SAN ANTONIO – The 21st-ranked Tiger men's swimming & diving team will begin defense of its Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference title at the conference championship meet, hosted at the Garland ISD Natatorium from Wednesday-Saturday, February 8-11.
Trinity has won 10 of the last 11 SCAC Championships, including each of the last three conference consecutive crowns. Overall, Trinity has won 14 of a possible 24 SCAC Championships, while former member DePauw University has won nine. Southwestern University's win in 2019 is the only time the Tigers haven't won since 2012.
The Tigers have swept the SCAC Swimmer and Diver of the Year awards every year since 2016 and the Swimmer of the Year award has gone to Trinity every meet since 2014.
Michael Kohl (Missouri City, Texas / Ridge Point) is the two-time reigning SCAC Swimmer of the Year, while
Konstantine Partalas (San Antonio, Texas / Reagan) won last year's Diver of the Year award. The Trinity coaching staff has also been named the SCAC Staff of the Year for three straight years – including last season under Head Coach
Cathleen Pruden.
SCAC Championships Preview
The opening day of the meet features two relays to get things started, followed by prelims and finals on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The diving competition begins between swim sessions on Friday, and concludes after the final day of prelims on Saturday.
Seniors
Nolan Anthony (Missouri City, Texas / Missouri City),
Matteo Lanzara (Moraga, Calif. / Campolindo),
Grayden Nelson (San Antonio, Texas / San Antonio Christian), and
Spencer Steward (Kearney, Mo. / Kearney) will be recognized along with the rest of the SCAC senior class on Friday night.
200 Medley Relay:
The 2023 meet starts with the 200 medley relay and this event has been won by either Trinity or Southwestern every year since 2015. The Tigers have won four of the last five and each of the last three in a row. Lanzara and Steward swam the first two legs of the 2020 championship relay team, while Steward, Kohl, Anthony, and
Nathaniel Early (Austin, Texas / Westdwood) combined to win the event in 2021. Last year's team of Lanzara,
Kendal Southwell (Rio Rancho, N.M. / Calvert Online Academy), Kohl, and Anthony gives Trinity six current swimmers who have won All-SCAC honors in the event. The best time this year was also posted by Trinity, as Lanzara, Southwell,
Caleb Manifold (Helotes, Texas / Homeschool), and Kohl finished in 1:29.63 and leads second-ranked Colorado College by more than five seconds.
800 Free Relay:
Trinity has also won three consecutive 800 free relay races at the SCAC Championships, as well as winning five of the past seven races. Southwestern kept Trinity from winning each of the last seven with wins in 2017 and 2019. Nelson is the only current swimmer who was on the winning 2020 team, and also joined with Kohl and Early on last year's championship relay team.
Omar Shahatit (Austin, Texas / Westlake) joined Kohl and Early to win the event in 2021. Trinity's team of Kohl, Early,
Will Walker (Houston, Texas / Westside), and
John Key (El Paso, Texas / Franklin) posted a time of 6:57.22 to edge Colorado College's best relay time by less than one second for the top time in the SCAC this year.
200 Free Relay:
Following prelims on Friday, the evening session of the SCAC Championships will begin with another relay: the 200 free relay. Trinity has won the last two 200 free relays at the conference meet and was second in 2020. Anthony was a part of all three of those relays, while Kohl and Early joined him on the winning teams from 2021 and 2022. This year's top time of 1:22.28 was posted by the Tiger team of Kohl, Anthony, Early, and Manifold, and is more than three seconds ahead of Southwestern in second place this season.
500 Freestyle:
Trinity has won seven of the past nine 500 free races at the conference meet, including Kohl's 2021 victory. Colorado College won both the 2019 and 2022 races. Nelson and Shahatit were runners-up in 2020 and 2021, respectively, to secure All-SCAC honors. Colorado College's Edmund Davis enters the meet with the best time this season, with Walker (4:42.38) and Early (4:43.71) occupy the next two spots.
200 Individual Medley:
Trinity's
Daniel Sarman won the last two 200 IM events at the conference meet and Lanzara earned All-SCAC honors by finishing third in the 2020 event. Lanzara also has the top time in the SCAC this season at 1:51.66, while Key right behind his teammate in second with a time of 1:52.19. Southwell is fourth (1:56.48) behind Sam Anderson of Southwestern.
50 Freestyle:
The 50 free sprint will close out the second day of action at the SCAC Championships and Trinity's win in 2022 was the first for the Tigers since Andre Newlands in 2016. Prior to Kohl's championship sprint last year, Southwestern had won the event in five straight conference meets. This season, Kohl leads the SCAC with a time of 20.34, followed by Early and his second-place time of 21.02, and Anthony's 21.12 time that is tied for third. He is tied with Southwestern's Henry McClure for that third-place spot.
1-Meter Diving:
After Friday's prelims, the men's diving competition begins on the 1-meter board. Partalas has won the low board each of the last two SCAC meets and Trinity has won the event seven consecutive times. Partalas also has the top score this season in the SCAC (473.30), and Colorado College's Adam Richter is the only other conference diver to score more than 400 points in the event this season.
400 Individual Medley:
Trinity hasn't won the 400 IM since 2019, which broke up a streak of five straight Tiger wins in the event. Andrew Thiesse won in 2015 and 2016, while Jacob Hurrell-Zitelman won the next three. None of the current Trinity swimmers have earned All-SCAC in this event. Key's time of 4:00.12 is the best this season ahead of Southwestern's Sam Anderson and Andrew Renninger. Lanzara is fourth with a time of 4:15.89 season.
100 Butterfly:
Kohl won the 100 fly in 2022, marking the first Tiger to win the event since Tom Jones in 2016.
