SOUTHERN COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (SCAC) – MEN AND WOMEN
- Dates: Wednesday, February 12-Saturday, February 15, 2020
- Location: Josh Davis Natatorium – San Antonio, TX
- Defending Champion: Trinity women (16x); Southwestern men
- Live Video: Available here
- Championship Central
Courtesy: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
MEN
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — The Trinity University men swept the top three positions in the 200 free and won the 400 medley relay and now hold a 65.5 point lead over Southwestern University heading into the final day of the 2020 SCAC Swimming and Diving Championships. Official Website | Friday’s Complete Results | Photo Gallery | Video Interviews Playlist
Trinity leads the team standings with 646 points. Southwestern is close behind with 580.5 points while Colorado College rounds out the top three with 430.5 points.
In diving, Anthony Liva of Trinity took top billing on the 1-meter board. He posted a score of 478.80, and beat out Colorado College‘s Mac O’Brien who scored 362.20. Trinity’s Nolan Anthony was third with a score of 278.40 while Austin College‘s Colton Baker rounded out the field with a tally of 275.00.
Colorado College and Southwestern dominated the 400 IM as the Tigers and Pirates combined to take the top five spots in the event. Colorado College‘s Cole Thumann earned top individual honors with a time of 4:08.92. His win marked the first-ever for Colorado College in the event and broke a five-year Trinity stranglehold on the event. Southwestern’s Matt Oevermann was second after touching the wall in 4:10.42, and teammate Caden Garz was third after clocking a 4:15.94. Topher Shepherd of Colorado College was fourth when he swam a 4:17.34 while Southwestern’s Brock Bloomquist was fifth with a time of 4:17.65.
Eric Dallesasse of Colorado College took top honors in the 100 fly for the third-straight year as he won with a time of 50.04. Trinity’s Ben Adams finished in second place with a mark of 50.33, and Keith Gill of Southwestern was third with a time of 50.41.
Trinity swept the top three positions in the 200 free as Grayden Nelson earned his first career SCAC individual title. The freshman just edged out teammate Beau Tipton with a time of 1:40.53. Tipton finished 0.03 seconds behind at 1:40.56, and Daniel Sarman was third with a mark of 1:41.42.
In the 100 breast, freshman Ethan Nguyen of Austin College posted the program’s second-ever individual win on the men’s side, coming home in first with a time of 55.88 – good for a NCAA ‘B” cut. Nguyen set a new SCAC championship and open record in the morning prelims when he touched home in a time of 55.60 – breaking the previous mark of 56.20 set by Trinity’s Elliott Fleming in 2018. Rounding all-SCAC honors in the event, Alek Argueta of Southwestern placed second with a time of 56.99 and Spencer of Trinity was third in a time of 57.71.
In the last individual event of the evening, Trinity took the top two spots in the 100 back as freshman Matt Lanzara came home first in a time of 51.20 followed by teammate Eamon Morris in a time of 52.31. Julian Frerichs of Colorado College placed third in a time of 52.60.
The Texas Tigers quartet of Lanzara, Elliott Fleming, Tipton, and Shamzi Alkaff came out on top in the 400 medley relay, clocking a winning time of 3:24.72 to earn Trinity’s third victory in the last five years in the event. Southwestern’s team of Carter Duncan, Alek Argueta, Massimo Gasponi, and Gill finished in second with a time of 3:27.91, and Austin College placed third in the event when Anthony Mowles, Ethan Nguyen, Zachary Griffith, and Cayden Griffith touched the wall in 3:31.62.
The team standings heading into tomorrow’s final day are as follows:
1) Trinity University – 646
2) Southwestern University – 580.5
3) Colorado College – 430.5
4) Austin College – 235
5) Centenary College – 204
6) University of the Ozarks – 160
7) McMurry University – 123
Competition concludes on Saturday with preliminaries beginning at 10:30 a.m. The league’s annual senior night recognition ceremony kicks off the evening session at 5:45 p.m., with finals scheduled to begin shortly afterwards. Click here for the complete schedule of events.
WOMEN
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — The Trinity University women picked up wins in 3-meter diving, the 200 free, 100 back and 400 medley relay to extend its lead to nearly 200 points over Southwestern University heading into the final day of the 2020 SCAC Swimming and Diving Championships. Official Website | Friday’s Complete Results | Photo Gallery | Video Interviews Playlist
Trinity leads with 712 points while Southwestern is in second with 540 points. Colorado College sits in third with 503 points.
Trinity earned a victory on the 3-meter board early Friday afternoon where the Tigers continued their dominance in the event. Maren Merwarth scored 473.60 points to take home the league title. It marked the 14th win in the 1-meter in the past 15 years. Merwarth’s teammate Katarina Partalas placed second with a score of 450.25 while Colorado College‘s Peyton Classon was third with a mark of 434.60.
Colorado College‘s Selma Jukic earned a SCAC title in the 400 IM as she clocked in first at 4:38.69. Trinity’s Kari Petersen was second with a time of 4:42.51, and rounding out the top three was Centenary College‘s Jessica Jordan who finished in 4:48.13.
Kate Brush of Colorado College continued the Tigers’ success in the 100 fly as she bested the competition with a time of 56.97 seconds. Her win marked the sixth Colorado College win in the past seven years in the event. Finishing second was Brianna Serret of Centenary as she clocked a time of 57.08 seconds. Jesse Stovall of Southwestern was third with a mark of 57.45 seconds.
The Texas Tigers swept the top three spots in the 200 free. Trinity’s Mabel Fowler made history as she set a SCAC championship record – establishing a new top time by touching the wall in 1:51.86. The time also earned her an NCAA ‘B’ cut time. Teammate Meghan Magill finished second with a time of 1:52.13, which also topped the previous league record and before teammate Caroline Westholder who touched the wall in 1:55.34.
With her win in the 100 breast, Rehgan Hartsell of Southwestern became the first women’s swimmer in league history to win the event three consecutive years, recording a winning time of 1:05.31. She also became just the second swimmer to win the 100 breast three times (Julie Culbertson of DePauw University won in 2000, 2001, and 2003). Centenary’s Kaylin Swoboda was second finishing in a time of 1:06.13, and rounding out the top three was Emily Erickson of Colorado College who clocked a time of 1:08.74.
After finishing second in 2018 and 2019, Trinity’s Star Rosales won the 100 back with the top time of 57.72. It marked the Tigers’ second consecutive win in the event. Colorado College‘s Emma Frey placed second with a time of 58.09 while Brianna Serret of Centenary College was third after she touched the wall in 59.16.
Closing out the evening was the 400 medley relay. Trinity earned its second win in the event in the last three years as the team of Fowler, Caroline North, Morgen Reyna, and Rosales recorded a time of 3:55.90. Southwestern’s quartet of Frey, Hartsell, Stovall, and Brielle Adolph touched the wall in second at 3:57.43. Colorado College‘s team of Millie Benkert, Erickson, Kate Brush, and Jio Chang rounded out the top three with a time of 3:58.37.
The team standings heading into tomorrow’s final day are as follows:
1) Trinity University – 712
2) Southwestern University – 540
3) Colorado College – 503
4) Centenary College – 277
5) Austin College – 177
6) McMurry University – 129
7) University of the Ozarks – 123
Competition concludes on Saturday with preliminaries beginning at 10:30 a.m. The league’s annual senior night recognition ceremony kicks off the evening session at 5:45 p.m., with finals scheduled to begin shortly afterwards. Click here for the complete schedule of events.
