CLEVELAND, Miss. — The Delta State University men's swimming team turned in a strong performance Friday at the 2026 Magnolia Invite, earning multiple event victories and several top-three finishes against a field that included William Carey, Meridian Community College and Millsaps at the Ronald G, Mayers Aquatics Center.
The Statesmen got off to a fast start in the 200-yard medley relay, with Delta State's B relay of
Sandijs Cecins,
Crosby Fenniman, Jake Runyon and
Austin Huffhines taking first in 1:34.09. Delta State's A relay of
Riley Oakes,
Reece Achord,
Alessandro Giustolisi and
Mateus Cruz followed in third at 1:34.77.
In the 200-yard freestyle, Huffhines led a Delta State sweep of the top four spots, winning in 1:41.80. Runyon finished second in 1:44.43,
Emilio Garcia was third in 1:45.61 and
Lars Hetzel placed fourth in 1:47.58.
Cruz picked up an individual victory in the 100-yard backstroke, touching in 51.75. Cecins finished third in 51.94, while Oakes placed fifth in 52.86.
Delta State also produced three of the top four finishers in the 50-yard freestyle.
Andrei Cseh led the Statesmen in fourth at 21.77, followed by Cruz in sixth at 22.84, Kostantin Ilijic in seventh at 22.98 and
Valentino Soroor in eighth at 22.99.
The Statesmen continued to rack up strong finishes in the butterfly. Garcia placed second in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 1:57.03, while Giustolisi won the 100-yard butterfly in 51.73. Oakes finished just behind in second at 51.76, Cseh was fourth in 52.80 and Cecins placed sixth in 53.59.
In the 100-yard freestyle, Hetzel paced Delta State with a second-place finish in 48.23. Soroor placed fifth in 50.75, while
Carter Foster and
Justin Kurgan finished seventh and eighth, respectively.
Fenniman added a runner-up finish in the 200-yard backstroke at 1:59.46, while Ploner finished fifth in 2:06.66. Achord posted a third-place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke, touching in 2:15.59.
In the distance freestyle events,
Alan Fedasz finished second in the 1,000-yard freestyle in 10:06.33 and third in the 500-yard freestyle in 4:59.60.
Huffhines added a third-place finish in the 200-yard individual medley at 1:59.91, followed by Runyon in fourth at 2:00.71.
Delta State closed the meet in winning fashion as the A relay of Hetzel, Runyon, Huffhines and Cruz captured the 200-yard freestyle relay in 1:24.77. The Statesmen's B relay of Giustolisi, Garcia, Cecins and Cseh also finished third in 1:27.43.
The Statesmen also swept the diving competition, with Jake Bigler winning the 1-meter event with 277.28 points and
Gabriel Ledon finishing second with 271.65. Bigler later claimed the 3-meter competition with 271.65 points, while Ledon finished second with 254.78.
Delta State hits the road next weekend as they travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to take on the Crimson Tide from the University of Alabama.
