Bronx, N.Y.- The Hunter College swim team was crowned conference champions for the fifth season in a row at the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) Championships hosted by Lehman College in the APEX on Sunday afternoon, overcoming a narrow deficit to reclaim the title.

The Hawks grabbed a come from behind win, showcasing the team's resilience to the very last race, after trailing rival, Baruch, by two at the closing of each of the first two days of competition. Hunter's win came from a true team effort - despite earning just five gold finishes, the entire team's efforts on various steps of the podium added up to displace Baruch and keep in crown in the Hawks' possession. Hunter ended the meet with 254.5 total points, more than a 14 point lead over Baruch, who tallied 241 total points in second. John Jay grabbed third at 132.5, followed by Brooklyn (99), and Lehman (49). 

The Hawks delivered three first-place finishes on the final day. Germayne Chau captured her third individual gold of the meet, winning the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:33.24. Kiana Guarino, last season's CUNYAC Championship MVP, took first in the 200-yard backstroke, clocking in at 2:15.87. The Hawks closed out the competition with a victory in the 400-yard freestyle relay, as Chau, Guarino, Mia Chang, and Cara Chang combined for a winning time of 3:50.92.

Chau's other gold medals came in the 200-yard individual medley (2:16.41) and the 100-yard backstroke (59.38), finishing just shy of her own meet record set last year. Lian Winter added a third-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke (1:06.18), while freshman Anastasiia Lyshyk placed seventh (1:12.28).

Twins, Cara and Mia Chang, played pivotal roles in Hunter's title defense, as C. Chang earned two second-place individual finishes as well as one third, while M. Chang secured a pair of individual silvers. Both sisters helped guide two of Hunter's relay teams to second place finishes, in addition to the gold in the 400-yard freestyle relay, while C. Chang aided two more relay teams in garnering silver medals. 

Individual Event Performances
Hunter showcased its depth in distance and mid-distance events. In the 500-yard freestyle, M. Chang led with a second-place finish (6:10.44), followed by Parvinabonu Makhmadalieva in third (6:16.67), Gwendolyn Posner in fourth (6:35.96), and Kiara Walsh in seventh (6:52.78). The 200-yard freestyle saw four Hawks score, led by C. Chang's silver (2:12.12), with Posner in fifth (2:24.67), Kateryna Titarenko in sixth (2:25.19), and Lyshyk in seventh (2:31.22).

Winter excelled in butterfly events, finishing second in both the 100-yard (1:03.43) and 200-yard (2:36.81) races. Hailey-Madison Quiller placed fifth in the 100-yard butterfly (1:08.33) and took bronze in the 200-yard event (2:53.67), while Nayesha Krishna finished sixth (3:08.40).

Sprinters also delivered strong performances, with three Hawks placing in the top 10 of the 50-yard freestyle. C. Chang finished third (26.80), followed by Titarenko in fifth (27.48) and Quiller in seventh (27.57). In the 100-yard freestyle, C. Chang took silver (57.53), while Titarenko tied for fifth (1:02.19) and Brielle Rennes placed eighth (1:12.70).

M. Chang led Hunter in the grueling 1,650-yard freestyle, placing second (21:50.50), followed closely by Makhmadalieva in third (21:55.55) and Posner in fourth (23:17.12). Guarino earned a silver medal in the 400-yard IM (5:04.76), with Krishna adding a fourth-place finish (6:01.86). Guarino also secured a bronze in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:14.52), while M. Chang placed fifth (1:16.92).

Relay Results

• 400-yard medley relay (Chau, Winter, Guarino, C. Chang) – 2nd place (4:17.83)
• 200-yard medley relay (Chau, Winter, Guarino, Titarenko) – 2nd place (1:56.23)
• 200-yard freestyle relay (Titarenko, Quiller, C. Chang, Guarino) – 2nd place (1:47.42)
• 400-yard freestyle relay (Chau, Guarino, M. Chang, C. Chang) - 1st (3:50.92)
• 800-yard freestyle relay (Chau, M. Chang,  Makhmadalieva, C. Chang) – 2nd place (9:10.09)