MIDLAND, Texas – The Tiger women's swimming & diving team opened its 2026-27 season with a 134-116 victory over NCAA Division II opponent University of Texas-Permian Basin on Saturday at COM Aquatics. 

The Tigers started their season with several strong individual performances, collecting six individual event victories and a relay win against the Falcons. Returning standouts senior Amy Benson (Newmarket, N.H. / Phillips Exeter Academy) and sophomore Ava Easley (Allen, Texas / Lovejoy) led the way, alongside first-year Macy Williams (Humble, Texas / Summer Creek) who made an immediate impact in her collegiate debut. 

Easley earned Trinity's first individual victory of the meet in the 100-yard backstroke, finishing in 59.59 seconds. Freshman Teagan Denne (Centennial, Colo. / Cherry Creek) followed in second place with a time of 1:01.86, giving the Tigers the top two finishes in the event. Easley later added a runner-up finish in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:14.18, finishing just behind teammate sophomore Kaya Alvegaard-Struble (Kansas City, Mo. / Pembroke Hill), who claimed first place in 2:13.18. First-year Marlene Goddard (West Linn, Ore. / West Linn) completed a Trinity sweep of the top three spots with a time of 2:15.92. 

Williams made an impressive debut for the Tigers, capturing victories in both butterfly events. She won the 200-butterfly in 2:12.37 before returning to take first in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 1:00.44. Sophomore Sophia Mandanis (Wichita, Kan. / Andover) finished second in both events, clocking 2:20.53 in the 200 butterfly and 1:02.52 in the 100 butterfly. 

Benson continued Trinity's success with a first-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle, touching the wall in 53.58 seconds. She also placed second in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 2:01.26, followed by Goddard in third at 2:02.47. 

In the distance events, junior Diane Park (Beaverton, Ore. / Mountainside) secured another individual victory for the Tigers, winning the 1,000-yard freestyle in 11:43.84. Junior Emme Penry (Greenwood Village, Colo. / Regis Jesuit) also contributed a runner-up finish in the 500-yard freestyle with a 5:32.50.

On the diving boards, sophomore Juliet Hood (Wexford, Pa. / North Allegheny) led the Tigers with a first-place finish in both the 1-meter and 3-meter events. First-year Lauren Edenburn (New Braunfels, Texas / Canyon) made a strong collegiate debut, placing third in both events, while junior Charlotte Brod (St. Louis, Mo. / Parkway North) finished fifth on the 1-meter board and fourth on the 3-meter. Sophomore Andie Torres (San Antonio, Texas / Reagan) rounded out Trinity's diving performances, finishing seventh on the 1-meter board and sixth on the 3-meter. 

Trinity closed out the meet with a victory in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The team of Benson, juniors Sienna Nordquist (Albuquerque, N.M. / Hope Christian), Anna Stouffer (St. Louis, Mo. / Clayton), and Easley combined for a winning time of 1:40.49, finishing nearly five seconds ahead of UT Permian Basin. Earlier in the meet, Easley, Mandanis, Williams, and Benson finished second in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:50.24, just two-hundredths of a second behind the Falcons. 

Up Next
Trinity's divers will return to competition on Friday October 30, when they travel to Atlanta, Georgia, to compete at Emory University.