ROCKY MOUNT – In her first collegiate meet and second in program history, UNC Pembroke junior Gina Zhang touched the wall first in a trio of events Wednesday evening as the Braves swimming and diving squad fell to Barton and Ferrum in a tri-meet at the Rocky Mount Family YMCA.

"I am very proud of the performance the women put forth tonight," head coach Rhonda Blank said. "They swam with a lot of heart and determination."

 Zhang won all three events she competed in, highlighted by a dominant performance in the 500-yard freestyle. The Beijing, China native touched in 5:51.86, over 51 seconds faster than any other opponent. In the 200 individual medley, Zhang bested second place by over 20 seconds, coming in at 2:27.92. Zhang made it a perfect 3-for-3 night with a win in the 100 breaststroke in a time of 1:20.14.

"We are very excited to have Gina as a part of our team," Blank said. 

Zhang wasn't the only Brave to bring home a win Wednesday, as junior Sonyaliz Goveo won her first event of the season in the 100 backstroke. Goveo outreached Ferrum's Shannon Johnson by just over a second, coming in at 1:13.27. Goveo reeled in a pair of third-place finishes in the 100 breaststroke and 100 freestyle to wrap up her night.

Sophomore Kelsey Williams proved to be a model of consistency, grabbing runner-up honors in all three events she competed in. In the always exciting 50 freestyle, Williams was just over a second off the pace, touching at 29.12. The Gibonsville native finished the 200 freestyle in 2:25.93 and the 100 freestyle in 1:05.45.

Black & Gold sophomore Taylor Lusk and junior Alexys Pagan each took to the pool in the 50 freestyle and the 100 freestyle. Lusk touched the wall fifth in each event, while Pagan took home a sixth-place finish in the 50 freestyle and touched seventh in the 100 freestyle.

Blank knows the arrow is pointing up for the Braves going forward.

"We are missing some key swimmers at the moment (Amanda Snider, Aneil Owens and Emmaline Mansfield) and we are looking forward to them competing with us in November," she said. 

The Braves return to the pool Oct. 29 when they head to Buies Creek to battle Campbell. The meet is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. at the Johnson Aquatic Center.