BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (February 10, 2024) – Rhodes finished the weekend strong and won its first Southern Athletic Association men’s swimming & diving championship in school history.
Complete Final Results | SAA Championship Central
The Lynx racked up 898 points through the four-day championship, finishing in front of Centre with 846 points. Birmingham-Southern was third with 654.5 points. Berry finished fourth with 558.5 points, Hendrix was fifth with 300, Sewanee sixth with 253 and Millsaps seventh with 192.
Nicholas Fonzo of Berry had a breakout championship, earning both SAA Newcomer of the Year and SAA High-point Swimmer of the meet honors. Justin Toth of Birmingham-Southern was the High-point Diver of the meet and Rhodes Steve Webb was voted the Coach of the Year.
Daniel Snyder of Rhodes got the final day of the championships started by winning the 1650 freestyle in 16:06.61. Adam Jones of BSC was second in 16:17.52. Rhodes Will Wertenberger finished third with a time of 16:24.18.
Fonzo picked up his first win of the day in the 200 backstroke, stopping the clock at 1:48.76. Rhodes Arthur Bishop was second (1:50.83) and Dustin Niebauer of Centre third (1:54.09). Kai Oddo won the 100 free for Centre with a time of 45.63. Millsaps Benjamin Anderson was second in 46.12 and Rhodes Jeb Brownell third (46.46).
Jack Whitten put the Lynx on the top of the podium in the 200 breaststroke, winning in a meet record time of 1:59.01. Sam Tate of Berry was second in 2:03.32 and BSC’s Graham Simmon third (2:06.30). Jose Garcia of Rhodes won the 200 butterfly in 1:52.17. Jacson Fears from Centre was second in 1:52.69 and Zane Shaner of Hendrix was third (1:55.27).
Centre closed the championship with a win in the 400 free relay as Wyatt Fulton, Xavier Moore, Fears, and Oddo posted a meet record time of 3:04.16. Rhodes was runner-up in 3:06.44 and Berry third (3:07.31).
Day 3 Recap
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (February 9, 2024) – Nicholas Fonzo won two individual events and led a Berry relay to highlight day 3 action at the SAA Swimming & Diving Championship. Rhodes also had a big night and continued to build a comfortable lead in the team standings.
Day 3 Complete Results | SAA Championship Central
The Lynx have totaled 610 points through 26 events, sitting ahead of second place Centre with 551 points. Birmingham-Southern is third with 415.5, followed by Berry (400.5) and Sewanee (195).
Adam Jones of Birmingham-Southern started the night with a win in the 400 IM, clocking 4:05.64. Teammate Graham Simmon was second in 4:07.33 and Berry’s Ethan Whiting third in 4:09.06.
Fonzo earned his first win of the day in the 100 butterfly with a time of 49.09. Rhodes took the next two spots as Jeb Brownell posted a time of 50.45 and Jose Garcia 50.54.
Daniel Snyder grabbed a win for Rhodes in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:41.05. Centre’s Jackson Fears was second in 1:41.82 and teammate Wyatt Fulton third in 1:43.39. The Lynx Jack Whitten was the winner of the 100 breaststroke in a meet record time of 55.15, bettering the decade old mark set by BSC’s Duncan Bonney by .05 seconds. Berry’s Sam Tate was second in 56.30 and Centre’s Xavier Moore third in 56.31.
Fonzo struck gold again in the 100 backstroke, setting a new SAA championship and open record with a time of 48.20. His new record is a half second better than the mark set by Bryan Sullivan in 2022. Centre’s Kai Oddo was second in 50.45 and Rhodes Arthur Bishop third in 50.80.
Avery Balch of BSC cruised to a victory in the men’s 3-meter dive, posting a score of 525.85 and setting off a medal sweep in the event for the Panthers. Justin Toth was second with a score of 488.90 and Garrett George third (484.25).
The night ended with a bang as the Berry 400 medley relay of Fonzo, Tate, Billy Blood, and Mac Shefchunas won with a time of 3:20.92. Rhodes was second in 3:32.84 and Centre third in 3:28.20.
Competition for the final day of the SAA Swimming & Diving Championships will begin with 10 a.m. CT prelims in the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, women’s 3-meter dive, and 400 free relay. Fans can catch all the action live on the
SAA Championship Central page.
Day 2 Recap
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (February 8, 2024) – Rhodes won one individual event and used its depth Thursday to take over the lead after day 2 of the SAA Swimming & Diving Championship.
Day 2 Complete Results | SAA Championship Central
The Lynx built a score of 337 points to lead second place Centre by 19 points (318). Birmingham-Southern is third with a score of 276.5 while Berry is fourth (199.5).
Daniel Snyder powered to a seven-second win in the 500 free for Rhodes, stopping the clock at 4:33.02. BSC’s Adam Jones was second in 4:40.32 and Will Wertenberger of Rhodes took third (4:42.91).
Sam Tate of Berry took first in the 200 IM with a time of 1:50.82. Rhodes took the next two spots with Jack Whitten in second (1:53.76) and Arthur Bishop third (1:54.10). Centre’s Kai Oddo was just .10 seconds off the meet record and won the 50 free in a time of 20.58. Zach Cameron of BSC was second (20.85) and Centre’s Xavier Moore was third (21.07).
Centre set a new meet record in the 200 free relay as Moore and Oddo joined Jason Killian and Dustin Niebauer to win the event in 1:22.55, beating Berry’s mark set last year by .09 seconds. Birmingham-Southern was second in 1:25.13 and Rhodes third with a time of 1:24.43.
Competition for day three of the SAA Swimming & Diving Championships will begin with 10 a.m. CT prelims in the 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breaststroke, 100 backstroke and men’s 3-meter dive. Finals are set for 6 p.m. CT with those events and the 400 medley relay. Fans can catch all the action live on the
SAA Championship Central page.
Day 1 Recap
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (February 7, 2024) – Nine-time defending conference champion Birmingham-Southern opened an early lead after day one of the 2024 SAA Swimming &. Diving Championships.
Day 1 Complete Results | SAA Championship Central
The Panthers scored big in diving and totaled 145 points after the first session of the championship. Rhodes won both A and B relays to sit second with 143 points while Centre is third with 131. Berry (101) is fourth, Hendrix (72) fifth, Sewanee (71) sixth and Millsaps (48) seventh.
Justin Toth posted a score of 506.70 and cruised to a victory in the men’s 1-meter dive. Centre’s Rowan Fitzsimmons was second with a score of 472.80 and Rhodes’ John Beuerlein was third (472.45). BSC scored 65 points in the event behind the depth of five divers.
Rhodes dominated the swimming events and set a new meet record in the 200 medley relay to start the day. The team of Arthur Bishop, Jack Whitten, Jeb Brownwell, and Nick Kunst posted a time of 1:30.18 to beat the previous record set by Berry last season by .20 seconds. The Vikings squad was second in 1:30.58 and Centre took third in 1:32.11.
Kunst was joined by Max Millburn, Will Wertenberger, and Daniel Snyder to win the 800 free relay, stopping the clock at 6:53.33. Berry was runner-up in 6:59.06 and Centre third in 7:01.83.
Competition for day two of the SAA Swimming & Diving Championships will begin with 10 a.m. CT prelims in the 500 free, 200 IM, 50 free, and women’s 1-meter drive. Finals are set for 6 p.m. CT with those events and the 200 free relay. Fans can catch all the action live on the
SAA Championship Central page.