LITTLE ROCK, ARK. – The Delta State University Swimming and Diving program opened competition at the
Little Rock Fall Invite on Friday with a dominant showing highlighted by standout swims and a clean sweep in men's diving. The Statesmen sit atop the men's standings with
212 points, while the Lady Statesmen are close behind in third with
159 points, just seven points off second place.
Men Take Early Command
The Statesmen surged to the lead behind an impressive 1–2–3 finish in the
men's 1-meter dive.
Braden Moore captured the event title with a score of
261.38, followed by
Ryan Whaley (248.85) and
Santiago Santodomingo (247.50).
In the pool,
Ethan Baylin sprinted to victory in the
50 freestyle with a blazing time of
20.51, earning top honors in one of the fastest races of the day.
Mateus Franco added a runner-up finish in the
50 backstroke (23.48), while
Kacper Mochnal (22.42) claimed second in the
50 butterfly to continue Delta State's strong opening-day momentum.
The Statesmen also stacked points in the
50 breaststroke, with
Kostantin Ilijic (26.43) and
Neill Mauss (26.37) finishing among the top six.
Lady Statesmen Shine in Sprints
On the women's side,
Zinna Nimander led the charge, winning the
50 freestyle in
22.95, just ahead of Little Rock's Lena Nikolaeva.
Ave Owens added a third-place finish in
23.72, giving Delta State two podium spots in the event.
The Lady Statesmen also excelled in the
50 butterfly, where
Mikayla Kloth (25.63) and
Aspen Shipp (25.92) placed second and fourth, respectively, while
Janne Bodemer tied for fifth.
In the
50 breaststroke,
Chloe Skelt continued her hot start to the season with a first-place finish in
29.06, and
Pia Delkeskamp added valuable points with a fourth-place swim.
Up Next
Delta State returns to the pool Saturday for the final day of the Little Rock Fall Invite, looking to extend its lead on the men's side and close the gap in the women's standings.
