LANCASTER, Pa. – On the heels of a sensational performance in Saturday's rout of Swarthmore, Ursinus College women's swimming freshman Sophie Lear was an easy choice for Centennial Conference swimmer of the week.
Lear cruised to two individual victories and was part of two first-place relays as the Bears stretched their conference winning streak to 40 with a 164-98 runaway. Most impressively, all four of Lear's times rank within the top 15 in the nation.
Lear's afternoon opened with the 200 medley relay, where she joined seniors Clara Baker and Peyten Lyons and junior Haley Sturla to clock in at 1:49.06, good for 11th in Division III.
The freshman phenom followed with back-to-back blazing freestyle sprints, taking first place in the 50 free (24.37) and 100 free (53.01). Her 100 free time ranks sixth in the country, and her 50 free mark is 14th.
Lear completed her award-winning performance by joining the victorious 200 free relay unit, which included Baker, sophomore Sophie May, and fellow rookie Liv Rachael. Their time of 1:39.42 is 10th-best in Division III.