FEDERAL WAY, Wash. — Three Roadrunner swimmers earned season best times in the respective events and one relay team broke into the CSUB all-time top five Thursday, during the opening sessions of the 2009 US Short Course Nationals at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Wash.

Sharing the water with some of the top swimmers in the nation, CSUB used the heightened competition to its advantage.

In the 200 individual medley, both Chad McKenzie and Jake Priest set season-best marks. McKenzie placed 41st out of 85 swimmers in 1:52.26  and Priest placed 58th in 1:53.58.

In the 50 freestyle, Malcolm Reid was 48th out of 92 competitors in a season-best 20.99. Matt Parsonage was 79th in 21.45.

The Roadrunner men also competed in a pair of relay events, turning in season best times in each. The squad of Reid, Parsonage, Kevin Miller and Joao Foresto finished 19th in 1:25.90 in the 200 freestyle, nearly two seconds faster than the previous season best. In the 400 medley relay, Luka Leskur, McKenzie, Parsonage and Reid placed 11th out of 24 teams in 3:19.45. The mark was both a season-best in the event and ranks No. 3 on the all-time top five list at CSUB.

Bakersfield's lone competitor on the women's side, Rachel McCall, was just shy of her season best in the 50 free, placing 55th in a field of 96 in 23.93. Her season best mark in the event is 23.82.

“We got great swims from Chad, Jake and Malcolm,” said men's Head Coach Chris Hansen. “We had some first day jitters and Matt had a bit of an off day. Rachel also had a good swim in her event today.”

“The relay was a good way to finish the day,” said Hansen. “To get an all-time top three times in the middle of the season makes us excited about the future.”