LONG BEACH, Calif. (Oct. 18, 2025) – For a second year in a row, junior
Thomas Langlois (Haut-Richelieu, QC, Canada / St. John's) of the Whittier College men's swimming & diving team proved himself as one of the top open water swimmers in the nation by winning the MPSF Open Water Invitational on Saturday morning.
Langlois' win would serve to be just the beginning of an exciting day for Whittier College Aquatics, as the program would host its first-ever Aquatics Bi-Yearly Gala later that evening. First, the talented French-Canadian had to break out of a top group of three swimmers from California Baptist University and Grand Canyon University.Little more than a full second separated the three swimmers, but nevertheless, Langlois would be the first of the three to emerge from the water.
However, upon emerging from the water, competitors still had another 15 feet or so on land to traverse in order to make it to the finish line. While Langlois stumbled upon reaching the sand initially, the rival swimmer from Cal Baptist would endure a greater stumble, paving the way for the junior to make a smooth recovery and complete the race a two-time champion in 59:06.41.
The win ensures Langlois a spot in the CSCAA Open Water National Championships in Miami, Fla. this December. Langlois competed in the national race last year and took home a sixth-place finish. This year, he was one of five Whittier men to compete in Long Beach, and one of three to finish among the top-20 swimmers. Joining him were transfer
Bo Zheng and freshman
Zeke Garzon, who finished 18th and 19th respectively. Junior
AJ Ceja and freshman
Alex Song also competed for the Purple & Gold.
Head Coach
Michael Jafari and the Poets will next head to Chapman University for the first double-dual of the season with the Panthers as well as Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges on Nov. 8.
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