TCU vs TRINITY
- January 3, 2026
- Fort Worth, Texas
- SCY (25 yards)
- Results
Courtesy: TCU Athletics
FORT WORTH – In the first meet of the new year, the TCU swimming and diving team tallied a pair of wins over in-state foe Trinity on Saturday at TCU Recreational Center.
The men would win 238-62, while the women tallied a 232-65 victory over the Tigers. TCU made a statement, winning every single event on the day. All 32 events, which include diving, had a Frog representative atop the podium.
To get the day started, the women’s 200 relay squad of Paige Taber, Nina Vadovicova, Aubrey Finn and Molly Cullen turned in a 1:45.21 to take the first event of the day. The men’s side would follow, throwing down a 1:29.28 thanks to a strong 19.70 anchor leg from Peter Horton.
Avery Dillon would strongly continue her breakout season, winning the 1000 free by close to a minute with a 10:27.82. Aaron Wilmes secured first in the event, touching the wall in 9:34.10.
Freshman Taylor Steelman would clock a 1:55.06 to earn a triumph in the 200 free, and Luke Cavic would earn a 1:40.12 also to come in first. Audrey Worgull notched a 57.57 to secure the top spot in the 100 back, and Edgar Cicanci would follow suit to grab a 48.44.
The winning trend for TCU would continue, as Vadovicova would excel in the 100 breast with a 1:04.32 and Colin Clough copied the success with a 57.91 to earn yet another event sweep. The victories would continue, as Alessandra Senis (2:08.12) and Yochanan Meza (1:49.67) grabbed first-place results in the 200 fly.
Heading into the first break, Cullen would blaze to a first-place finish in the 50 free with a 24.00, and the electric Peter Horton went on to do the same with a time of 20.27.
In diving, David Ekdahl would win on 3-meter with a total score of 381.98. Odessa Kaeck notched a 292.28 on 1-meter to grab the victory as well. In the second portion of diving for the day, Ekdahl would earn his second triumph, this time on 1-meter with a 377.48. Emma Larcada Herrera went on to finish first in women’s 1-meter with a result of 308.55.
Coming out of the first intermission, TCU lost no momentum, as Cullen won her second straight event, this time in the 100 free (52.43). Horton, once again, would follow suit, coming to a finish in 45.55 to give both individuals their second consecutive event win during the meet.
In the 200 back, Worgull earned the event sweep by gathering a victory (2:03.25), and Ciacnci did the same after touching the wall in 1:48.89. Giorgia Vavalle decided to join in on the fun in the 200 breast, clocking a 2:20.60 for the win, and freshman Shea Skarda posted a 2:05.00 to also gain a victory in the event.
Amanda Ulicny pulled out the win in the 500 free over teammate Amelia Snyder in a highly contested race. Deacon Gutshall came to a finish in 4:38.81 to also secure a triumph. To close out the second portion of events, Finn clocked a 58.18 in the 100 fly to secure her first individual win of the day, and Nigel Forbes would also gain his first victory with a 49.25.
Entering the home stretch of the meet, Seanna Muhitch (2:08.64) and Cavic (1:54.98) closed out the individual events with victories in the 200 IM. Hannah Wachendorfer, Josephine Brant, Aubrey Finn and Molly Cullen went on to win the 200 free relay with a time of 1:36.28, then the quartet of Peter Horton, Nigel Forbes, Nick Rozenberg and Edgar Cicanci glided to a 1:20.97 to conclude a dominant meet for TCU.
UP NEXT
The Frogs will play host to Texas Permian Basin on Jan. 10. The meet will serve as this year’s Senior Day, where numerous individuals on the squad will be honored.
Courtesy: Trinity Athletics
FORT WORTH, Texas – The #24 Trinity Tiger women’s swimming & diving team faced their toughest competition of the season today as they took on Texas Christian University during winter training. Competing against a strong TCU squad, the meet provided an important opportunity for the Tigers to push themselves and rise to the challenge. TCU delivered several impressive races, forcing the Tigers to dig deep and compete at a high level, especially in moments when racing became most demanding.
