DANVILLE, Ky. – After day three of the SAA Conference Championships, the #21 Trinity University women's swimming & diving team continued to dominate the pool, extending their team total to 646 points for a commanding 169.5-point lead over second place. With a packed finals session, the Tigers delivered another night of standout performances across the board.
The evening opened with the 100 butterfly, where junior
Allison Ortiz (Houston, Texas / Stratford) captured gold in dominant fashion. Ortiz touched the wall in 56.30, nearly two seconds ahead of second place. She was joined in the A final by first-year
Sophia Mandanis (Wichita, Kan. / Andover), who secured a sixth-place finish.
Senior captain
Neely Burns (Phoenix, Ariz. / Thunderbird) followed with another statement swim in the 400 IM, claiming gold by an incredible 12-second margin. Her winning time of 4:22.81 earned an NCAA Division III B-cut, potentially qualifying her for nationals. Burns was joined by fellow seniors
Erica Peterson (Lantana, Texas / Guyer) and
Erin Morie (St. Louis, Mo. / Cor Jesu Academy), who finished fourth and tenth, respectively, after strong races against tough conference competition.
In the 200 freestyle, junior
Amy Benson (Newmarket, N.H. / Phillips Exeter Academy) added to the Tigers' gold medal count, winning in 1:53.57 in a tightly contested race decided by just .30 seconds. Fellow junior
Julia Carter (Dripping Springs, Texas / Dripping Springs) placed third, senior
Audrey Jacobson (Dallas, Texas / School for the Talent and Gifted) finished fourth, and sophomore
Sienna Nordquist (Albuquerque, N.M. / Hope Christian) took sixth in what proved to be one of the closest 200 freestyle races of the championship for the Tigers.
The 100 breaststroke featured senior
Lindsay McKinney (Victoria, Texas / Saint Joseph), who posted a lifetime best of 1:06.19 in prelims before battling to a fifth-place finish in finals. Sophomore
Emme Penry (Greenwood Village, Colo. / Regis Jesuit) also recorded a collegiate best in prelims and fought through finals to secure sixth place.
In the final individual swimming event of the night, the 100 backstroke, the Tigers once again stacked the A final. First-year
Ava Easley (Allen, Texas / Lovejoy) delivered a strong performance to finish second, while fellow first-years
Kaitlyn Phan (Austin, Texas / Westlake) and
Kaya Alvegaard-Struble (Kansas City, Mo. / Pembroke Hill) placed fourth and sixth, respectively. Senior
Jules Wiehrdt (Waco, Texas / Midway) rounded out the A final with a seventh-place finish.
The night concluded with the 400 medley relay, where the Tigers' 'A' relay captured another gold medal with a time of 3:49.81, just shy of the NCAA Division III B-cut. Leading off, Easley broke her own 100 backstroke school record with a 56.15 split, earning the NCAA Division III Invite time. She was joined by Burns, Ortiz, and Carter, whose strong splits sealed the victory and capped another dominant session for Trinity.
The Tigers return tomorrow with prelims at 10 a.m., swimming finals at 6 p.m., and 3-meter diving prelims at 1:30 p.m. that will be followed by finals at 9 p.m. Upcoming events include the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, 400 freestyle relay, and the 1650 freestyle.
