PITTSBURGH—The Lady Baron swim team learned a lesson in losing when it competed in the non-conference Chatham University Invitational on Saturday afternoon. At the second double-dual meet of the program's inaugural season, the team lost to Chatham University, 37-57, and to Juniata College, 17-78. The young Franciscan University program is still finding its footing as a member of the Alleghany Mountain Collegiate Conference in NCAA Division III athletics, but head coach Nathan Blake is confident in the program he's building.

"Every day is a chance to learn, whether you win or you lose," Blake said. "In all you do, you find the silver lining, but you don't linger on it; you look at what you can do to improve. We cut some times today, but there were some times that we needed to cut, yet didn't."

Blake believes the pacing of the meet may have been a challenge for his swimmers. With just one heat in each event, there was little time for transition and preparation. The day excluded diving and men's events, and the 13-event meet was finished in 90 minutes.

"The speed of the events was a challenge in itself," Blake said. "To swim that many events in a short amount of time takes a toll and drains your body."

The standout performance of the day came from distance swimmer Emily Pass, who placed third in the 1000-yard freestyle, clocking a time of 13:02.00 (00:22 faster than last week). Pass also placed third in the 500-yard freestyle, clocking a time of 6:16.06 (00:13 faster than last week).

The Lady Barons are 1-1 on the season in the AMCC and 1-4 overall. They have four weeks to prepare for their next meet, the two-day Grove City College Invitational, which will begin on Friday, Dec. 2, and finish on Saturday, Dec. 3. A starting time for the meet will be released in the coming weeks.