Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving

November 18, 2006

Men's and Women's Team Victorious at Dallas Meet

The Tiger men's and women's swimming & diving teams both defeated all comers at the Southwestern Collegiate Dallas Invitational on Saturday at the Keller Independent School District Natatorium.  Below are recaps of the meet for both the men's and women's teams.

WOMEN'S RECAP

The Trinity University women’s swimming and diving team captured Saturday’s Southwestern Collegiate Invitational, easily defeating the team by tallying 1113 in the one-day, two-session competition.  McMurray was the women’s runner-up with 509 points, followed by Southwestern (433), Austin College (404), and Hendrix College (357).

Leading the way for Trinity was first-year swimmer Maria Lopez of Mexico City, Mexico and first-year diver Lindsay Martin on Longview, TX.  Lopez won four individual races, all in convincing fashion.  She set a new Trinity school record of 4:36.41 in the 400 individual medley, breaking a record held by former TU All-American Sarah Scott.  Lopez achieved the provisional “B” cut for the NCAA Championships in the process.  In addition to the 400 IM, Lopez also won gold in the 200 IM and both the 100 and 200 breaststroke events.

Martin won both the 1 and 3 meter diving events for the Tigers, marking her first “double” of the season.  Both wins came at the expense of teammate Lauren Walstad, last year’s SCAC Diver-of-the-Year.  In the 1 meter competition, Martin edged Walstad by a score of 219.10 to 217.55.  On the high board, the margin of victory was 234.80 to 222.75 as both women demonstrated their national class potential. 

Two Trinity swimmers, sophomore Lindsay Weigley and senior Lauren Clements, each snared two wins and the match-up.  Weigley won the 100 and 200 freestyle while Clements did the same in the 100 and 200 butterfly.  Junior Leta Gatton was the 50 freestyle winner, while first-year Bryden Banister led the pack in the 200 backstroke.

Trinity also touched up first in the 200 medley relay (Gatton, Lopez, Clements and Weigley), the 200 freestyle relay (Weigley, Gatton, first-year Nicole Luciani and senior Jackie Acuna) and the 400 freestyle relay (Gatton, first-year Renee Ulrich, Lopez and first-year Sonni Szymczak).

MEN'S RECAP

The Trinity University men’s swimming and diving team joined the TU women in the winner’s circle at the Southwestern Collegiate Invitational, held at the Keller ISD Natatorium in the Dallas Fort Worth metropolis.  The Tiger men scored 802 points, easily out-dueling McMurray University (498), Austin College (464), Hendrix College (432) and Southwestern University (150).                      

First-year Graham Mullings and junior diver Ryan Cook were the big winners for Trinity on Saturday.  Mullings scored a hat trick by touching home first on the 50 freestyle (22.17), 100 freestyle (49.18) and the 200 freestyle (1:49.45).  He also anchored Trinity victories in the 200 medley relay as well as the 200 and 400 freestyle relays. 

Cook, a two-time NCAA All-American diver, won both the 1 and 3 meter diving events. 

First year Spencer Hill distinguished himself in Dallas by garnering wins in the 100 backstroke and the 400 individual medley.  Other Trinity winners included sophomore Grant Quimby (100 breaststroke) and senior Dan Petersen (200 breaststroke).  TU swimmers capturing runner-up honors included first-year Sean Benton (100 and 200 butterfly, the latter in personal best-fashion), first-year Kyle Boe (500 free and 200 IM), Grant Quimby (200 breaststroke), sophomore Tom Spickler (200 backstroke) and senior Even O’Dea (100 freestyle and 1650 freestyle).  All in all, it was a good day to be a Trinity Tiger!