Michael Kloth reports from Pensacola, Florida, that the Delta State University swimming and diving team opened the 2026 New South Intercollegiate Swimming Conference Championships with a competitive showing Tuesday night. The teams earned podium finishes and gained ground in the team standings after Day 1.
The Lady Statesmen sit second in the women’s team standings, just two points behind West Florida. They finished second in the 4×200-yard freestyle relay, posting a time of 7:28.75. The relay team of Kennedy Cleasant, Rhianna Foster, Kaley Davis, and Aspen Shipp led off with a 1:52.77 split from Cleasant and closed with Shipp’s 1:50.04 anchor leg, keeping Delta State within reach of first place.
Delta State also earned points from its B relay team, which finished ninth overall with a time of 7:35.90. The team of Ave Owens, Janne Bodemer, Jessica Gannon, and Mikayla Kloth contributed to the team’s total points. Overall, the Lady Statesmen have 52 points after two events, trailing West Florida’s 54. Ouachita Baptist and Henderson State follow with 44 and 40 points, respectively.
On the men’s side, Delta State finished third in the 4×200-yard freestyle relay, clocking in at 6:40.84. The team of Austin Huffhines, Adam Rickert, Lars Hetzel, and Mateus Franco secured 32 points with Huffhines’ 1:38.66 lead-off and Franco’s 1:38.43 anchor. The B relay team of Kacper Mochnal, Kostantin Ilijic, Ashtin Wallace, and Sergio Rodriguez Rodriguez finished 11th with a time of 6:54.07, earning additional points.
Delta State stands third in the men’s team standings with 44 points, behind Ouachita Baptist with 54 and Henderson State with 52. The championships continue Wednesday with preliminary heats in the morning and finals in the evening, as the team aims to close the gap in both standings.
