St. Thomas battles Phoenix, Vikings over opening weekend

ST. PAUL, MINN. – It was a busy opening weekend for the University of St. Thomas men's and women's swim and dive teams. The Tommies participated in two dual meets over opening weekend, traveling to Green Bay, Wisconsin on Friday before returning home to host Augustana University on Saturday. Over the course of two days, St. Thomas found plenty of success in the pool, as both teams earned at least one win over the weekend. The Tommies women's swim and dive team opened the season with a 172.5-126.5 win over Green Bay before dropping a close 115-92 contest to the Vikings on Saturday. The men were mere points away from earning their first victory in Green Bay, falling 154-146 on Friday before rebounding with a dominant 128-79 win over Augustana on Saturday.

MEN'S RECAP: ST. THOMAS (146) vs. GREEN BAY (154)
St. Thomas got off to a strong start at Green Bay, winning six individual races and seeing multiple top-3 finishes. Alex Foti (Waukesha, Wis. / West) and Philip Jensen (Hastings, Minn. / Hastings) won multiple events in the pool Friday afternoon, as the two swimmers won two races a piece. Foti swept the distance freestyle races, claiming first place in both the 1000 and 500 races. The junior earned a first place finish in the 1000 free with a time of 10:00.53 before following it up with a first place time of 4:47.25 in the 500 free later that afternoon. Foti was also a member of the second place 200 freestyle relay team, which clocked a time of 1:27.05 in the event.

Jensen also had an afternoon to remember, winning both the 100 and 200 backstroke as an individual before finishing second in the 200 yard freestyle relay. The sophomore claimed the top spot in the 100 back with a time of 51.18 and earned the sweep with a 1:55.88 time in the 200 race later on.

Sean Bannon (Rochester, Minn.) and Nicholas Salido (Kansas City, Mo. / Rockhurst) were the final two Tommies to earn first place finishes in the pool on Friday. Bannon claimed the top spot in the 100 breaststroke, earning the win with a time of 1:00.12. He finished second in the 200 breaststroke, clocking in with a time of 2:15.03.

Salido was the fastest swimmer in the pool on Friday, as he won the 50 freestyle with a blistering time of 22.00. He also finished second in the 100 free with a time of 49.28 and was a member of the second place 200 freestyle relay team.

All three St. Thomas divers scored points on the boards Friday afternoon. Ben Linde (Andover, Minn. / Andover) was the highest finisher for the Tommies in both the 1-meter and 3-meter competitions, finishing second in both. The sophomore earned a score of 233.85 on the 1-meter board before following it up with a 210.09 performance on the 3-meter board. Austin Kantor (Elk River, Minn. / Elk River) finished third in the 3-meter competition thanks to his score of 177.75.

MEN'S RECAP: ST. THOMAS (128) vs. AUGUSTANA (79)
St. Thomas rebounded with a 128-79 win over Augustana on Saturday, winning seven events, including the 200 medley relay. The team of AJ Carollo (Long Grove, Ill. / Stevenson) Bannon, Jensen and Salido claimed the top spot in the relay with a time of 1:35.57, setting the tone for the remainder of the meet.

Foti swept the distance freestyle races for the second consecutive day, winning both the 1000 and 500 in dominant fashion. Foti dropped nearly three seconds from his Friday time in the 1000, winning the race with a time of 9:57.21. He then earned the top spot in the 500, swimming a near identical tie of 4:47.72 to win the event. Jensen found the same level of success, winning both the 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly races. Jensen won the 100 back with a time of 51.16 before earning the top spot in the 100 fly with a time of 51.69.

Drew Testin (Mequon, Wis. / Homestead) joined his teammates atop the podium on Saturday, claiming first place in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:46.83. Linde also earned an individual win the 3-meter diving competition with a score of 226.10.

TOP TOMMIES

Alex Foti (Waukesha, Wis. / West) and Philip Jensen (Hastings, Minn. / Hastings) won a slew of events for St. Thomas over the weekend. Foti swept the distance freestyle races against both Green Bay and Augustana, breaking the 10 minute mark with his performance in the 1000 on Saturday.
Jensen won five total races over the course of two days, winning both the 100 and 200 backstroke against Green Bay on Friday. The sophomore then led the 200 medley relay team to victory in Saturday's home opener before winning both the 100 back and 100 butterfly races as an individual.
Ben Linde (Andover, Minn. / Andover) was the top diver for the Tommies over the weekend, earning top-3 finishes in all four events Friday and Saturday. Linde closed his weekend with a first place finish on the 3-meter board thanks to his score of 226.10.

UP NEXT
St. Thomas will return to action on Saturday, October 14 when it hosts South Dakota in its first Summit League dual of the 2023-24 season. The first event is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. CT in St. Paul, Minnesota.

St. Thomas battles Phoenix, Vikings over opening weekend

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Players Mentioned

Sean Bannon

Alex Foti

Philip Jensen

Austin Kantor

Ben Linde

Nicholas Salido

Drew Testin

University of St. Thomas Athletics