Bourbonnais, Ill. – The Aquinas men's swim and dive team splashed into the 2024-25 season on Saturday (Oct. 5) with a head-to-head matchup with Olivet Nazarene inside the Perry Center. The men put on a strong showing, totaling 96 points in the contest against the Tigers. Olivet Nazarene may have gotten the upper hand with 166 points of its own, but the men's team had tons of highlights after the first competition of the year.

Highlights of the Day:

The dive team began the day on the one-meter board and scored the most points for Aquinas in any event throughout the day. Sophomore captain, Evan Bennett, already booked his ticket for nationals in March with by far the best score of the day. His 259.55 points were over 86 points more than anyone else, earning him the top spot at the meet and nine points for AQ.

Junior Colin Alward and freshman Sawyer Shank made their debuts on the springboard today, earning fourth and fifth place, respectively. Their performance gave Aquinas three more points as the dive team as a whole contributed 12 points to Aquinas' 96 points.

Luke Martin dominated in his specialty event, winning the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 57.58 seconds. His time is the fourth-best time in AQ history and is currently the second-fastest time posted in the NAIA so far this season. Martin has been so dominant in the 100-yard breaststroke, that the top 10 times in AQ history all belong to Martin.

Freshman Lucas Eussen made his debut in the pool for Aquinas and immediately made a massive impact. He won the 200-yard IM with a time of 2:05.06 to give the Saints nine points. He also finished third in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:04.30, putting himself inside the top three times in AQ history in that event.

Talon Koppmann also made his debut for Aquinas today and began his AQ career in historic fashion. Koppmann posted the team's top 50-yard butterfly split time in history in the medley relay with a time of 22.73. He also shined in his individual events, finishing second in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 22.03 and placing third in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 54.19.

Titus Smith played a large role in the success of the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay teams. Smith also generated points for AQ with a second-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke (54.41) and a third-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle (49.61). He was just 0.03 seconds behind second place in the 100-yard freestyle.

Ian Clapp also saw top-three finishes as he placed third behind Smith in the 100-yard backstroke (55.49)  and finished second in the 200-yard backstroke (2:04.25).

Other Notable Accomplishments:

• Lucas Mondro placed third in his debut 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:51.76.
• Matthew Dumbsky finished third behind Koppmann in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 22.20.
• Conrad Eichbauer placed third in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:17.48.
• The team of Smith, Koppmann, Martin, and Dumbsky finished second in the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:16.25.

Coach Kristy Hepp was very excited and encouraged by what she saw today. "Our men showed up to compete today and set the tone for what will be an incredible season. Several earned personal best times, all-time team top-10 times, and in-season best times, with a national qualification on the 1M board to top it off. Our captains and team leaders have set a great example of the work ethic and attitude it takes to be a championship-winning team, and the freshmen have bought into the team goals.

Assistant coach Trevor Sparks has been an incredible addition to the team with his technical expertise and coaching style, so I'm very excited to watch our team benefit from his mentorship. The dive team has also grown under coach Sophia Farbarzhevich's leadership, which makes a huge impact on overall team finishes. We look forward to suiting up and swimming fast next weekend at the Davenport Invite!"

Up Next

The Saints have a quick turnaround as they return to action next weekend (Oct. 11-12). Aquinas will travel across town to take on Davenport, Saint Ambrose, and Eastern Illinois at the Kentwood Aquatic Center.