GARLAND, Texas – The 21st-ranked Tiger men's swimming & diving team has taken the early lead after the first day at the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships on Wednesday evening at Garland ISD Natatorium.
Trinity scored 112 total points to finish ahead of Colorado College (98) in second, and Southwestern University (90) in third place. McMurry University (78) and University of the Ozarks (72) are the next two teams, followed by Austin College (56) and Centenary College (32) sixth and seventh.
The first day schedule included the 200 medley relay and the 800 freestyle relay, with Trinity scoring NCAA "B" cut times in both. The Tigers also set new SCAC Championships records in both events, as well as breaking the school record in the 800 free relay.
Trinity's win in the 200 medley relay championship final was the fourth consecutive Tiger win in the event, and is the fifth-fastest time in NCAA III this season.
Matteo Lanzara (Moraga, Calif. / Campolindo),
Kendal Southwell (Rio Rancho, N.M. Calvert Online Academy),
Caleb Manifold (Helotes, Texas / Homeschool), and
Michael Kohl (Missouri City, Texas / Ridge Point) raced to the finish in 1:29.20 for the second-fastest time in school history.
Owen Flynn (Guthrie, Okla. / Heritage Hall),
John Key (El Paso, Texas / Franklin),
Wesley Wasserburger (Austin, Texas / Bowie), and
Nolan Anthony (Missouri City, Texas / Missouri City) also won the consolation final and the Tigers finished with 58 total points in the event.
The 800 free relay championship final time of 6:41.31 is also in the top 10 (eighth) in the nation this season and is also the fourth straight Tiger win in the event. Kohl,
Nathaniel Early (Austin, Texas / Westwood),
William Walker (Houston, Texas / Westside), and Lanzara combined to win the race by more than five seconds over runner-up Colorado College. Kohl swam his 200 free opening leg of the 800 free relay in a time of 1:38.94, which is second in school history. Key,
Brennan Jimenez (Fair Oaks, Calif. / Bella Vista),
Will Kitto IV (Prairieville, La. / Catholic), and
Omar Shahatit (Austin, Texas / Westlake) were second in the consolation final behind Colorado College, finishing in 7:01.52.
Coach Speak
"The medley relays got the week off to a solid start," said Head Coach
Cathleen Pruden. "Last year's 800 freestyle relay was a great one, so to top that time was pretty remarkable. We are ready to hit the ground running in the individual events tomorrow."
Up Next
Thursday's action will begin with prelims at 10:30 a.m., followed by the finals session at 6:00 p.m. Events for tomorrow's meet include the 200 freestyle relay, the 500 free, the 200 individual medley, and the 50 free.
The overall schedule is the same for Friday and Saturday swim sessions, with the men's and women's diving events beginning at 12:30 p.m. each day. The SCAC will recognize the seniors from each school on Friday at 5:45 p.m., prior to the swimming finals that evening.
