CLEVELAND, Miss. -- The Delta State men's and women's swimming and diving teams play host to Rhodes College (Tenn.) Friday, September 29th, at the DSU Aquatics Center.  The diving competition is scheduled to begin at 6:20 p.m.; swimming events will follow at 7 p.m. 
 
The matchup against Rhodes will be Delta State's second meet of the 2017-2018 campaign.  While both men's and women's squads fell to Division I foe, Alabama, in their season opener, the loss highlighted several early bright spots for the Statesmen and Lady Statesmen.  Delta State not only had 16 top-three finishes against the Crimson Tide, but also three individual event victories.
 
"For this meet, we are looking to build off our performances from Alabama," said head coach Dan'l Murray.  "We're going to try some new events or secondary events from some of our athletes to see where they're at and to see if they've made some improvements between the last two weeks of practice."
 
On the men's side, freshman Giulio Brugnoni won his first-ever individual race as a Statesmen, dominating the field in the 100-yard backstroke by nearly three seconds.  The Italian native's time of 48.71 is already the ninth fastest in school history and meets the NCAA-B qualifying standard.  Brugnoni followed with a fourth place finish in the 100 butterfly and led off the team's third-place 400 medley and 400 freestyle relays.  
 
Fellow newcomer Lucia Martelli had an equally impressive debut for the women's squad.  The freshman made it an Italian sweep of the 100 back, recording a winning time of 56.66 and also achieving the NCAA-B cut.  Later on in the meet, Martelli finished third in the 100 fly.  Her time of 55.66 ranks fourth fastest all-time at Delta State.
 
"Winning is always good, but my first victory against Alabama was even better because it is the first of a new chapter of my life and my career," said Martelli.  "Being here is definitely different from Italy, but at DSU, I have found a new team and new friends that make me feel like home.  For that reason, I have more trust and even more desire to go fast, not just for myself but for the whole team."
 
Another standout performance against the Tide came from Cody Lavoie in the 100-yard breaststroke.  Winning the race by nearly a second, the senior recorded a fast early-season time of 56.64.  He also claimed third in the 200 back.
 
"Winning the 100 breast was a great sign of the training and work I put in over the summer," said Lavoie.  "It's a new event for me, and I'm really excited to keep working at it and contributing to our team's success."
 
Both Statesmen and Lady Statesmen squads will also depend heavily on the boards against the Lynx.  In the matchup against Alabama, senior Nic Martin came within just a few points of stealing the 3-meter competition, eventually finishing runner-up; senior Hailey Leonard recorded a pair of third-place finishes on the women's side.
 
Delta State has a tough act to follow after winning every single race against Rhodes last season.  With 25 newcomers on the roster this season, the Statesmen and Lady Statesmen will rely on a mix of old and fresh talent as they continue their quest to improve on last year's NSISC runner-up performances.
 
"The team we have this year is very competitive with good depth in all of our events," said Lavoie.  "Being able to pick up a few wins against Alabama and putting together competitive relays is a good sign for the rest of the season."