Grand Rapids, Mich. — While you have to be impressed with the progression of the Aquinas Men's and Women's Swim & Dive programs in just a few short years, one of the challenges they continue to face is simply getting to compete in front of the home crowd. With most of the Saints' schedule taking them on the road, Saturday's dual meet with Davenport carried extra significance — not only as the team's lone home meet of the semester, but also as an opportunity to celebrate the program's graduating seniors. The Saints put together an inspiring performance, filled with school records, all-time top-five marks, and grit from start to finish.

Final Team Scores
Men's: Davenport 185, Aquinas 115
Women's: Davenport 197, Aquinas 102

Men's Swim Team Highlights

The Aquinas men's team showed impressive depth and progress against a talented Davenport squad. Freshman sensation Liam Sneller continued his breakout season with a pair of standout swims — finishing runner-up in the 1650 freestyle with a 16:55.94, the second-fastest time in program history, and later breaking his own school record in the 500 freestyle with a 4:51.60, which also stands as the fastest KCAC time so far this year. Junior captain Titus Smith added to the excitement with a 200 freestyle time of 1:46.88, placing second overall and landing in the top three all-time in AQ history, while also posting a top-seven 100 freestyle time. Senior leader Ian Clapp nearly touched first in the 100 backstroke before roaring back to win the 200 backstroke, securing one of AQ's two individual men's event victories.

Meanwhile, Stan Tibben shined in butterfly events, finishing second in the 200 fly with the second-fastest KCAC time this year and winning the 100 fly in 51.32, the second-fastest mark in program history. Consistent contributions also came from Luke Martin, who was second in the 100 breaststroke (57.58) and third in the 200 breaststroke (2:10.40), and from freshmen Talon Koppmann and Matthew Dumbsky, who helped Aquinas to strong relay finishes. It was a complete team effort that reflected both leadership and the potential of a young roster growing stronger each week.

Women's Swim Team Highlights

The Saints' women were led by another strong showing from sophomore Adriana Waller and freshman Hannah Brown, who each captured individual victories. Waller earned a thrilling win in the 500 freestyle, out-touching her opponent by a fraction of a second with a 5:32.29 — one of the most exciting finishes of the meet. Brown, meanwhile, showcased her sprinting dominance by taking the 100 freestyle in 53.79, while also claiming runner-up in the 50 freestyle with a 24.47, which ranks among the top five times in team history. She also added another milestone performance with a 1:59.89 in the 200 freestyle, placing her top four all-time at Aquinas.

Adding to the momentum, freshman Elena Cavadas shattered the school record in the 200 breaststroke with a 2:36.07 and claimed second overall, while also earning a top-three all-time mark in the 100 breaststroke (1:10.93). Other top performances came from Emersyn Joslin, who placed third in the 100 backstroke (59.97), and Amelia Edens, who added runner-up efforts in both the 100 butterfly (1:00.92) and 200 IM (2:19.62). Despite Davenport's depth, the Saints showed tremendous progress and energy — the kind of performances that continue to elevate the program's competitive standard.

Men's Dive Team Highlights

The Saints' men's divers once again proved to be one of the top units in the NAIA. Evan Bennett led the charge, finishing second on both the 1M and 3M boards with national qualifying scores of 293.60 and 274.65, respectively — missing first place on the 1M by less than a single point. His consistency and poise have made him one of the conference's elite. Freshmen Troy Borrero, Cooper Wasson, and Major Vance also joined the national-qualifying ranks, finishing fifth through seventh on both boards while posting scores above the NAIA 6-dive standard.

The collective success of the men's divers — four national qualifiers on each board — marks another milestone for the growing program and underscores Aquinas' reputation as a diving powerhouse in the KCAC. Their poise, execution, and consistency added crucial points to the team total and exemplified the Saints' work ethic on Senior Day.

Women's Dive Team Highlights

On the women's side, senior Taylor Moss led the Saints with a strong third-place finish on the 1M board, scoring 165.55, followed by Kaitlyn Santaguida in fourth (146.65) and Anna Benstead in fifth (125.35). On the 3M board, Santaguida once again rose to the occasion, earning third place with a 137.85, while Benstead placed fourth (126.25). The women's divers continue to demonstrate consistency and confidence, rounding out what has become one of Aquinas' most reliable and resilient event groups.

Their poise under pressure and steady scoring helped balance the meet and showcased the continued development of the diving program under the guidance of the AQ coaching staff.

Program Milestones

Saturday's home meet produced several standout milestones for the Aquinas Swim & Dive program.

• Elena Cavadas broke the school record in the 200 breaststroke (2:36.07).
• Hannah Brown recorded top-five all-time AQ times in both the 50 free (24.47) and 200 free (1:59.89).
• William Sneller set a new program record in the 500 free (4:51.60) and posted the second-fastest 1650 time (16:55.94) in AQ history.
• Stan Tibben's 100 fly (51.32) became the second-fastest in program history.
• Four men's divers (Bennett, Borrero, Wasson, and Vance) all achieved NAIA national-qualifying marks on both the 1M and 3M boards.

Each of these marks highlights the rapid progress of a program that continues to raise its standard year after year, led by an enthusiastic coaching staff and a driven group of student-athletes.

Coach's Comments

Following the Senior Day celebration and the swim meet, Head Coach Kristy Hepp reflected on her team's performance and what an amazing group she has at Aquinas:

"We look forward to this weekend all year long for many reasons. First, we honored 19 graduating athletes as the first class to finish four seasons in team history, which was very meaningful. They've truly formed the backbone of our program and will be sorely missed! Second, we like to celebrate our home meet with a Hawaiian theme on deck for some fun beach vibes as the weather turns colder. Last, we love competing with Davenport — they give us great competition that prepares us for the tougher teams ahead in the KCAC conference and national championship meet."

Up Next

The swimmers will train for the week before heading to Elkhart, Indiana, to challenge Bethel on Saturday, November 1. Stay tuned to AQSaints.com for full coverage, results, and recaps as Aquinas continues to dive deep into the 2025–26 campaign.