Lehighsports.com

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The family of Lehigh swimming and diving alumni enjoyed another impressive accomplishment earlier this month as former team captain Sherri Pickens ’08 was the top female finisher in the 4.4 Chesapeake Bay Open Swim. The event was part of the 19th Annual Great Chesapeake Bay Swim, held June 13 in Maryland. Pickens completed the 4.4 mile swim in 1:36.28, best among all female entrants and 12th out of 611 entrants overall.

The annual race begins in Maryland’s Sandy Point State Park and finishes on a small sandy beach on Kent Island. The GCBS is a charitable fundraiser for the Maryland Chapter of the March of Dimes. The net proceeds of the event go to aid the March of Dimes in its Campaign for healthier Babies.

The GCBS consisted of two events, a One Mile Bay Challenge, and the Chesapeake Bay Open Swim. Pickens, who majored in Bioengineering at Lehigh, has moved to Baltimore since graduation. She finished nearly two minutes better than the next female swimmer and was the only female to crack the top-20 overall in the Chesapeake Bay Open Swim.

Since moving to Baltimore, Pickens has become a certified kettlebell instructor and has returned to Bethlehem on several occasions to work with members of the Lehigh swimming and diving program as part of their CrossFit training program.