MIAMI, Fla. (Dec. 15, 2024) – Sophomore
Thomas Langlois (Haut-Richelieu, QC, Canada / St. John's) of the Whittier College men's swimming & diving team took sixth place at the 2024 CSCAA Open Water National Championships over the weekend, establishing himself as not only the best open water distance swimmer in Division III, but one of the best in the country, period.
Langlois swam in second for the most of the race, and at no point did the lights seem too bright for the sophomore, who recently took down the 500 Free program record at the ELAC Winter Invite back in November.
"I was excited to represent Whittier against some of the country's top distance swimmers and put my school in the national conversation," Langlois said after the race.
Early in the race, the sophomore joined the front group from the 17th position, quickly maneuvering his way into ninth-place, then sixth-place as things progressed through the six-lap course in south Florida. Coming around the last buoy, Langlois found himself in second place in front of a cluster of Division I athletes. Five swimmers, the second through sixth-place finisher, all finished within four seconds of one another. In all, Langlois finished in the top five percent of competitors, as the field consisted of 102 male athletes across all three NCAA divisions.
Langlois and the Poets will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 3 when they host Coe College at 10:30 a.m.
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