Lewisville, Texas - The Trinity Tigers men's and women's teams won the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Swimming & Diving Championships Saturday night at the Westside Aquatic Center.
HIGHLIGHTS
The Tiger women captured their 14th consecutive SCAC Championship, and the Trinity men won their sixth in a row. In the course of the four-day meet, Trinity's women won 13 championships, and the Tiger men brought home eight.
Trinity's women scored 1,042.50 points, outdistancing Colorado College by 211 points. The Tigers started the competition with a slim lead after the first two events, then increased the advantage each of the next three days.
The Tiger men completed a stellar comeback over the past two days, after trailing by nearly 100 points heading into Friday's finals. Trinity erased a deficit of 20.5 points on Saturday, chalking up a total score of 882.50 points, and edging Southwestern (TX) University by a mere 5.5 points.
Sarah Kate Mrkonich captured the women's 1-meter diving competition for the third consecutive year. Teammate Christine Peterson was the runner-up, by less than five points. Chad King stepped up to win the men's 3-meter board, and Tommy Ritthaler finished second.
Jacob Hurrell-Zitelman won the men's 1,650-yard freestyle, with a SCAC Meet record time of 15:54.58, earning an NCAA "B" Cut time. Hurrell-Zitelman broke Trinity's school record in the event earlier this season. David Doyal was a third-place finisher in the mile.
Lindsay Hagmann captured the women's 100-yard freestyle for the second straight year. The time of 50.48 seconds was a SCAC Meet and Trinity record. Hagmann previously garnered the NCAA "B" Cut status. DeZion Hartman emerged as the champion of the women's 1,650-yard freestyle event.
The Tiger women finished the meet by winning the 400-yard freestyle relay. Hagmann, Star Rosales, Lauren Cuda, and Abbie Jones comprised the championship quartet. Payton Green, Elizabeth Nelson, Meg Chase, and Allison Hardin won the consolation title.
Paige Johnson and Ashley Ward finished second and third in the women's 200-yard backstroke. Charles Clark was runner-up in the men's 200-yard backstroke, and Brian Holmes came in third. Adam Toler finished third in the 200-yard breaststroke, and David Smith was the consolation champ in the 100-yard freestyle.
The Tiger men's team of Clark, Isaac Johnson, Eric Grace, and Cole Rezsofi wrapped up the championships by finishing second in the 400-yard freestyle relay.
NOTABLES
Sarah Kate Mrkonich was elected as the SCAC Women's Diver of the Meet for the third straight year. Mrkonich won the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events.
Chad King was selected as the SCAC Men's Diver of the Meet, winning the 1-meter competition on Saturday, as well as finishing second on the 3-meter board on Friday afternoon.
Lindsay Hagmann earned SCAC Women's Swimmer of the Meet accolades for the second consecutive time. Hagmann won individual titles in the 50-yard freestyle, the 100-yard breaststroke, and the 100-yard freestyle. The Tiger junior was also part of Trinity's four championship relay teams: 200-yard medley relay, 800-yard freestyle relay, 200-yard freestyle relay, and 400-yard freestyle relay.
First-year student-athlete Jacob Hurrell-Zitelman made his mark in collegiate swimming by being chosen as the SCAC Men's Swimmer of the Meet. Hurrell-Zitelman won the 500-yard freestyle, the 400-yard individual medley, and the 1,650-yard freestyle.
UP NEXT
Four members of the Tiger women's diving team - Sarah Kate Mrkonich, Christine Peterson, Mollie Patzke, and Danielle Freund - have qualified for the NCAA Division III Region 2 Diving Championships. The event will be held February 24-25 at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa.
Swimmers and divers who receive bids will compete in the NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships March 15-18 at Shenandoah, Texas.
