LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas – The Ouachita men's swimming and diving team started the 2024-25 season with a win at the All-Arkansas Invite Saturday morning at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock's Donaghey Aquatic Center.
The Tigersharks racked up 631.5 to take first place out of the three competing teams. Cross-street rival Henderson State placed second with 606.5 points and the Harding University Club Team came in third with 204 points.
The event winners for the Tigersharks were:
Tyler Andruss won the 1-Meter Dive with a score of 278.10. Andruss also placed third in the 200 Freestyle with a time of 1:45.39.
Daniel Meszaros claimed first in the 200 Freestyle with a meet-record time of 1:42.14. Meszaros also took second in the 100 Free with a time of 46.59, just 0.22 seconds out of first.
Carson Powers won the 3-Meter Dive with a score of 230.25.
The 200 Medley Relay squad of
Anthony Paculba,
Justin Oulette,
Vince Pal, and
Fernando Bustillo took first in the event by a margin of 0.15 seconds with a time of 1:37.06.
Other top-three finishers for Ouachita were:
- Elijah Donaldson placed second in the 3-Meter Dive with a score of 222.60.
- Michael Higgens took second in the 100 Butterfly with a time of 51.78.
- Anthony Paculba finished second in the 200 IM with a time of 1:57.30. Paculba also placed second in the 100 Backstroke with a time of 52.85.
- The 200 Freestyle Relay squad of Meszaros, Sam Ragsdell, Higgins, and Fernando Bustillo placed second with a time of 1:26.01, less than a second out of first.
- The 400 Freestyle Relay squad of Meszaros, Ragsdell, Higgins, and James Savarese took second with a time of 3:06.05.
- Gabriel Palomino placed third in the 3-Meter Dive with a score of 169.35.
- David Ware finished third in the 100 Backstroke with a time of 53.81.
- The 200 Freestyle Relay squad of Blayz Hood, Ware, Ethan Sparks, and Savarese finished third with a time of 1:29.49.
- The 400 Freestyle Relay squad of Pal, Andruss, Zsombor Bujdoso, and Angel Medina placed third with a time of 3:15.05.
Diving proved to be a big factor in the win for the Tigersharks, as Ouachita divers combined for 73 of the team's 631.5 points.
The Tigersharks will be back in the pool at the 2024 Sam Freas Invitational, hosted by Oklahoma Christian University on Saturday, September 28 in Oklahoma City.