One of the standout performances of the day came from the 200 Medley A relay, which featured first-year Ava Easley (Allen, Texas / Lovejoy), sophomore Emme Penry (Greenwood Village, Colo. / Regis Jesuit), and juniors Allison Ortiz (Houston, Texas / Stratford) and Amy Benson (Newmarket, N.H. / Phillips Exeter Academy). The relay team finished third overall and came within just one second of their season-best time, demonstrating strong chemistry and consistency against top-tier competition.
Benson also delivered an exceptional individual performance in the 50 freestyle. She secured a second-place finish in the event, outswimming two TCU Frogs in a highly competitive race. Adding to the Tigers’ success in the freestyle events, sophomore Anna Stouffer (St. Louis, Mo. / Clayton) achieved a great accomplishment in her 100 freestyle, swimming her fastest dual meet time of the season.
On the diving side, first-year Juliet Hood (Wexford, Pa. / North Allegheny) represented the Tigers well on the 3-meter board. Hood placed fourth overall, showcasing a solid performance against a challenging field and continuing to build momentum during the winter training season.
Overall, the meet served as a valuable test for the Tigers, offering high-level racing experience and strong individual performances as they continue their season.
Coach Speak
“We had a great time today at TCU,” said Head Coach Cathleen Pruden. “After being out of competition mode since Tiger Invite, this was a great way to get back into things. We have put in an incredible week of training. I was thrilled with the team’s efforts in practice yesterday afternoon, so to turn around and step back up against a Power 4 program today was a big task. I’m very proud of the Tigers today.”
Looking Forward
Next weekend, the Trinity Tigers will travel to Danville, Kentucky, to compete in the Colonel Classic. Designed to mirror the SAA Conference Championships, the meet gives the Tigers an opportunity to race in the pool and become familiar with the environment ahead of conference competition.
FORT WORTH, Texas – The 25th-ranked Trinity Tiger men’s swimming & diving team faced off against their most formidable opponent to date in Texas Christian University, and the men fought hard but came up short by a final score of 238-62.
While this loss wasn’t necessarily modest, this meet lands in the middle of the winter training for the Tigers, and yet they still managed to pull out some impressive swims. The men’s 200 medley relay managed to beat one of TCU’s teams with a time of 1:33.94, edging them by just over half a second. This relay was made up of Jack Hester (Round Rock, Texas / Cedar Ridge, Daniel Apostol (Billings, Mont. / Central Catholic), Nathan Perez (Alpharetta, Ga. / Johns Creek), and Trace Briones (San Antonio, Texas / Health Careers). This time was only around a second off of what Trinity’s time was in Chicago, proving the team’s strong efforts in this dual meet.
Nickolas Rotolo (Houston, Texas / Cairo American College), although not beating any TCU swimmers, was just barely touched out in the 200 fly. He went a 1:56.68, one of the sophomore’s best dual meet times of the season. In the 50 free, Briones and Apostol again showed how on-point they were at this meet with second and third-place finishes, respectively, beating two TCU swimmers in the process. They additionally both swam their best dual meet times of the season. The 200 back went similarly for the Tigers, with Hester and Alejandro Aceves (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. / Trabuco Hills) beating a TCU swimmer by several seconds. John Key (El Paso, Texas / Franklin) showed his classic breaststroke dominance in the 200 breastroke, earning second place in the event with a time of 2:10.23, beating the TCU swimmer in third by just a second. The 200 IM proved to be one of the Tigers’ dominant events, with Aceves, Key, and Theodore Ho (Sugar Land, Texas / Clements) coming in third, fourth, and fifth, beating a TCU swimmer in the process.
Overall, while not a win for Trinity, the team still fought hard for some fast swims against an incredibly fast D-I team. The Tigers can look forward to seeing the competitive skills learned here pay off at conference.
Coach Speak
“We had a lot of fun today at TCU,” said Head Coach Cathleen Pruden. “We haven’t competed since before Thanksgiving, so I’m glad we got back into meet mode before we head to Kentucky this week! This has been a very challenging week of training, but we still saw a few dual meet best times today, and all around saw some great mindset. Despite facing a Division 1 opponent, the men stayed in their own lane and controlled what they could. I’m excited to build on this for the next 6 weeks!”
Looking Forward
Beginning on Friday of next week, the Tigers will compete in the Colonel Classic, an invitational in Kentucky at the same pool they will swim conference in. This will be a great opportunity for the team to hone in their events they’ll swim at the end of the season and to get used to the SAA pool.
