SAN ANTONIO – The 21st-ranked Trinity University men's swimming & diving team delivered a commanding 205-68 victory over Southwestern University (TX) on Saturday at Hixon Natatorium, fueled by standout performances across the board.
The Tigers opened with a strong showing in the 200-yard medley relay, where the team of
Owen Flynn (Guthrie, Okla. / Heritage Hall),
Grant Bibza (Southlake, Texas / Carroll),
Trace Briones (San Antonio, Texas / Health Careers), and
Chase Hays (Austin, Texas / Anderson) placed second in 1:38.07 seconds. Trinity's dominance continued in the distance events, as
Luke Fender (Jackson, Miss. / St. Andrew's Episcopal) captured the 1,000-yard freestyle with a time of 9:42.03, nearly a minute ahead of the runner-up.
In the 200-yard freestyle,
Nickolas Rotolo (Houston, Texas / Houston Christian) earned a victory in 1:46.97, with teammates
Chase Hays (Austin, Texas / Anderson) and
JC Holmes (Superior, Colo. / Centaurus) following closely in second and third.
Enzo Fiorese (McKinney, Texas / Heritage) led the Tigers in the 100-yard backstroke, clocking 53.08 to take first place, while
Daniel Itkins (Houston, Texas / The Village School) secured second in 54.45.
The Tigers excelled in the breaststroke events as well. Bibza touched the wall first in the 100-yard breaststroke with a 1:00.26 finish, narrowly edging teammate
John Key (El Paso, Texas / Franklin), who posted a 1:00.52 for second place. In the 200-yard breaststroke, Bibza and Key again went first and second, with Bibza claiming the win in 2:11.45.
Trinity's butterfly swimmers also shined, with
William Walker (Houston, Texas / Westside) winning the 200-yard event in 1:57.83 and Briones taking the 100-yard butterfly in 53.46. Briones was joined on the podium by Fiorese and
John Fontenot (Austin, Texas / St. Andrew's)
, who took second and third, respectively.
In freestyle sprints, Itkins clocked 48.66 to win the 100-yard freestyle, while
Nathan Perez (Alpharetta, Ga. / Johns Creek) placed second in the 50-yard freestyle. The Tigers closed the meet with a thrilling victory in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The team of Walker, Fiorese, Perez, and Briones finished in 1:27.41, narrowly edging out Trinity's "B" squad of Itkins, Hays, Fender, and
William Kitto IV (Prairieview, La. / Catholic High School) by 0.14 seconds.
On the boards,
Max Rolla-Mullis (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Pioneer) stole the show with a winning score of 278.85 in the 3-meter diving competition. He was joined by
Andrew Ngo (Houston, Texas / Cypress Creek), who placed second.
Coach Speak
"The men had a strong day and a stunning finish," said Head Coach
Cathleen Pruden. "We were impressed by all three 200 freestyle relays. We now enter the final push before SCAC Championships, and I heard some mindsets shifting and men locking in throughout the meet. I'm looking forward to seeing how we'll train before taper comes around."
Up Next
Trinity will have one more tuneup before the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships, facing off against NCAA Division I University of the Incarnate Word (TX) on Sunday, January 26.
