Over the weekend, two swimmers connected to the Kenyon College program participated in Wave I of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska.
Andrea Perttula, who swam two seasons at Kenyon but stepped aside this year due to the pandemic, qualified for the Trials in the 100-meter breaststroke. On Saturday, the second day of the Trials, Perttula whipped up a time of 1:11.06 in her preliminary heat. That placed her 11th in a field of 52 and qualified her for the Wave I finals.
When she returned to the pool, Perttula cranked out a time of 1:10.96. That mark did not allow her to move on to Wave II of the Trials, but it did land her in 12th place overall.
On Sunday it was Hannah Saiz’s turn. A 2013 Kenyon graduate and NCAA Division III champion in the 200-yard butterfly, Saiz qualified for the Olympic Trials in the 100-meter butterfly. In the preliminary heats, she clocked in at 1:02.27, which placed her 31st among the 38 participants in the event and eliminated her from advancing.
While the result was not what she envisioned, Saiz was the oldest swimmer — by seven years — in the 100-meter butterfly field. She is now a two-time Olympic Trials qualifier, previously competing in the event in 2016.
MVNU’s Saal earns All-America status from NAIA
After a big season at the plate for the Mount Vernon Nazarene University baseball team, Aaron Saal has been named to the NAIA All-America Honorable Mention team.
This honor adds to the list of accolades for Saal in 2021. He was named the Crossroads League Player of the Year and received First-Team honors as well.
The senior third baseman from Wooster, Ohio, manned the hot corner for the Cougars and hit in the middle of the lineup at a red-hot rate. Saal hit .414 on the season and led the Crossroads League in batting average. He also ranked first in the Crossroads League in hits with 82 and racked up 66 RBIs as well. Saal finished with a .687 slugging percentage to go with 12 homers, 16 doubles and a triple.
Saal becomes MVNU baseball’s first All-American since Lucas Daugherty in 2016.
