ALISO VIEJO, CA- The Soka University Lions hosted The Wyatt Balman Invitational on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021. Before the start of the swimming events, Soka Athletics honored the memory of Wyatt with opening remarks from Head Swim Coach Adam Crossen, followed by an audio recording of Wyatt singing the national anthem. The Wyatt Balman Invitational will be held annually at Soka University moving forward. 

Thomas "Wyatt" Balman tragically passed away on Oct. 13, 2020, back home in Manhattan, KS. Wyatt was a third-year student and member of the Soka University swim team. Wyatt loved swimming and attending school in Aliso Viejo, California, for the beaches, mountains, and people. 

Wyatt was a scholar-athlete in the classroom and an NAIA qualifier in the pool. Wyatt dreamed of attending medical school with hopes of becoming an Obstetrical/Gynecological surgeon. He also aspired to serve with Doctors without Borders. He was driven to learn about the history, politics, and socio-economic conditions of people suffering injustices. 

While attending Soka University, Wyatt felt blessed with opportunities to learn about cultures and traditions different from his own. Wyatt also enjoyed the water, and when he wasn't in the ocean surfing before practice, he could be found at the pool with his teammates. Wyatt was a gifted musician and enjoyed singing and performing. He relished singing the national anthem at sporting events and took great pride in making a lasting impression on those that he performed in front of. He could also be heard throughout the dorms singing and playing guitar with his friends. 

Wyatt was there for everyone and never hesitated to lend a helping hand. Wyatt had humility and empathy that enabled him to open his heart to others. His immeasurable compassion allowed him to be an ear for friends from all over the world. His death was a tragic loss. It is rare for someone to have touched so many and so deeply- But Wyatt was that someone. He is loved and missed by many. We will always be proud of the man he chose to be.

"When we set this meet up at the beginning of the season, we felt it was important to honor Wyatt and his legacy at Soka," said Head Coach Adam Crossen. "While the racing and the times were to be expected, more important for the team and us was creating a meet that Wyatt would have enjoyed racing in. From the start of the anthem to seeing all participants wearing the meet shirt, this event on campus was a great moment for the university and us.  We represented Wyatt well."

Soka hosted six swim programs in Azusa Pacific University, Fresno Pacific University, Arizona Christian University, The Master's University, Westmont College, and Westcliff University.

On the women's side, Azusa Pacific finished first, scoring a total of 454 points, followed by Fresno Pacific (398), Arizona Christian (360), Westmont (303), The Master's (281), Soka (176), and Westcliff earning 50 points.
 
The women's 200-yard Medley Relay team of Sophia Greco, Anthea Mudanye, Sydney Sansbury, and Makenna Carpinella opened the meet with a stellar race, placing third overall with a final time of 1:59.20.

Soka's Mudanye produced a Soka best time in the 100-yard Breaststroke, placing ninth overall and dropping 2.08 seconds off her previous time, touching in at 1:16.94. Mikiko Hashimoto delivered two lifetime best swims in the 50-yard Freestyle (30.58) and 100-yard Freestyle (1:09.34), respectively. Sansbury also gave a strong performance in the 1000-yard Freestyle event, cutting 30 seconds from her previous 1000-yard race earlier in the season, posting a final time of 11:29.09, and earning a second-place finish.

For the men, Fresno Pacific placed first, producing 567 points, followed by The Master's (341), Arizona Christian (335), Soka (316), and Westcliff with 30 points.

The Soka men's 200-yard Medley Relay team made up of AJ Stewart, Zachary Holt, Joshua Beam, and Sean Li yielded a third-place finish touching in with a combined time of 1:42.12.

Stewart had a strong swim in the 100-yard Butterfly event, with a final time of 53.79, placing third overall. Li also had strong swims in the 50-yard Freestyle race (22.65) and the 100-yard Freestyle event (50.1). 

Next, the Lions will travel to the University of Puget Sound in a multi-day meet starting Dec. 3 and concluding on Dec. 5.