Ex-BSM student wins NESCAC 100m title
MUSCAT – Former British School Muscat (BSM) student, Teddy Pender claimed his second NESCAC championship title in as many years at Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, the United States.
Pender beat Bowdoin’s Karl Sarier by 0.05 seconds to win the 100-yard freestyle championship final on Sunday in an NCAA qualifying time of 44.83 seconds — 0.40 seconds under the Bates College record he set last year.
Commenting on Pender’s NESCAC success, Bates College head swimming coach, Peter Casares said: “Teddy’s accomplished great things while at Bates, but none more impressive than his dedication to the college, our programme and his teammates. His success in the pool and classroom are in direct relationship to his investment in Bates. It’s been wonderful to see him bear the fruits of all his hard work. His national level swims and college records are well deserved, and his legacy has only grown stronger with each passing year. We’re excited to see how he swims at the NCAA Championship Meet in Shenandoah, Texas in mid-March.”
In addition to Sunday’s 100 freestyle final, Pender was also part of the Bates 200-yard medley relay that placed third in the finals, with a time of 1:30.77, shaving 0.02 seconds off the former Bates College team record set in 2015. The time qualifies the relay quartet of Riley Ewing (Bedford, New Hampshire), Dan Walpole (Montclair, New Jersey), Teddy Pender (Muscat, Oman) and Jonathan Depew (Hudson, Ohio) for next month’s NCAA Championship Meet.
“It feels good,” said Pender with a laugh. “Winning the NESCAC 100 freestyle title has been a goal from the beginning of the season. But it was fantastic to actually have it happen.”
Pender explained: “Sunday was the third and last day of the meet and I felt a little tired before the final, so I was like, “Get under 45” he said. “Let’s just rip it and see what happens. I was pumped to hit my target and get an NCAA qualifying time.”
The former BSM student added: “Without the support and encouragement of coach Casares and my Bates teammates none of this would’ve been possible. I’m incredibly lucky to be part of such an outstanding college swimming programme.”