WILLIAMSBURG, Ky. -- The men's and women's swimming programs at Shawnee State posted eight second-place finishes Friday afternoon in a dual meet against Cumberlands (Ky.), with Shawnee State swimmers Malik Nelson, Kutay Ababay, De-Nicha Lewis and Kaylee France all flirting with NAIA provisional cut times in a meet that was held at the Patriots Aquatic Center.

Nelson, who swam a 21.88 in the 50 yard freestyle, came within a tenth-and-a-half of a second of the necessary NAIA provisional cut time, while Ababay posted a 22.15 in the same event to finish just over four tenths of a second back of the cut.

Lewis, who posted a 1:01.54 in the 50 yard butterfly, nabbed one of the seven second-place finishes on the day for Shawnee State's men's and women's swimming programs and came within eight-tenths of a second from setting a NAIA provisional cut time in the event, while France, who already holds a NAIA provisional cut time in the 50 yard freestyle, finished just over a second off of the provisional cut time in the 100 yard backstroke, notching a 1:02.52 in the event to add in a second-place finish herself.

In additional individual events, Robert Gibson and Emma Conley added in second-place finishes in the 1,000 yard freestyle while Abigail Bosler posted a second-place showing in the 100 yard breaststroke.

The remaining three runner-up finishes all came from Shawnee State relay teams -- with SSU's 200 yard women's medley relay squad of France, Lewis, Bosler and Mercedes Mwebeiha posting a 1:53.92 and the Bears' 200 yard men's medley relay unit of Nelson, Josiah Ramdeen, Josiah Changar and Tony Goodwin finishing second with a 1:40.14. The 200 yard men's freestyle relay group of Ababay, Changar, Goodwin and Nelson swam a 1:28.89 to round out the main performers in the meet.

Shawnee State returns to action Saturday, Oct. 25 with its first home meet of the 2025-26 season when the Bears play host to Midway (Ky.) and West Virginia Tech in a tri-meet that will be held at Warsaw Aquatic Center in Portsmouth.

For more information on the Shawnee State men's and women's swimming programs, visit https://www.instagram.com/ssu_swimming/.