The Delta State University women’s swim and dive team delivered a strong performance Friday at the 2026 Magnolia Invite at the Ronald G. Mayers Aquatics Center in Cleveland, Mississippi, according to the university.
The Lady Statesmen opened the meet with a victory in the 200-yard medley relay. The team of Nicolette Wight, Chloe Skelt, Kennedy Cleasant and Olivia Murphy finished first with a time of 1:45.56. Their B relay team also secured a second-place finish in 1:51.87.
Rhianna Foster captured the 1,000-yard freestyle in 10:39.17, with teammate Stella Newton finishing second in 11:13.61, giving Delta State the top two spots in that event. Murphy added a win in the 200-yard freestyle in 1:56.88.
The team also excelled in backstroke events, with Wight winning the 100-yard backstroke in 58.96 seconds, followed by Cleasant in second at 59.64 seconds. Wight also claimed victory in the 200-yard backstroke in 2:11.03.
Skelt earned two individual victories, winning the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:06.25 and the 50-yard freestyle in 25.72 seconds. Persson finished second in the 100 breaststroke in 1:07.06. Foster added another win in the 100-yard freestyle in 55.34 seconds, while Berg placed fifth in 57.41 seconds.
In the 200-yard breaststroke, Persson led a one-two finish for Delta State, winning in 2:26.53 ahead of Lemoine in 2:29.76. Murphy secured victory in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:28.45. Cleasant won the 100-yard butterfly in 58.23 seconds, with Berg finishing second in 1:00.51.
Lemoine completed the individual event wins for Delta State, capturing the 200-yard individual medley in 2:14.65, with Newton finishing third in 2:21.10. The Lady Statesmen concluded the meet with a relay victory in the 200-yard freestyle relay, finishing in 1:40.06 behind Cleasant, Finch, Wight and Murphy. They finished ahead of William Carey.
Delta State will continue its season next Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, facing the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide, according to school officials.
