Aquinas Sets Swimming Record at NAIAs

The Aquinas men's team secured a top-10 finish after day three of the NAIA National Championships, a best-ever placement for the program. The Saints sent twelve athletes in total to the national meet. This performance comes after the men's team captured their first-ever KCAC conference championship title earlier in the season. For the women, a 15th-place finish out of 30 teams marked a significant jump from their 18th-place finish the previous year. The young squad, composed entirely of underclassmen, more than doubled their point total from the prior championship. Key record-breaking swims for the Saints included Titus Smith setting new school standards in the 100 butterfly, 100 backstroke, and 200 backstroke. Luke Martin also established a new school record in the 200 IM. On the women's side, freshman Hannah Brown and sophomore Amelia Edens were the team's highest individual point scorers at the KCAC conference championships. The diving contingent provided a major boost, with Evan Bennett earning All-America honors with a second-place finish in the 3-meter diving event and a third-place finish on the 1-meter board. Emma Nibbelink made history as the first woman from Aquinas to compete on both diving boards at the national championships, placing fourth and fifth respectively. In the high school ranks, the Nantucket girls' swimming and diving team clinched the Cape & Islands League Championship title with 442 points. They were led by state-qualifying performances from Myah Johnson in the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle, and Evie Phelps in the 100-yard breaststroke. The Martha's Vineyard boys' team captured their fourth league title in five years, scoring 375 points to finish ahead of Nantucket. The Vineyarders set new school records in the 200 Medley relay and the 100 breaststroke, with Michael Calheta breaking the individual record.