San Antonio, TX - The Trinity University men's and women's swimming and diving teams will split up this weekend as the Tigers compete at the D3 Shootout in Chicago, Illinois, while the remaining members of both teams stay in San Antonio to face the University of St. Thomas.
 
The D3 Shootout, hosted by the University of Chicago, brings together several NCAA Division III programs for two days of competition. Trinity will send a select group of swimmers and divers to Chicago, with several returning athletes having competed at the meet in previous seasons.
 
On the men's side, first-year diver Aiden Musella (Corpus Christi, Texas / King) will represent Trinity on the boards after competing at the Emory Fall Invitational last weekend. Musella finished fourth in both the 1-meter and 3-meter events against the host Eagles.
 
Joining Musella will be swimmers sophomores Apollo Aceves (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. / Trabuco Hills), Daniel Apostol (Billings, Mont. / Central Catholic), Jack Hester (Round Rock, Texas / Cedar Ridge), and Theodore Ho (Sugar Land, Texas / Clements), juniors Luke Fender (Jackson, Miss. / St. Andrew's Episcopal), Nickolas Rotolo (Houston, Texas / Houston Christian), Philip Mu (San Antonio, Texas / Alamo Heights), and first-year Ethan Lim (Frisco, Texas / Frisco).
 
Hester, Apostol, Fender and Ho return to Chicago after competing at last year's D3 Shootout, where the men's team finished fourth overall. Hester placed second in the 100-yard backstroke, while Apostol finished third in the 100-yard breaststroke. Fender also earned a second-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle, with Ho recording a time of 4:36.38 in the same event.
 
For the women, sophomore diver Juliet Hood (Wexford, Pa. / North Allegheny) will make the trip after winning the 3-meter event at the Emory Fall Invitational with 297.53 points. Hood also finished third in the 1-meter competition with 449.63 points.
 
The women's swimming lineup will include senior Amy Benson (Newmarket, N.H. / Phillips Exeter Academy), junior Emme Penry (Greenwood Village, Colo. / Regis Jesuit), sophomores Kaitlyn Phan (Austin, Texas / Westlake), Kaya Alvegaard-Struble (Kansas City, Mo. / Pembroke Hill), Ava Easley (Allen, Texas / Lovejoy), and Sophia Mandanis (Wichita, Kan. / Andover), and first-years Macy Williams (Humble, Texas / Summer Creek), and Marlene Goddard (West Linn, Ore. / West Linn).
 
Benson will be the only senior representing Trinity in Chicago across both the men's and women's teams. She returns to the D3 Shootout alongside Easley, Penry, Phan, Alvegaard-Struble and Mandanis, who also competed at last year's meet. Penry recorded a personal-best collegiate time of 2:24.75 in the 200-yard breaststroke, while Easley finished the 100-yard butterfly in 57.83 seconds.
 
Several of the women's swimmers have also recorded strong performances early this season. Benson and Easley each earned individual victories against UT Permian Basin, while Williams won both butterfly events in her collegiate debut. Alvegaard-Struble added a first-place finish in the 200-yard backstroke.
 
Meanwhile, the rest of Trinity's men's and women's teams will remain in San Antonio to compete against St. Thomas. The home meet will allow the Tigers to continue their early-season competition while their teammates represent Trinity in Chicago.
 
With several swimmers and divers traveling to Chicago, Trinity will rely on the rest of its roster to represent the Tigers against St. Thomas. The meet will also give younger swimmers more opportunities to compete and gain experience before the team's upcoming midseason invitational.
 
Looking Forward:
Following this weekend's meets, Trinity will prepare to host its annual Tiger Invite in San Antonio. The midseason invitational will bring both teams back together for a multi-day competition at the Alamo Heights Natatorium. The Tigers will look to improve their times and scores as they approach the winter break.