Statesmen Swim Team Soars Past Falcons with Ease

MONTEVALLO, Ala. – The Delta State Men’s Swimming and Diving squad triumphed over the Falcons from the University of Montevallo with a score of 177-78 on Saturday afternoon at the SAC Natatorium in Montevallo.
 
The Statesmen showcased several impressive performances, spearheaded by three individual first place finishes from sophomore Riley Oakes.
 
Oakes participated in the 200-yard medley relay team that commenced the meet, achieving a time of 1:36.07. The 200-yard medley relay squad included Oakes, Ethan Baylin, Simon Pereira, and Michael Robinson.
 
Freshman Adam Rickert kept the energy going for the green and white as he claimed first in the 1,000-yard freestyle with a time of 10:13.82.
 
In the third event, sophomore Lars Hetzel secured first place in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:30.75. In the 200-yard freestyle, the Statesmen captured the top four positions, with Mateus Franco, Austin Huffhines, and Pereira following Hetzel.
 
Oakes maintained his winning streak in the pool by clinching victory in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 53.41 seconds.
 
Ethan Baylin and Eudald Tosquella claimed the top two places in the 100-yard breaststroke, with Baylin finishing first in 59.75 seconds.
 
Freshman Kacper Mochnal joined the ranks of Statesmen who achieved first place, winning the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 1:54.69.
 
After the 200-yard butterfly, Robinson secured his personal first place finish in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 21.72 seconds.
 
Although the Statesmen did not achieve a first-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle, they still accumulated substantial points as Huffhines, Jake Runyon, and Ian McCorkle finished second, third, and fourth. Huffhines led this group with a time of 48.01 seconds.
 
Oakes concluded his afternoon with a final first place finish in the 200-yard backstroke, completing the race in 1:56.66.
 
Tosquella joined the first-place finish contingent in the 200-yard breaststroke with a race time of 2:18.65.
 
During the 500-yard freestyle, the Statesmen quartet of Robinson, Brooks Butler, Jakob Brougham, and Baylin secured second through fifth places to maintain Delta State’s significant lead.
 
Following the 500-yard freestyle, the trio consisting of Pereira, Franco, and Mochnal finished second through fourth in the 100-yard butterfly, with Pereira leading the way in 53.40 seconds.
 
Oakes claimed his third individual event win in the 200-yard medley, narrowly edging out fellow Statesman Mochnal with a time of 1:59.30.
 
To conclude the afternoon, the Delta State 200-yard freestyle relay team, comprised of Baylin, Huffhines, Runyon, and Robinson, finished the meet victoriously with a time of 1:25.95.
 
The Statesmen are scheduled to return to the pool on Friday, Jan. 24, as they head to Baton Rouge, La., to compete against the Tigers from Louisiana State University. That meet is set to begin at 10:00 a.m. (CDT).