By: Mason Nesbitt, Sports Information Director

For the second time in as many years, The Master’s University women’s swim team wasted no time qualifying a pair of relays for NAIA nationals.

The Mustangs’ 200-yard medley and 200 freestyle relays each hit qualifying standards on Saturday at Pepperdine’s Malibu Invite.

Both relays consisted of Madison Eaton, Selma Matiashowski, Simone Williams and Faith Cancik, the group producing a time of 2 minutes, 8.31 seconds in the 200 medley and a mark of 1:52.63 in the 200 free.

For Williams and Cancik it was nothing new. Both swimmers were part of relays last season that punched tickets to nationals during the program’s first-ever intercollegiate competition. The Mustangs ultimately sent four relays and two individuals to Columbus, Georgia, a feat that provided a promising foundation for the new venture.

Saturday, Master’s proved it wasn’t a one-time thing. It also showed that it likely wouldn’t only be represented by its women’s team this time around.

Freshmen Xavier Gutierrez and Garrett Cargile each hit the NAIA’s B cut in the 50 freestyle, missing the A standard by less than a second.

Should the pair qualify in another event, they could add the 50 free as a “bonus event.”

Gutierrez also hit the B cut in the 100 butterfly Saturday, his time of 54.45 higher than the A standard of 53.05. He placed fourth in the race, with Cargile coming in sixth, just off the B cut.

Gutierrez also finished seventh in the 100 free, narrowly missing the B cut.

Elsewhere, Cargile and Gutierrez teamed with Raymi Matiashowski and Jonathan Salomon in the 200-free relay, and the group missed the NAIA standard by – you guessed it – less than a second. The prospect of the foursome dropping that amount of time between now and the end of the season in February is promising.

Master’s will get its next opportunity to qualify on Nov. 9 at the Soka Invite in Aliso Viejo, California.