DANVILLE, Ky. – On the first night of the Southern Athletic Association Conference Championships, the 21st-ranked Trinity University women's swimming & diving team opened the championship strong, sitting in first place with 104 points after night one, holding a 14-point lead over second place.
The night began with the 200 medley relay, where the Tigers' "A' relay of first-year
Ava Easley (Allen, Texas / Lovejoy), sophomore
Emme Penry (Greenwood Village, Colo. / Regis Jesuit), and juniors
Allison Ortiz (Houston, Texas / Stratford) and
Amy Benson (Newmarket, N.H. / Phillips Exeter Academy) took first place while setting a meet record with a combined time of 1:44.27. The relay narrowly missed the NCAA B-cut but still delivered an outstanding swim, dropping nearly two seconds from its season-best time. Also competing in the event was the Tigers' 'B' relay of first-years
Kaitlyn Phan (Austin, Texas / Westlake) and
Sophia Mandanis (Wichita, Kan. / Andover), along with seniors
Lindsay McKinney (Victoria, Texas / Saint Joseph) and
Jules Wiehrdt (Waco, Texas / Midway), who placed tenth with a time of 1:47.88 after a close race with Centre College.
The second and final event of the evening was the 800 freestyle relay, where the Tigers' 'A' relay of senior captain
Neely Burns (Phoenix, Ariz. / Thunderbird), junior
Julia Carter (Dripping Springs, Texas / Dripping Springs), senior
Audrey Jacobson (Dallas, Texas / School for the Talent and Gifted), and Benson claimed another gold medal with a time of 7:35.24, earning an NCAA B-cut. The Tigers were also represented by the 'B' relay of Phan, sophomores
Anna Stouffer (St. Louis, Mo. / Clayton),
Sienna Nordquist (Albuquerque, N.M. / Hope Christian), and
Diane Park (Beaverton, Ore. / Mountainside), who finished 12th after a tough race against Centre College's 'B' relay.
Action resumes tomorrow with a full slate of swimming events and the start of women's diving. Swimming prelims begin at 10:00 a.m. ET, followed by finals at 6:00 p.m. ET. The 1-meter diving competition will begin with prelims at 1:30 p.m. ET and conclude with finals at 7:25 p.m. ET.