John Fontenot (Austin, Texas / St. Andrew's) was third in 2021, while Manifold was second behind Kohl in 2022. Despite not having much recent success, Trinity holds each of the top six SCAC spots in the event this season. Kohl leads the way with a time of 47.56, with Manifold (49.28),
Wesley Wasserburger (Austin, Texas / Bowie) (50.78), Fontenot (51.23), Early (51.98), and Anthony (52.09) rounding out the Tigers leading the pack.
200 Freestyle:
Trinity has won three straight 200 free races at the conference meet, with three different swimmers taking the gold each time. Nelson won in 2020, Early took the top spot in 2021, and former Tiger
Daniel Sarman won last year. Shahatit was the 2021 runner-up and Early finished third last year, though Early leads the SCAC in this event this season – posting a time of 1:39.16. Kohl (1:40.37) and Walker (1:42.49) are second and third just ahead of Colorado College swimmer Jack Hussin.
100 Breaststroke:
Southwell won the 100 breast in 2021 for Trinity's first victory in the event since Elliot Fleming won back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018. Steward finished third in both 2020 and 2022, while Southwell was the runner-up ahead of Steward last season. Southwell (56.02), Key (56.83), and
Brennan Jimenez (Fair Oaks, Calif. / Bella Vista) (58.42) hold the top three spots in the SCAC this season. Collin Raston from Colorado College and Jorge Mendiola from Southwestern are fourth and fifth and are less than three seconds from Southwell for the top time.
100 Backstroke:
Trinity has won seven of the past eight 100 back events at the conference meet with Lanzara and Kohl taking the honors the last three years. Lanzara won in 2020 and 2022, while also finishing third behind gold medalist Kohl in 2021. Fontenot also earned the bronze spot in 2022 behind Lanzara. Kohl is the only SCAC swimmer to post a time under 50 seconds at 49.41, though Lanzara had an even 50.00 second time this year as well. Colorado College has a pair of swimmers in the next two spots, but they are both around three seconds behind Lanzara.
400 Medley Relay:
The 400 medley relay finishes off the third day of action at the SCAC Championships meet, with the Trinity team of Lanzara, Southwell, Manifold, and Early touching in 3:20.62 for the league's best time this year – nearly nine seconds ahead of Colorado College. Trinity has won the event in five of the last seven seasons with Southwestern taking the wins in 2018 and 2019. Lanzara has been a part of the last three winning relay teams, while Southwell, Kohl, and Early joined him for the wins in 2021 and 2022.
3-Meter Diving:
Partalas returns after Saturday's prelims to defend his 2022 title on the low board, seeking Trinity's eighth straight win in the event. Aidan Richter of Colorado College has the season's best score in the SCAC this season, leading Partalas in second place with a score of 330.45, and two more CC divers in third and fourth.
1650 Freestyle:
Trinity won four straight 1650 free events at the SCAC meet from 2016-20, but the current Tiger swimmers haven't had an All-SCAC performer since Nelson won in 2020.
Will Kitto IV (Prairieville, La. / Catholic) is Trinity's top performer this season with a time of 17:22.35 that is sixth in the SCAC. Edmund Davis of Colorado College comes in with the top time in the league this year.
200 Backstroke:
Lanzara (1st, 1:50.54), Key (3rd, 1:55.50), and Fontenot (5th, 1:57.83) hold three of the top five times in the conference this season. Andrew Renninger from Southwestern is second, with Ethan Spillers from the University of the Ozarks is fourth. Trinity has won five straight 200 back events at the SCAC Championships, though each win came from former Tigers. Charles Clark won in 2018 and
Daniel Sarman won four straight from 2019-22. Lanzara has finished as the runner-up in each of the last three championship meets in this event.
100 Freestyle:
Kohl has won the 100 free each of the past two seasons and Early was the runner-up last year. Those were the first Trinity wins in the event since Andre Newlands won in 2016. Early and Kohl have the two fastest times in the SCAC this season at 45.66 and 46.25, respectively, while Manifold is third with his time of 46.51.
200 Breaststroke:
Trinity hadn't won the 200 breast since Nikita Chirkov touched first in 2013, when Southwell won back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022. Steward has also been third in each of the past three championship meets in this event. Chirkov and Southwell are the only Tigers to win this event in SCAC since 2007. Key edged out Southwell for the top spot in the SCAC this season, posting a time of 2:02.90 that is just ahead of Southwell's 2:03.08. Jimenez is ranked third in the league with his time of 2:05.54.
200 Butterfly:
The 200 fly marks the final individual swimming event of the meet and Southwestern's 2022 win broke up a four-year streak of Trinity winners. Beau Tipton won from 2018-20 and Shahatit took the honors in 2021. Fontenot was the runner-up to his teammate two years ago and was second again in 2022. Kohl is vying for the title this year, finishing in 1:51.14 to lead all SCAC swimmers this season. Zach Kangieser of Southwestern is second ahead of Walker in third with a time of 1:55.67.
400 Freestyle Relay:
The 2023 meet concludes with the 400 free relay and Trinity has won this event in six of the last nine conference meets, including each of the past two. Nelson was part of the runner-up team in 2020, while Kohl and Early were both featured on the winning teams from 2021 and 2022. Southwestern won in 2017, 2019, and 2020. Kohl, Manifold, Walker, and Early have the best time in the SCAC this season, leading Colorado College by more than four seconds with a time of 3:04.13.
Looking Ahead: NCAA Events
The SCAC Championships will be the final chance for Trinity swimmers and divers to produce qualifying times and scores for the NCAA Postseason. The NCAA Diving Regionals will be held Friday and Saturday, February 24 and 25, and the Tiger qualifiers will compete at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga. The NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships will be held Wednesday-Saturday, March 15-18, in Greensboro, N.C.
