Men’s swimmers open season with a splash, pulling away from NCAA Division III Lynchburg

Saturday, September 23

Lynchburg, VA

TBD

Liberty University Club Sports

University of Lynchburg

Swimmers prepare to take off in the backstroke during Saturday's exhibition meet between Liberty and the University of Lynchburg at the Liberty Natatorium. (Photos by Kate Foelsch)

Men’s swimmers open season with a splash, pulling away from NCAA Division III Lynchburg

9/27/2023 4:01:00 PM | Men's Swimming

Liberty's men's and women's teams overpowered the Hornets in Saturday's exhibition opener at the Liberty Natatorium.

Liberty University's men's swimming team opened its 2023-24 season with a dominating performance in Saturday morning's exhibition meet against the University of Lynchburg's NCAA Division III team at the Liberty Natatorium.

James-Anderssen-Assistant-Coach — Assistant Coach James Anderssen lightens up the pool deck.

The meet also featured a showdown between Liberty's NCAA Division I women's team and the Lady Hornets. Both the Flames and Lady Flames won the majority of the races, often sweeping the top three or more positions, with the men prevailing, 184-59, and the women cruising to a 199-41 triumph.

"The guys did really well," Liberty men's Head Coach Heath Grishaw said. "We really stepped up to the plate. Seeing our guys win every event except for the 200-meter breaststroke, it was probably one of our best showings against Lynchburg, which is exciting. We have guys on our team that are swimming NCAA times, and they could be swimming on NCAA teams, but they love this team culture and what we do here."

The races were swum in long-course metered lanes, with the bulkhead separating the main competition pool from the practice pool removed to create an Olympic-distance pool.

"We always look forward to this meet," Grishaw said. "It's a good time, really fun for Lynchburg swimming to get together for a meet in what is considered everybody's home pool. We had a lot of great showings (and) it was a lot of fun watching our new guys swim and throw down some good times."

Junior Trent Kolter (backstroke) and sophomores Dillon Delaney (breaststroke), Jimmy Blackstone (butterfly), and Max Phillipps (freestyle) paced the Flames to a first-place finish in the meet-opening 200-yard medley relay in a time of 1 minute, 50.48 seconds before freshmen Thomas Hill (4:21:13), Carter Rice (4:30.77), and Byron Long (4:31.32) recorded a 1-2-3 Liberty sweep in the 400 free.

Jimmy-Blackstone-action — Jimmy Blackstone swam the butterfly leg on the Flames' winning 200 medley relay.

Kolter (1:04.80) and freshman Connor Woods (1:05.61) went 1-2 in the 100 back before Delaney (1:11.77), freshman Trevor Urbanic (1:13.23), and junior Tyler Suchyj (1:15.68) posted a 1-3-4 finish in the 100 breast. Flames freshman Aiden Walter (2:18.78), Blackstone (2:22.23), and junior Jonah Black (2:27.60) led a sweep of the first five positions in the 200 fly.

"Trent (Kolter) is stepping up in big ways, filling the role of Matthew Davidson in the back stroke," Grishaw said. "He was always our main flyer, but we are so much deeper in that event this season, so we're looking forward to seeing what he's going to do this year in his backstroke races."

Phillipps (25.39), sophomore Malick Ibela (25.68), and Delaney (25.86) finished first, third, and fifth, respectively, in the 50 free before sophomore Whittman Brown (55.38), Kolter (55.88), Phillips, and Ibela (58.22) completed a first- through fourth-place sweep in the 100 free.

Liberty freshman Grant Shimer (2:24.53) won the 200 back and freshmen brothers Thomas (2:30.41) and Timothy Grabinski (2:32.80) finished third and fourth in that event. Urbanic (2:46.44), Suchyj (2:50.03), and Delaney (2:50.68) finished second, fourth, and fifth, respectively, in the 200 breast before Hill paced a first- through sixth-place sweep in the 200 free in 2:02.64, more than two seconds in front of junior Jonah Rhodenizer (2:04.99).

Kolter (1:00.34), Walter (1:02.36), and Black (1:02.96) went 1-2-3 in the 100 fly and Hill (2:22.23), Long (2:22.28), and Rhodenizer (2:28.56) repeated the feat in the 200 individual medley before the Flames ended the meet with a decisive first-place finish in the 200 free relay (1:39.41) with Brown, Kolter, Delaney, and Phillipps leading the charge.

Complete results are available online.

"It was great to watch both our new and returning guys step up, from freshman Thomas Hill, who was outstanding, to Phillipps, who has done a phenomenal job, especially in the 50 free and the relays," Grishaw said. "He's really coming into his own, and starting to make waves, which is really exciting, along with Dillon Delaney, who does a great job."

He mentioned freshmen Walter, Shimer, Urbanic, and Cole Dunne as a few big names for the future of the program.

On a team with only one senior, sophomores Brown and Jeff Serle and junior Cody McQueen were designated as team captains before the start of the meet.

Liberty will next travel to Raleigh, N.C., for its first College Club Swimming (CCS) meet hosted by North Carolina State on Oct. 14-15 at the Casey Aquatic Center. The Flames will host the Eastern Regional Championships at the Natatorium on Nov. 11-12, which will serve as a qualifier for the April 5-7 CCS National Championships at Indiana University.

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer; Videos by Micah Adams/Club Sports Video & Media assistant (above) and Kate Foelsch and Malick Ibela (below)