University Center, Mich. — On Friday (Oct. 20) both the men's and women's programs traveled over to Saginaw Valley State for a head-to-head competition. SVSU continues to prove to be a dominant force in the pool and on the boards. Both AQ programs fell to the Cardinals by scores of 187-52 (men) and 197-32 (women).

But both the men and women would still be able to make strides even against the well equipped Cardinals.

The women's 400 medley relay of Emma Hale, Amelia Edens, Claire Hines and Chloe Boivin set the tone with a new school record, finishing with the time of 4:18.29.

Hale had the top team finish in the 400 IM with a 5:23.32, a time that puts her in the top two all-time team performances. She was closely followed by teammates Izzy Feltch and Lily Heath.

Diver Sarah Colvin placed third on both the 1M and 3M boards, scoring valuable points for the team.

For the men:

Freshman Ben Szydlowski led the mid-distance events for the Saints, placing fifth overall and top for AQ in the 400 IM and fourth overall and top for the Saints in the 500 freestyle. 

Freshman Titus Smith clinched the win in the men's 100 backstroke in a tight race, clocking in a time of 54.95.

Freshmen divers Evan Bennett and Troy Borrero scored valuable team points on both the 1M and 3M boards. Bennett finished second on the 3M and 3rd on the 1M boards, while Borrero finished fourth on both boards.

Coach Hepp had this to say about both programs performances: "I'm very proud of how our team performed today. We switched up our normal lineup to find people's third individual event to potentially score points in at our conference championship meet in February. It also helps our athletes to stay loose and not overthink their events, because we're at a very challenging point in our training block. We use this meet to prepare for our 3-day, prelims-finals championship meets, because we turn around and compete with Kalamazoo College tomorrow."

The Saints are back in action on Saturday (Oct. 21) at 1 p.m. at Kalamazoo.