Meet Results - Statesmen / Lady Statesmen   Photo Gallery

CLEVELAND, Miss. - Delta State welcomed the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers to the DSU Aquatics Center, and despite several overall individual victories the Statesmen and Lady Statesmen teams were defeated by the visiting D-I school.  WKU followed the University of Alabama as D-I programs that visited the Delta State campus to start the season.

The men fell in competition to the school from Conference USA, 182.5 - 107.5.  Picking up individual victories for the Statesmen were Yvan Nys in the 100-Backstroke (51.35), Bear Iles in the 50-Freestyle (21.36), Fabrice Wendel in the 100-Freestyle (46.56).  Nys (1:54.21) also secured points with a second place showing in the 200-Backstroke, while Wendel was also runner-up in the 200-Freestyle (1:43.54).

Ben Vaughan finished second overall in the 500-Freestyle, with a time of 4:42.72, while Vlad Zinca had a pair of runner-up finishes in both the 100-Butterfly (49.14) and 200-Butterfly (1:52.85).

Not to be outdone by the efforts in the lanes, Matthew Swaine scored 289.72 points in the six dive 1-M competition for a second place finish.  The point total was enough to secure Swaine's return trip to the national meet.  Swaine would return later and claim first place in the 3-M diving competition with a point total of 234.97.

The Lady Statesmen fell to the reigning Sun Belt Conference champion Lady Toppers, 195-90. 

Melanie Tombers, a freshman from Dusseldorf, Germany, scored a pair of victories.  Tombers first claimed the victory in the 200-Freestyle (1:54.97), before returning to win the 200-Individual Medley (2:09.59).  Coach Dan'l Murray notes this marked the first time in school history where a swimmer had claimed a pair of victories for Delta State versus a Division I opponent.

Kim Barna finished second in the 1000-Freestyle (10:43.76) and Kierstin Page took second in the 100-Backstorke (58.80).  Chloe Bennett earned points in multiple events with a second place finish in the 100-Freestyle (53.49) and a third place in the 50-Fresstyle (24.89).

Danielle Dugas and Evan Parker secured second (59.62) and third place (1:01.63) finishes in the 100-Butterfly.

Next up for Delta State will be a trip to Missouri, where the men will compete on November 8 at Missouri S&T in Rolla, before both the Statesmen and Lady Statesmen swim at Drury University in Springfield on November 9.

The next time the DSU swim and dive teams will be in Cleveland will be for the Christmas Invitational on December 14-17.