SAN ANTONIO, TX — The University of St. Thomas swim teams kicked off the Trinity Tiger Invitational with one of their strongest sessions of the season, piling up school records, lifetime bests, and standout swims across the board.
Women's Highlights
The women set the tone early with a huge performance from Ava Verret in the 500 freestyle. Verret opened the meet with a new school record and a four-second drop, powering her way to a 5:43.85. It was a confident, controlled swim that sparked momentum for the entire squad.
The energy carried into the 200 free relay, where the team of Kelsy Elgar, Alison Voisin, Valentine Garcia, and AJ Kennell put together a fast and aggressive race to drop three seconds and knock down the school record with a 1:46.27.
Valentina Garcia also delivered a breakthrough moment in the 500 free, dropping 10 full seconds. Her strong pacing and finish marked one of the biggest improvements of the day.
Rounding out the women's highlights was Emely Lopez, who qualified for the B final in the 200 IM and recorded a lifetime best. It was an important step forward as she continues to build momentum midseason.
Men's Highlights
The men answered with a series of explosive swims of their own. Ben Tercero sprinted to a school record in the 50 freestyle, touching in 21.38 and adding yet another milestone to his season.
Moments later, the 200 free relay team—Tanner McKay, Oliver Spencer, Levi Del Angel, and Tercero—put together a sharp performance to claim a new school record of 1:25.72.
The Celts weren't done yet, closing the session with another relay record in the 400 medley. Lucas Blado, Tercero, Levi, and Tanner combined for a 3:34.18, showing impressive speed and smooth exchanges across all four legs.
In the individual events, both Levi Del Angel and Oscar Mayorga competed in the B final of the 500 free, holding their own in a deep field and turning in competitive swims. Another bright spot came from TaylorLee Goebel, who threw down a lifetime best of 22.25 in the 50 free—strong early-season speed that continues to trend upward.
Head Coach Hanna Huston stated, " All in all, a really solid day for the team. A lot of great momentum coming out of today and plenty to build on heading into tomorrow."
Up Next
The Celts return to the pool tomorrow for Day 2 of the Tiger Invitational as they continue their midseason push. Stay tuned for more updates as UST builds on its strong start.
