CLEVELAND, MISS. – The Delta State University women's swimming and diving team kicked off their 2024-25 season on a strong note as they swept William Carey University, Millsaps College and Meridian Community College in the inaugural Magnolia State Invite held at the Ronald G. Mayers Aquatic Center.
 
The Lady Statesmen defeated William Carey 203-32, Millsaps 204-39, and Meridian Community College 204-15.
Seven Lady Statesmen plugged in top times in the nation in the pool. Those Lady Statesmen, include junior Hannah Murray (200-yard Freestyle and Breaststroke), junior Jessica Gannon (1,000-yard Freestyle), freshman Kennedy Cleasant (100-yard backstroke and Butterfly), sophomore Hannah Jones (100-yard breaststroke), freshman Julia Maciak, (200-yard Butterfly and 500-yard Freestyle), junior Pia Delkeskamp (200-yard backstroke), and freshman Zinna Nimander (200-yard Individual Medley).

The Lady Statesmen relay teams also had a great day in the pool as the 200-yard medley relay team of Kaley Davis, Hannah Murray, Zinna, Nimander also hold the best time in the nation starting the meet with a 1:45.74 time. Also holding the best time in the nation was the 200-yard Freestyle relay team of Davis, Mikayla Kloth, Jordon Kloth, and Tristen Fant as they finished the meet with a 1:39.01 mark.
In the lone diving event of the afternoon, the Lady Statesmen swept the top three spots on the 1m dive with senior Reagan Fulton taking first place followed by freshman Lilly Deeds and fellow senior Meredith Fulton.
In the opening 200-yard medley relay, the team of Davis, Murray, Nimander, and Ave Owens logged the nation's best time of 1:45.74. The Team of Jordon Kloth, Delkeskamp, Mikayla Kloth, and Fant took second place with a time of 1:48.7.
 
Following the 200-yard medley relay, Gannon finished the 1,000-yard Freestyle with a time of 10:43.94. Freshman Joanna Anderson took second in the event with a time of 11:29.52
 
The 200-yard freestyle had the top two times in the nation as Murray and Owens took the top two spots. Murray beat out Owens by 13/100s of a second with a time of 1:58.49.
 
In the 100-yard Backstroke, Cleasant plugged in a national best time of 59.91. Teammate Jordon Kloth took second with a 1:00.48 mark.

In the 100-yard Breaststroke, Jones and Delkeskamp take the top two times in the nation. Jones plugged in a 1:07.82, while Delkeskamp swam a 1:09.65
 
The event of the day for the Lady Statesmen ended up being the 200-yard Butterfly. Freshmen Julia Maciak, and Joanna Anderson plug in the top times of the meet and currently hold the best in the nation. Maciak holds a time of 2:13.99, while Anderson swam a 2:16.24. Junior Julia Santiago, and Emma Greene, also put themselves in the top four in the meet and in the nation.
 
In the 50-yard Freestyle, Nimander would take the top time of the meet for the first of two times with a time of 23.72 seconds. Davis and Fant took second and third.
 
The Lady Statesmen would continue their dominant day as they held the top three spots in the 100-yard Freestyle. Owens would hold the top time of 54.57 seconds. Following Owens was Fant and Mikayla Kloth.
 
The 200-yard backstroke saw a national best time from Delkeskamp, as she swam a time of 2:11.46.
 
In the 200-yard Breaststroke, the Hannah duo of Murray and Jones took the top two times of the invitational and hold the top two times in the nation. Murray took first with a time of 2:28.34.
 
Maciak and Greene would take and hold the nation's best two times in their performance today in the 500-yard Freestyle. Maciak swam a time of 5:15.50
 
The Lady Statesmen took the top six spots in the 100-yard Butterfly, followed by the 200-yard Individual Medley. The 100-yard Butterfly was headlined by the current top two times in nation split by a hundredth of a second as Cleasant edged out Davis with a time of 1:00.2. In the 200-yard Individual Medley, Nimander took first with a time of 2:09.29, the top five times in the event are currently the top five in the nation.

The Lady Statesmen are back in the pool next Friday as they host the University of Alabama in a dual meet at the Ronald G. Mayers Aquatic Center. The dual meet will start at 1:00 p.m. (CDT)