Lady Tigers Win 16th Consecutive SCAC Swimming Championship Title

From left: Caroline North, Ashley Ward, Paige Johnson and Mabel Fowler at the award podium.
(photo by Erin Crooks)

By Erin Crooks

Just as the Tigers are fast on land, they also dominate in the pool. After a long and successful season, Trinity University women’s swim team took home on Saturday the title as SCAC Champs for the 16th year in a row, beating long-time rival Colorado College by 102 points in the final meet. 

Trinity men’s team came up short to rival Southwestern University and finished 2nd, losing their 7-year winning streak.

The fourth and final day of the 2019 SCAC Swimming & Diving Championship Meet started off with a bang, as junior Jacob Hurrell-Zitelman captured gold in men's 1650-yard freestyle, being the first SCAC swimmer in history to win the event three times in a row.

Sophomore Beau Tipton finished first in men’s 200-yard butterfly, earning himself a B-cut NCAA qualifying time of 1:50.38. This B-cut allows Tipton to potentially earn an invitation to the NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships in March.

The grand finale of the day was the 400-yard freestyle relay. Though the Tigers were on their final home stretch, they met the last event with full excitement and determination. The women’s side swept both heats in their relays, guaranteeing their meet victory. The A relay of Mabel Fowler, Paige Johnson, Star Rosales and Morgen Reyna earned a B-cut time, giving them a chance to make their way to the NCAA meet. The A relay on the men’s side came up second to Southwestern, thus putting them second overall.

Fowler, a sophomore, said the team’s fun energy was what makes competing so enjoyable. “We keep everything very fun, but we can be serious when it comes to racing. We are laughing the whole time in the locker room and keeping big smiles on our faces”.

The Tigers also triumphed in other events of the day. In the 200-yard backstroke, Fowler and Johnson took the top two spots. Freshman Daniel Sarman touched first in the men’s 200-yard backstroke.

Meanwhile, Trinity divers proved successful on their turf, and racked up major accolades. Sophomore Daniel Valmassei and freshman Maren Merwarth were both named Divers of Meet. Valmassei took the gold for the 3-meter board, followed by teammates Anthony Liva and Duncan MacAskill.

Reflecting on this year’s winning season, team captain Abbie Jones, a junior Engineering major, accredited the success to her teammates. “I personally have a very rough start to the season. October and November was very rough for me,” she said. “Coming back into winter training and having them encourage me and each other was a really great way to keep going through the season and to have a great time.”

Though the regular season has come to an end, some of the Tigers will continue to train in hopes of making the NCAA Division III Championships next month.