A HISTORIC DAY FOR PATRIOTS NATION: Championships, Records, and Pure Grit Define an Unforgettable Day!
What a day to be a Patriot! Across every court, pool, and mat, we showed the heart and dominance that defines our university. We made history by clinching our first-ever conference championship in volleyball, our men’s swimming team rewrote the record books, our basketball teams stayed perfect with gritty wins, and our wrestlers and swimmers battled to earn podiums and national cuts. This is what it means to be a Patriot.
Volleyball: WE ARE CHAMPIONS! A Historic Night on Our Court!
Tonight was for the history books. On an emotional Senior Night, in front of our amazing fans, we didn’t just win—we clinched the first-ever Mid-South Conference Regular Season Championship in program history with a dominant 3-0 sweep (25-12, 25-13, 25-15) over Cumberland! The perfect season continues, as we move to a stunning 29-0.
From the very first serve, the energy in the gym was electric. We were unstoppable in the first set, hitting an incredible .414 and closing on a 13-2 run. In the third set, with the championship on the line, our seniors fittingly took over and sealed the deal, closing the match on a 10-3 run capped by a powerful ace from Sara Zampedri and back-to-back blocks from Kara Gipson. The celebration was on!
Our defense was a brick wall, holding the Phoenix to a negative .018 hitting percentage. Senior Sara Zampedri led the way with a fantastic double-double (11 kills, 12 digs), while Kara Gipson was a force at the net with 7 kills and 5 huge blocks. This championship is for everyone who has ever been a part of this program, and we’re not done yet.
Men’s Basketball: We Stay Perfect with a Gritty Road Win!
Road wins are never easy, and tonight we proved we have the toughness to get it done, battling for a huge 73-70 victory over Shawnee State to stay perfect at 3-0. When the game got tight, we made the plays that mattered, led by an absolutely legendary performance from Brant Smithers.
We got off to a slow start, but Brant Smithers decided to take over, catching fire and burying a trio of threes to erase the deficit. The second half was a dogfight, but he just kept firing, finishing with a career-high 26 points and an unbelievable 7 three-pointers. When Shawnee State made a late push, Kyle Duke stepped to the line with ice in his veins and calmly sank four straight free throws to seal the victory. It was a total team effort that showed our grit and determination.
Men’s Swimming: We Didn’t Just Win, We Rewrote the Record Books!
We put on a historic performance in the pool, crushing DePauw 267-86 in a meet that we’ll be talking about for a long time. We won every single event, shattered four pool records and a school record, and punched 15 tickets to nationals.
Our 400-free relay team of Arvid Farro, Brandon Holder, Adam Geddis, and Alexander Poulsen didn’t just break the pool record—they smashed the school record and posted the fastest time in the NAIA this season at 2:59.07! Individually, Alexander Poulsen (100 free) and Brandon Holder (200 back) each added their own pool records, while Fabrizio Pacioni was a double-winner. This was more than a win; it was a message to the rest of the country.
Women’s Wrestling: We Battled and Found the Podium!
Our first open tournament of the season was a true test of grit, and our wrestlers proved they have it in spades. We went into a tough field at the Tiffin Women’s Open and came away with four podium finishes.
Genesis Gilmore was an absolute warrior at 145 lbs. After a tough early loss, she showed incredible resilience, ripping off seven straight victories in the consolation bracket to earn a well-deserved third-place finish. At 138 lbs, we had double the firepower on the podium, with both Mary Jane Porter and Oriyana Castex battling their way to a shared third-place finish. Alivia Ming also had a fantastic day, wrestling tough and securing a fifth-place finish at 145. This was a day of pure toughness, and we couldn’t be prouder.
Women’s Swimming: We Fought to the Finish in an Epic Dual!
We left everything we had in the pool today in one of the most exciting duals you’ll ever see. While the final scoreboard showed a narrow 177-175 loss to DePauw, we walked away knowing we made a huge statement, racking up an incredible 13 national cuts and four victories.
The highlight was our absolute domination in the 200 breaststroke, where we swept the top four spots! Helena Jarosz led the charge to take the win, with Megan Schoenlein and Moa Nyblom right behind her. Those three now hold the 3rd, 4th, and 5th fastest times in the entire NAIA! Juliana Lopez Morales (500 free), Bella Hoare (100 fly), and Morgan Schraudner (3-meter diving) also secured huge wins for us. We battled to the very end and proved we can compete with anyone.
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