Tampa Swimming Sweeps SSC Championships for Second Straight Year
OCALA, Fla. – The University of Tampa closed out the Sunshine State Conference Championships with a wire‑to‑wire finish on Sunday at the FAST Center, punctuating the final session with distance depth, backstroke and breaststroke titles, and podium relays to sweep both the men's and women's team championships.
This marks the second consecutive season in which the Spartans captured both the men's and women's team titles. For the men, this is the fourth straight SSC championship and fifth overall. In total, the Tampa women now have six SSC team championships.
Top Tampa Performers (Men) – Final Day
- 1,650 Freestyle: Freshman Julian Ithier led Tampa with a fourth‑place finish in 15:41.51. In exhibition swims, Diego Dulieu (15:42.65) and Hudson Evans (15:51.84) turned in strong efforts.
- 100 Freestyle: Jacob Hamlin paced Tampa with a fifth‑place finish in 43.94. He was followed closely by Tibor Tistan (7th, 44.27) and Nick Cavic (8th, 44.61). In the B‑final, Alfredo Dominguez added key depth with 9th overall in 44.13, and Riccardo Pandin scored with 16th, 44.99.
- 200 Backstroke: Senior William Beckstead‑Holman led Tampa with a conference title in 1:44.25. He was joined by Ollie Pope (6th, 1:47.02) and Josh Noll (10th, 1:46.97). In the B‑final, freshmen Rufus Bernhardt (13th, 1:47.41) and Mathias Holmann (16th, 1:50.27) added depth points.
- 200 Breaststroke: Britton Spann led Tampa with a runner‑up finish in 1:57.89. He was followed by Kasparas Venslauskas (9th, 2:00.26) and River Streefland (10th, 2:01.32). In the B‑final, Jared Allison closed the book with 18th overall, 2:06.55.
- 400 Freestyle Relay: Tampa's A‑relay sealed the meet with a podium showing, placing third in 2:55.60 behind the quartet of Alfredo Dominguez, Tibor Tistan, Nick Cavic, and Jacob Hamlin. The B‑relay added valuable depth with 8th in 2:58.97.
Top Tampa Performers (Women) – Final Day
- 1,650 Freestyle: Junior Laura Hodgson led Tampa with a runner‑up finish in 16:58.52. She was followed by Morgan Wimberly (6th, 17:19.81) and Sofia Krstolic (7th, 17:20.08). In the B‑final/seeded heat, Alyssa Webb added 10th overall in 17:25.47.
- 100 Freestyle: Senior Tilde Morin paced the Spartans with 4th in 49.98. She was followed by Avery Frece (6th, 50.83) and Madalee Roberts (9th, 51.06). In the B‑final, Tampa continued to add depth with McKenna Patrick (11th, 51.60) and Sara Safranko (13th, 51.81).
- 200 Backstroke: Tampa swept the podium's top steps as Sidni Meister captured the conference title in a new school record time of 1:57.63, with Lindsey Louder (2nd, 1:57.88) and Kim McCaffrey (3rd, 1:59.20) close behind. Carlie Tyler completed a commanding quartet in 4th at 2:00.44.
- 200 Breaststroke: Caroline Foltz powered to the conference crown in a school record time of 2:14.41, leading a wave of Spartans that included Burlingtyn Bokos (2nd, 2:16.52), Hannah-Claire Jowers (4th, 2:17.63), and Caroline Byers (6th, 2:19.32).
- 400 Freestyle Relay: Tampa's A‑relay capped the night with a silver medal in 3:23.12 behind Avery Frece, Tilde Morin, Madalee Roberts, and Lindsey Louder. The B‑relay finished 9th in 3:26.51 to add closing‑session points.
Final Team Standings
Men
- Tampa – 893 points
- Nova Southeastern – 605 points
- Lynn – 554 points
- Florida Southern – 499.5 points
- Florida Tech – 406.5 points
- Rollins – 316.5 points
- Barry – 278.5 points
Women
- Tampa – 1,096.5 points
- Nova Southeastern – 954.5 points
- Lynn – 508 points
- Florida Southern – 345 points
- Florida Tech – 270 points
- Rollins – 230 points
- Barry – 152 points
Up Next
The Spartans now shift their sights towards the 2026 NCAA Division II Championships. The event is scheduled for March 10-14 at Deaconess Aquatic Center in Evansville, Ind.
