The McMurry War Hawks swimming teams hosted the University of St. Thomas for the first day of their two-day dual meet, providing the home crowd with a spectacular showcase of speed and determination. The women's team delivered a thrilling, come-from-behind performance to secure a narrow 83-74 day-one victory, highlighted by six critical individual-event wins. The men's team battled hard against tough competition, ultimately placing second with 81 points to St. Thomas's 122, but not before Wes Scalf etched his name in the War Hawks record books.

Women's Team Highlights: Six Wins Secure the Narrow Victory

The War Hawk women displayed exceptional depth and grit, relying on powerful swims across the entire roster to secure the close team win.

Anna Nielsen set a strong tone early, dominating the grueling 1000 Yard Freestyle to claim the first individual win of the day (13:32.00).

The momentum continued through the mid-distance events, where Natalie Liles proved her versatility by sweeping the freestyle races, claiming top honors in the 200 Yard Freestyle (2:12.27) and the 500 Yard Freestyle (5:52.59). In the 500 Free, Liles was followed closely by teammate Mia Mendez, whose second-place finish added critical team points.

Brooklynn Lizcano was dominant in her signature events, securing two first-place finishes with impressive swims in the 200 Yard Individual Medley (2:28.34) and the 200 Yard Butterfly (2:41.54).

The War Hawks completed their run of individual victories in the sprint events, as Nicole Ryman powered her way to a decisive win in the 100 Yard Freestyle (1:03.15), adding crucial points as the meet came down to the wire. The women's team's consistent top-three scoring in nearly every event proved enough to secure the thrilling home victory.

Men's Team Highlights: Scalf Sets New Program Standard

While the men's team finished second in the overall team standings, their performance was anchored by multiple victories and a record-breaking swim.

The highlight of the day belonged to Wes Scalf, who didn't just win the 200 Yard Individual Medley, he absolutely shattered a program record. Scalf's incredible time of 1:57.51 crushed the previous school record of 1:58.77, which had stood since 2016. Scalf added a second victory later in the meet, taking first place in the 200 Yard Breaststroke (2:15.70), followed by Sterling Wright and Simen Loevaas, who finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

The team also saw a decisive victory from Victor Zambrano (19), who touched first in the 200 Yard Backstroke (2:03.77), leading Matt Martinez to a third-place finish and Eli Russell to a fifth-place finish.

In the 400 Yard Medley Relay, the quartet of Victor Zambrano, Wes Scalf, Zach Lindley, and Harrison Brown narrowly missed first place by just over a second (3:40.74). Harrison Brown (21) also secured a key second-place finish in the 100 Yard Freestyle (49.40).

The distance events saw Matt Martinez and Montgomery Cortez place second and third in the 1000 Yard Freestyle. Levi Kleen and Eli Russell claimed second and third in the 500 Yard Freestyle, with Haydrick Beverly also scoring points in fourth. Zach Lindley, Adrian Pena, and Montgomery Cortez swept the 3-4-5 spots in the 200 Yard Butterfly, while Kristopher Cantu finished fifth in the 100 Yard Freestyle to help bolster the final score.

Up Next

The men and women return to the pool at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 15th, to complete the second day of their home meet against St. Thomas.