YORK, Pa. – RJ Otten (Ballston Spa, N.Y./Ballston Spa) broke a Kutztown University program record in the 400-yard individual medley for the second time this season during the B Final to place 11th at the PSAC Championships inside the Graham Aquatic Center, Tuesday.
 
Otten and Matheson Bair (Orwigsburg, Pa./Blue Mountain) (200 freestyle) advanced to finals out of the morning qualifying heats.
 
Otten, who was seeded 12th in the 400 IM, put forth the 11th quickest time in prelims with a 4:11.18. He laid down an even better 4:10.77 to claim third in the B Final and 11th overall. The time broke his previous school record of 4:11.18, set back in November at the Franklin & Marshall Invitational.
 
Bair, who finished 15th in the 50 free on Monday, picked up his best finish of the championships so far with a 14th-place showing in the 200 free. During prelims, the freshman moved up from fifth to fourth on KU's all-time top 10 list with a personal-best 1:43.86, sliding in ahead of Paul O'Brien's 1:43.87 from 1986 by one one-hundredth of a second. Bair swam a 1:44.49 in the finals.
 
Kutztown's 200 free relay team of Nigel Pizzo (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North), Colby Orndorf (Reading, Pa./Governor Mifflin), Gabriel Clauss (Kutztown, Pa./Kutztown) and Paul Spear (Hatboro, Pa./Upper Moreland) claimed seventh in 1:32.79, while the 400 medley relay team of Otten, Theo Miksa (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks East), Orndorf and Pizzo placed seventh in 3:39.44. Otten's 54.66 100 back lead-off split ranks ninth in KU history.
 
The Golden Bears remain seventh in the team classification with 83 points.
 
Wednesday's events at the PSAC Championships include the 500 free, 100 breast, 200 fly and 200 medley relay. Bair (seeded 14th in the 500 free) and Otten (seeded 15th in the 200 fly) are projected to compete for spots in the finals once again. Prelims begin at 10 a.m., with finals going off at 6 p.m.
 

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2025 PSAC SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
MONDAY, FEB. 17-THURSDAY, FEB. 20
YORK, PA. | GRAHAM AQUATIC CENTER
 
KUTZTOWN RESULTS
All distances in yards

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18

PRELIMS
100 Butterfly (39 competitors)
None
 
400 IM (24 competitors)
11. RJ Otten (Ballston Spa, N.Y./Ballston Spa), 4:12.20, B Final Qualifier
 
200 Freestyle (33 competitors)
14. Matheson Bair (Orwigsburg, Pa./Blue Mountain), 1:43.86, B Final Qualifier, 4th all-time at KU
25. Colby Orndorf (Reading, Pa./Governor Mifflin), 1:47.32
 
FINALS
200 Freestyle Relay (8 teams)
7. Kutztown 'A' (Pizzo, Orndorf, Clauss, Spear), 1:32.79, 24 pts.
 
100 Butterfly
None
 
400 IM
11. RJ Otten (Ballston Spa, N.Y./Ballston Spa), 4:10.77, 6 pts., 1st all-time at KU
 
200 Freestyle
14. Matheson Bair (Orwigsburg, Pa./Blue Mountain), 1:44.49, 3 pts.
 
400 Medley Relay (8 teams)
7. Kutztown 'A' (Otten, Miksa, Orndorf, Pizzo), 3:39.44, 24 pts.
* Otten 54.66 100-yard backstroke lead-off split, 9th all-time at KU