SAN ANTONIO – The 20th-ranked Tiger men's swimming & diving team kicked off the 2024 portion of its schedule with a 235-24 victory over Austin College on Saturday afternoon.
Prior to the start of the meet, six men's seniors were also honored as today was the final home meet of the season for Trinity.
Nathaniel Early (Austin, Texas / Westwood),
John Fontenot (Austin, Texas / St. Andrew's),
Garrett Guillet (San Antonio, Texas / Churchill),
Michael Kohl (Missouri City, Texas / Ridge Point),
Konstantine Partalas (San Antonio, Texas / Reagan), and
Kendal Southwell (Rio Rancho, N.M. / Calvert Online Academy) were all recognized.
Southwell celebrated his final home meet with individual wins in the 100 breaststroke (58.36) and the 200 breaststroke (2:08.06), as well as a team relay victory in the 200 medley relay that started off the meet. Southwell was joined by fellow seniors Kohl and Early for the winning time of 1:36.07, with junior
Caleb Manifold (Helotes, Texas / Homeschool) rounding out today's top team. Early, Kohl, and Manifold also teamed up with first-year
Trace Briones (San Antonio, Texas / Health Careers) for the winning time of 1:26.77 in the 200 free relay that wrapped up the meet.
Early also had an individual win with a time of 47.01 seconds in the 100 freestyle, edging out Kohl's silver medal time of 47.72 seconds. Early was also the runner-up to Southwell in the 100 breast with a time of 1:01.65.
Fontenot led off the second-place team in the 200 medley relay that finished in 1:37.81, joined by sophomores
John Key (El Paso, Texas / Franklin) and
William Walker (Houston, Texas / Westside), as well as first-year
Chase Hays (Austin, Texas / Anderson). Fontenot was also the bronze medalist in the 100 backstroke (56.36) and the 200 backstroke (2:06.62).
Divers Partalas and Guillet snagged first and second place, respectively, in today's 1-meter diving competition. Partalas won with his score of 359.90, while Guillet scored 246.60.
Max Rolla-Mullis (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Pioneer) finished third and
Ash Meckel (Austin, Texas / The Griffin School) was fourth in the day's only diving event. The quartet also competed in the 200 free relay to finish the day, posting a time of 1:54.18.
Walker and Key both had standout days as well, winning two individual events in addition to being a part of the runner-up relay team. Walker won the 200 free with a time of 1:46.76, then came back later in the day to win the 200 fly with a time of 2:01.51. Key took gold in the 500 free with his time of 4:59.64, as well as finishing with the top time of 54.21 seconds in the 100 backstroke. Additionally, Walker was the runner-up in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:06.84, and Key finished third after touching the pad in 49.16 seconds in the 100 free.
Between his relay championships to start and finish the meet, Manifold also had a victory in the 100 butterfly with his time of 54.62 seconds. He also added a bronze medal to his day by finishing the 50 free race in 22.80 seconds. Briones added one of each medal individually to go with his relay win. He won the 50 free with a time of 22.45 seconds, finished second in the 200 free in 1:48.92, and also earned third in the 200 breast with a time of 2:23.94.
First-years
Daniel Itkins (Houston, Texas / The Village School),
Nathan Perez (Alpharetta, Ga. / Johns Creek), and
William Sikes (Pittsboro, N.C. / Woods Charter) all earned individual wins as well. Itkins won the 200 back in 1:58.80, beating out Perez and his silver-medal time of 2:04.75. Before his race in the 200 back, Perez opened the individual events with a time of 10:06.53 to win the 1000 free, then earned another silver in the 200 fly with a time of 2:01.94. Sikes picked up his win in the final individual event, taking gold in the 200 IM in 2:04.20. Sikes also earned bronze in the 100 fly with a time of 57.16 seconds, while Itkins had third-place finishes in both the 200 free (1:52.41) and the 500 free (5:10.90).
Perez added one more silver medal at the end of the meet, teaming up with
Brennan Jimenez (Fair Oaks, Calif. / Bella Vista),
Ryan O'Leary (Austin, Texas / Austin), and
Owen Flynn (Guthrie, Okla. / Heritage Hall) for a time of 1:32.16 to finish second in the 200 free relay. O'Leary also finished second in both the 50 free (22.55) and the 500 free (5:10.70), as well as earning third in the 200 fly (2:04.55). Flynn was also second in the 100 back with his time of 55.30 seconds, then was third in the 200 IM in 2:07.78. Jimenez also added medals in both the 100 breast (3rd, 1:01.93) and 200 breast (2nd, 2:17.55).
Coach Speak
Even while swimming some nontraditional events, the men stayed competitive and raced hard," said Head Coach
Cathleen Pruden. "It was great to get back to racing after a long break, and I think we're ready to dial in the focus on our championship events!"
Up Next
Trinity will compete in two more events this month, beginning with a trip to Georgetown, Texas, to face fellow Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference team Southwestern University on Saturday, January 20. The Tigers take on NCAA I University of the Incarnate Word on January 27.
