COLUMBIA, Ky. – The University of Tennessee Southern men's swimming team made a statement in their season opener at the Dr. Dillery Fall Frenzy hosted by Lindsey Wilson, turning in record-breaking swims, head-to-head relay wins, and impressive individual performances.

Individual Highlights

• Janos Kadar dominated the backstroke events, winning both the 100 and 200 in record time.

• Hamza Asif powered through the 100 Breaststroke to claim a school record.

• Relay units continued to be a strength, with UT Southern winning three of five head-to-head battles against Lindsey Wilson, who finished 7th nationally last season.

School Records Fall

The Firehawks shattered six school records over the weekend:

• Kadar – Men's 100 Backstroke & 200 Backstroke

• Asif – Men's 100 Breaststroke

• 200 Medley Relay – Kadar, Asif, Logan Jones, Rafael Gallegos

• 400 Medley Relay – Kadar, Asif, Jones, Michael McDaniel

• 400 Free Relay – Kadar, Gallegos, McDaniel, Asif

The highlight of the meet came in the 200 Medley Relay, where UT Southern edged host Lindsey Wilson by just one hundredth of a second—the slimmest margin in swimming—for an electrifying victory.

UT Southern Event-by-Event Finishers

(From meet results)

50 Freestyle

• Rafael Gallegos – 5th, 22.04

• Michael McDaniel – 12th, 23.51

100 Freestyle

• Rafael Gallegos – 4th, 48.75

• Michael McDaniel – 8th, 50.34

200 Freestyle

• Logan Jones – 7th, 1:52.91

• Rafael Gallegos – 8th, 1:53.04

500 Freestyle

• Logan Jones – 7th, 5:09.02

1000 Freestyle

• Logan Jones – 6th, 11:01.11

100 Backstroke

• Janos Kadar – 1st, 50.92 (school record)

200 Backstroke

• Janos Kadar – 1st, 1:53.11 (school record)

100 Breaststroke

• Hamza Asif – 2nd, 59.74 (school record)

200 Breaststroke

• Hamza Asif – 3rd, 2:14.52

100 Butterfly

• Rafael Gallegos – 6th, 54.47

200 Butterfly

• Michael McDaniel – 4th, 2:05.39

200 Individual Medley

• Janos Kadar – 3rd, 1:56.90

• Hamza Asif – 8th, 2:05.72

400 Individual Medley

• Michael McDaniel – 6th, 4:35.41

Relays

• 200 Medley Relay – 1st, 1:35.61 (school record, Kadar, Asif, Jones, Gallegos)

• 400 Medley Relay – 1st, 3:32.45 (school record, Kadar, Asif, Jones, McDaniel)

• 400 Free Relay – 1st, 3:13.08 (school record, Kadar, Gallegos, McDaniel, Asif)

• 200 Free Relay – 2nd, 1:28.22

Head Coach Trevor Trimpe praised the team's complete effort:

"I am thrilled with how we performed at our first meet of the year, not only did we have great swims, but we also cheered for our teammates, brought palpable energy, and did all of the intangibles that add up to fun fast swimming."

Final Team Standings

The Firehawks finished 3rd overall in the team standings, showcasing depth across multiple events while cementing themselves as one of the most exciting up-and-coming programs in the Appalachian Athletic Conference.

Next Up

UT Southern will return to the pool on Saturday, October 11, when they compete in the Sewanee Relay Meet.

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