GEORGETOWN, Texas – The 24th-ranked Tiger women's swimming & diving team faced the Southwestern Pirates in a long-standing rivalry, with Trinity once again coming out on top. With a final score of 173–88, the meet reflected a strong overall performance from the women. The competition gave swimmers the opportunity to race in events they are not normally relied upon for, helping strengthen the team beyond its usual point scorers.

The meet opened with the 200 medley relay, where the Tigers' 'A' relay of junior Allison Ortiz (Houston, Texas / Stratford, senior captain Neely Burns (Phoenix, Ariz. / Thunderbird), first-year Ava Easley (Allen, Texas / Lovejoy, and junior Amy Benson (Newmarket, N.H. / Phillips Exeter Academy) took first place. They were followed by the 'B' relay of first-year Kaitlyn Phan (Austin, Texas / Westlake), senior Lindsay McKinney (Victoria, Texas / Saint Joseph), first-year Sophia Mandanis (Wichita, Kan. / Andover), and sophomore Sienna Nordquist (Albuquerque, N.M. / Hope Christian), who secured second.

Senior Audrey Jacobson (Dallas, Texas / School for the Talent and Gifted) kicked off the individual events with a win in the 1,000 freestyle. She was joined by sophomore Emme Penry (Greenwood Village, Colo. / Regis Jesuit), who made her 1,000 freestyle debut and took second with a time of 11:20.50, an impressive swim in her first appearance in the event. Senior Renee Trombley (Fort Collins, Colo. / Fossil Ridge) followed in fourth.

Phan competed in a tight 200 freestyle race against a Southwestern swimmer, narrowly getting out-touched by 0.42 seconds to place second. She was joined by Burns, who finished third.
In the 100 backstroke, seniors Jules Wiehrdt (Waco, Texas / Midway) and Benson went head-to-head for first place, with Wiehrdt edging out Benson by just 0.08 seconds.

Penry returned quickly after the 1,000 freestyle to race the 100 breaststroke, placing second after being out-touched by 0.50 seconds by a Southwestern swimmer. Senior Erica Peterson (Lantana, Texas / Guyer) also made her collegiate career debut in the event, finishing third.

Mandanis delivered an impressive performance in the 200 butterfly, winning the event with a time of 2:16.02, four seconds ahead of second place. She was joined by sophomore Diane Park (Beaverton, Ore. / Mountainside) in third and first-year Addie Domilise (The Woodlands, Texas / The Woodlands) in fourth.

In the 50 freestyle, Easley and Ortiz finished first and second, respectively, in a close race that also included a Southwestern swimmer.

The 100 freestyle followed, where Benson posted a strong time of 53.96 to take first place, with sophomore Anna Stouffer (St. Louis, Mo. / Clayton) finishing fourth.
The Tigers dominated the 200 backstroke, led by Jacobson in first and Burns in second. Ortiz placed fourth, Trombley sixth, Mandanis seventh, and McKinney ninth.
In the 200 breaststroke, senior Erin Morie finished second, closely followed by Peterson in third, with Domilise placing fifth.

The 500 freestyle featured a strong showing from Park and Easley, who finished first and second, respectively, in a tightly contested race that showcased the competitive depth of the Tigers.
Phan took first place in the 100 butterfly with a time of 1:01.62. She was joined by Stouffer and Nordquist, who do not typically compete in the event and aimed to go the exact same time, unfortunately they finished just 0.32 seconds apart.

In the final individual event of the meet, Ortiz claimed first place in the 200 individual medley. Peterson finished second after edging out a Southwestern swimmer by 0.16 seconds, while Park placed fourth, Morie fifth, and Domilise eighth.

The meet concluded with a thrilling 200 freestyle relay. The 'A' relay of Wiehrdt, Stouffer, Easley, and Benson took first place in a narrow finish over Southwestern, followed closely by the Tigers' 'B' relay of Mandanis, Jacobson, Phan, and Penry in second. The race came down to the final touch, providing a dramatic close to the rivalry meet.

Coach Speak
"It was fun to have a simple day of travel and be back in a familiar dual meet environment today," said Head Coach Cathleen Pruden. "The women focused on what they needed to, and got the job done. We're excited to celebrate our seniors next week and take one more dual meet to fine tune our race details before SAA Championships!"

Looking Forward
Going into the final dual meet of the season, the Tigers face the University of Incarnate Word at home for their senior meet where the ladies historically put up a brave fight against the D1 team to hopefully win. Join them in Hixon Natatorium on January 24th at 12:45pm for senior recognition and 1pm for meet start.