Spartans Win Shark Invite in Season Opener

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The University of Tampa men's and women's swimming teams capped off a dominant effort to start the 2022-23 season as both teams captured the title at the two-day Nova Southeastern Shark Invitational.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

Men's Score: Tampa 1,052, Florida Southern 681, Nova Southeastern 662, SCAD 518, St. Thomas 218, Florida Tech 124
Women's Score: Tampa 1,093, Nova Southeastern 991.5, Florida Southern 517.5, SCAD 478.5, Florida Tech 127.5, St. Thomas 40

Location: NSU Swim Complex | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• UT took first place in four men's races and four women's events.
• Hayden Curley was named the Male Swimmer of the Meet. He totaled 23 total points, winning the 500 Free, 200 Back, 1,000 Free and the 400 IM.

TOP PERFORMERS (MEN):

• Hayden Curley was the first to finish the 1,000 Free, winning the race with a time of 9:15.87. Curley would later win the 400 IM with a time of 3:58.83
• UT won the 200 Medley Relay with a time of 1:31.81. The top team included Parker Knollman, Aramis Rivera, Vincent Smith and Santiago Aguilera.
• Tampa also won the 400 Free Relay. A time of 3:03.12 came from Aguilera, Caleb Brandon, Tibor Tistan and Barnabas Fluck.

TOP PERFORMERS (WOMEN):

• The Spartans took first in the 200 Medley Relay, with a time of 1:44.70 from Mady Barnes, Alli McFarland, Johanna Koether and Tilde Morin.
• Barnes championed the 100 Back (56.32), which included UT swimmers in the top four spots. Barnes then picked up her second first-place finish as she won the 100 Fly with a time of 56.26.
• UT sealed the victory with the top two finishes in the 400 Free Relay. The winning team of Morin, Emily Van de Wiele, Roma Vrijhof and Sierra Gillan was clocked at 3:27.27.

UP NEXT:

Tampa returns home to host Sunshine State Conference opponent Rollins College on Friday, October 21 at 3 p.m.