This past weekend, Penn women’s swimming finished third in the Ivy League Championships in Cambridge for the highest finish in program history. And two of the biggest contributors to the weekend were junior Catherine Buroker and senior Lia Thomas, who both claimed titles in freestyle events.
Buroker competed and earned the win in the 1,650m freestyle with a time of 16:21.17. This win was her reclamation of the title after she won it in 2019, and finished second in 2020.
Thomas, from Austin, TX, came in first in the 100m, 200m, and 500m freestyle, and set pool records in all three events. She set an Ivy League record in the 100m with a time of 47.63 seconds. She participated in the 400m freestyle relay where Penn set a pool and program record of 3:17.80, the first time that the Quakers ever won a relay in the Ivy League Championships.
In honor of her accomplishments, Thomas was named High-Point Swimmer of the Meet. Both swimmers will fight for higher prizes at the NCAA championships in Atlanta from March 16th to 19th.
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