The Emory University men's swimming & diving team earned seven podium finishes on the second night of the NCAA Championships, including four top-three showings.
Despite the strong effort across the board, the Eagles slipped to second place in the team standings following a night where Kenyon captured national titles in five of the six events to overtake EU. The Owls now top the field with 282.5 points with Emory standing 25 points behind through two days of action. UAA foe UChicago rounds out the top three teams at 198 points.
Seniors Pat Pema and Lucas Bumgarner highlighted the Eagles on Thursday as they both finished as the national runner-up in their respective events. Pema, last night's national champion in the 500 Freestyle, added a silver medal to his ledger in the 200 Freestyle as he touched in a time of 1:36.09. Bumgarner, who made his 2023 nationals debut this evening, turned in a score of 520.50 on the 1-meter. This marks Pema's second straight All-America showing in the event after taking fifth a year ago. For Bumgarner, it is his third finish inside the top-three on the 1-meter and his second as national runner-up.
Pema added All-America honors on the evening as part of Emory's 200 Freestyle Relay team that opened the evening with a bronze medal performance. Pema swam the second leg and joined junior Nicholas Goudie, freshman Caden Bjornstad and senior Colin LaFave for a finals time of 1:19.24.
The night continued with the 400 IM where sophomore Crow Thorsen and junior Ryan Gibbons led a trio of Eagles in the finals. Thorsen posted his second All-America finish at this year's nationals, earning bronze at 3:52.07 while Gibbons touched the wall in fourth at 3:52.09. Senior Will O'Daffer notched Second Team All-America honors in the event, taking 16th at 3:59.64.
Additional First Team All-America showings came from Goudie and his fourth place finish in the 200 Freestyle (1:37.27) and from the Eagles' 400 Medley Relay team of Goudie, senior Ryan Soh, graduate student Jason Hamilton and sophomore Jeff Echols as they placed fifth in the final event of the night at 3:14.53.
Soh rounded out the Emory championship and consolation finals participants as he led all Eagles in the 100 Fly, ultimately placing 11th at 47.74.
The Eagles try to chase down the Owls on day three as the Friday schedule will feature the 200 Butterfly, 100 Backstroke, 100 Breaststroke and the 800 Freestyle Relay.