Day two of the SAA conference championship has concluded, and the Trinity men have taken the lead with a score of 395. The session consisted of the 500 free, 200 IM, and 50 free, as well as the 200 free relay.
Meet Recap:
Jack Hester had an incredible session, beginning with his 50 free. He won the event with a time of 20.70, a personal best. Hester was accompanied in the A final by Nathan Perez (Alpharetta, Ga. / Johns Creek), Trace Briones (San Antonio, Texas / Health Careers), and Chase Hays (Austin, Texas / Anderson), who earned fourth, fifth, and eighth place respectively. Hester also helped lead the 200 free relay to victory, with an anchor time of 19.94. This was his second time under the coveted 20 second barrier, and he was the only swimmer in the field to do it. Also on this relay was Perez, Daniel Apostol (Billings, Mont. / Central Catholic), and Briones, who were all under 21 seconds. The cumulative time was 1:21.85, a season best for the team and the sixth best time in Trinity history.
The meet kicked off with the 500 free, with Luke Fender (Jackson, Miss. / St. Andrew's Episcopal), Theodore Ho (Sugar Land, Texas / Clements), Nickolas Rotolo (Houston, Texas / Cairo American College), and Sean Easley (Allen, Texas / Lovejoy). Fender won the race with a time of 4:28.15, with Ho, Rotolo, and Easley following him in third, fourth, and sixth place. The 200 IM came just after, with John Key (El Paso, Texas / Franklin) as the team's top scorer in fourth place with a time of 1:52.86. Behind him was Ryan O'Leary (Austin, Texas / Austin), Apollo Aceves (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. / Trabuco Hills), and Grant Bibza (Southlake, Texas / Carroll), who earned fifth, sixth, and eighth place. These two were each clearly high scoring events for the Tigers, with half of the A final consisting of Trinity swimmers.
Looking Forward:
Tomorrow begins day 3 of the meet, which consists of the 100s of stroke, 400 IM, and 200 free. The men's 3 meter diving will also take place, providing even more chances for the Tigers to show off their skills. In the evening is the 400 medley relay as well, a thrilling way to end off the session.
