CONWAY, Ark. (October 27, 2024) – The University of Texas Permian Basin men's and women's swimming & diving teams competed in a dual meet at Henderson State University on Thursday, October 24, then traveled to Hendrix College for the Hendrix Relays on Friday, October 25, and the Hendrix Classic on Saturday, October 26.

The UTPB men's swimming & diving team pulled off two team wins in Conway, Arkansas, on Friday and Saturday with a number of season best swims and dives.

Despite being short-handed, the Lady Falcons showed better in a traditional meet format at Hendrix. The women's swimming & diving team placed fifth out of six teams in the relays but came back on Saturday to claim second place out of six teams at the Hendrix Classic.

UTPB's diving program continues to have success and help the team reach new heights against swimming-focused teams.
 

Henderson State University Dual Meet – Thursday, October 24
The UTPB men faced No. 12 nationally-ranked Henderson State on Thursday night and showed some grit after their 10-hour bus ride.

Brendan Twomey got a personal best in both 1-meter (270.70) and 3-meter diving (248.85) and came out with the win on both boards.

While the men's swimming team had many close second-place finishes, the lone first-place time in the pool came in the 200 IM where Owen Putnam chased down Henderson's swimmer in the last 50 yards to claim first with a time of 1:59.10.

The UTPB women's team continues to make improvements as the dive team continues to outperform the competition.

In the pool, Head Coach Brian Schroder said that "our strokes are significantly better and will pay off as the season progresses."

Camilla Aguilar won the women's 1-meter dive with a score of 230.75 while Kathe Hepfer won the 3-meter at 236.75.

Henderson State's men's and women's Red Wave teams both garnered national attention in the first CSCAA Top 25 of the 2024-25 season. The men debuted as the No. 12 team in the country, while the women's team was listed as receiving votes.

The Red Wave women defeated UTPB by a 150-68 score, while the No. 12 men posted a 152-78 result. On the women's side, the Red Wave swept the top-11 individual performances of night. The nationally-ranked Red Wave men posted seven of the top-10 individual performances on their own side of the meet.


Hendrix Relays – Friday, October 25
The UTPB men finished first out of six teams, scoring 389 points and edging Henderson State (388 points) by just one point. The UTPB women, meanwhile, were fifth out of six teams with 241 points while Henderson State earned the win with 394 points.

At the Hendrix Relay meet on Friday, the UTPB divers broke multiple records on the 1-meter board.

Twomey and Hepfer both earned their six-dive score cut to be eligible for the NCAA qualifier meet in the Spring. Twomey came in first place on the men's side with a score of 293.30 and Hepfer was first on the women's side with a score of 260.20.

In a close one, the UTPB men won by one point against the field that included Henderson State Friday evening in the Hendrix relays. Sophomore Colin Doyle and freshman Jake Shelton led the way.

Doyle helped the Falcons win the 4x100 IM relay (3:39.56) and finish second in both the 3x100 butterfly relay (2:34.98) and the 400 medley relay (3:36.90).

Shelton helped the Falcons win the 3x500 freestyle relay (14:15.48) while taking second in the 800 freestyle relay (7:03.54) and the 400 freestyle relay (3:13.46).


Hendrix Classic – Saturday, October 26
The UTPB men again finished first out of six teams, this time with 745.5 points, while the University of Saint Mary was second with 469 points. The women were second out of six teams with 304 points and trailed only Saint Mary with 575 points.

At the Hendrix Classic on Saturday, Aguilar came in first place in the women's 1-meter dive with a score of 255.45 while Hepfer was second with a score of 251.85. Jessica Iracheta broke her personal record and came in fourth with 186.5. In the women's 3-meter event, Hepfer came in first place with a score of 236.4 and Aguilar was second with a score of 217.65.

In the men's 1-meter dive, Twomey came in first place with a score of 263.1 and Andrew Pritt was second with a score of 246.45. For the men's 3-meter, Twomey again came in first with a score of 265.15 while Pritt was second with a score of 221.6.

In the pool on Saturday, captain Evan Siegrist swept his individual events as the men's team pulled away from the competition. Siegrist won the 1000 freestyle with a time of 9:55.11, won the 200 IM with a time of 2:01.43, and was first in the 500 freestyle at 4:50.96.

Freshman Rowan McWhorter led the way for the women's team, placing first in her two individual events while also helping the Falcons' 400 freestyle relay team secure second place. McWhorter won the 200 IM with a time of 2:18.07 and the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:40.46, while the 400 freestyle relay team was second at 3:58.93.


Next up: The Falcons are in Midland, Texas, next Saturday, November 2, for their Senior Day meet against Trinity University at 11 a.m.