13th - MaKayla Baxter (12:37.87 PB)
1650 Freestyle: 10th - MaKayla Baxter (21:23.97 PB)
200 Freestyle Relay: 7th – Avery Stewart, Jocelyn Hamilton, MaKayla Baxter, Katy Alvarez (1:55.66 PB *9th program fastest)
200 Medley Relay: 7th - Avery Stewart, Katy Alvarez, MaKayla Baxter, Jocelyn Hamilton (2:08.28 PB *8th program fastest)
400 Freestyle Relay: 7th - Katy Alvarez, Jocelyn Hamilton, MaKayla Baxter, Avery Stewart (4:16.35 PB *8th program fastest)
800 Freestyle Relay: 7th - Avery Stewart, Jocelyn Hamilton, Katy Alvarez, MaKayla Baxter (9:18.00 PB *8th program fastest)