The Truman State University swim teams are headed in a positive direction as they close in on the midpoint of their seasons. Swimming started the year at the Show-Me Showdown, a meet bringing together collegiate swim teams from all across Missouri, where both teams finished in the bottom of the top 10. Since then, both the men’s and women’s teams have begun improving times and picking up wins. In the home opener tri-meet against University of Missouri-St. Louis and Maryville University, both Truman teams went undefeated.
On the men’s side, the Bulldogs defeated UMSL 104-97 and beat Maryville 142-50. The men tallied six victories total. Senior Sam Heveroh and junior Lliot Gieseke led the way with two wins each. Both Heveroh and Gieseke were a part of the Bulldogs’ first-place 4×100-yard free relay team, along with junior Riley Olson and sophomore Jack McKenzie. Individually, Heveroh placed first in the 200-yard free, and Gieseke was first to touch the wall in the 100-yard free.
The women’s team was even more impressive, defeating UMSL 160-39 and Maryville 163-21. The Bulldogs took first place in 11 events with senior Emma Barnett and junior Kaylee Sisson as the team’s top performers. Barnett and Sisson teamed up with sophomore Allison Garrett and junior Maggie Hickey to win the 400-yard medley relay. Barnett also won the 200-yard free and 200-yard backstroke. Sisson picked up another relay victory with a win in the 4×100-yard free relay with freshmen Lexi Krogman, Maisy Kurucz and Alexis Poe. Sisson also picked up a win in the 100-yard free to complete a successful day in the pool.
Both teams continued to dominate their opponents the next week against William Jewell College. The men’s swimmers finished first in every event, while the women came close to doing the same, only failing to touch the wall first in just two of the 11 events. The men and women will have another tri-meet against Saint Louis University and Lindenwood University-Belleville this Saturday. This meet will be the last opportunity to improve before heading to Northwestern University for the prestigious TYR Invitational Nov. 16.