Final Day: TYR Fall Classic at FIU

Saturday, October 6

Miami, Fla.

8 a.m.

Grand Canyon

TYR Fall Classic presented by Swiss Timing @ FIU

10/6/2018 4:46:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving

Final Standings Day 1 and 2 Results

Men finish 2nd overalll; women take 5th

By: Nathan Okonek

MIAMI -- The Grand Canyon swimming and diving teams finished their first weekend of competition at the TYR Fall Classic Presented by Swiss Timing at Florida International on Saturday.

The men, who trailed by two points heading into Day 2, scored 478 points to finish in second place to Army's 493.50. The women finished in fifth place with 384.5 points, trailing Florida Gulf Coast (478.5), Florida International (454.5), Texas Christian (390) and George Washington (387.5).

"We struggled a bit more today in some of our races, but overall it was a very good first meet with a lot to of learning and positive takeaways," Lopes head coach Steve Schaffer said. "The NCAA format forces our new swimmers to swim races with less recovery time between events than they are used to so this was a good opportunity for them to learn how to manage that."

For the second consecutive day, GCU got off to a strong start, as the 200-yard medley relay teams earned points for the Lopes.

The women's relay of Brigit Van Der Vegte, Marina McInelly, Emily Muteti and Diana Jaruseviciute tied for second with a time of 1 minute, 45.29 seconds.

After winning the 400 medley relay and the 200 free relay Friday, the men won their third relay event in a row. Mark Nikolaev, Alonso Carazo Barbero, Daniil Antipov and Mazen Shoukri won in a time of 1:30.45, earning 40 points for GCU.

In the 500 freestyle, Antipov continued to earn important points for the Lopes, taking second with a time of 4:31.24.

McInelly finished in fifth place in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:23.58.

Carazo Barbero continued to contribute to the men's team, placing fourth in the 200 breaststroke (2:12.69).

In the 200 backstroke, Hannah Barker finish in sixth place with a time of 2:06.26. Van Der Vegte finished first in the "B" final with a time of 2:05.13.

After a victory in the 100 backstroke on Day 1, Nikolaev continued to impress by winning the 200 backstroke Saturday with a time of 1:48.68. Nikolaev won all four of his events this weekend,

"Mark is starting the year off great," Schaffer said. "His 100 backstroke time is more than a second faster this year, over last year's time. He seems to be feeling and using the water better than ever."

In the 100 freestyle, Roaia Mashaly placed fourth with a time of 53.24. Jaruseviciute finished runner-up in the "B" final in 53.45.

Shoukri also continued to have a strong showing, as the freshman took second in the 100 freestyle with a time of 45.65. Florent Janin took first in the "B" final with a time of 46.05.

"Mazen Shoukri and Florent Janin were very impressive in their first meet as freshmen," Schaffer said. "I am excited to see how they improve and contribute throughout this season. They have a very bright future ahead of them."

Antipov recorded another second-place finish Saturday with a time of 1:52.52 in the 200 butterfly.

"Daniil Antipov really stepped up for us, even though he wasn't 100 percent due to a back spasm he has been dealing with," Schaffer said. "His 500 freestyle time was faster this year, as was his 100 butterfly time."

In the final event of the day, the GCU men's 400 freestyle relay of Shoukri, Samuel McKenzie and Nikolaev won with a time of 3:02.04. The women's relay team of Kyra Forrest, Kenya McCray, Jaruseviciute and Mashaly placed third in 3:31.21.

"For our women, Diana Jaruseviciute swam very well," Schaffer said. "Kyra Forrest, Brigit Van Der Vegte, Emily Muteti and Hannah Barker all had very good first meets as freshmen. The swims that really caught my eye, however, were Kenya McCray's two free relay legs. She is really coming along very well."

In the women's 3-meter dive, Tasmin Stewart finished fourth in the "A" final with a score of 197.40. Menna El-Midany took third in the "B" final (227.75).

Pietro Hufnagel Toscani found himself on top for the second day in a row, as he won the "A" final of the 1-meter dive with a score of 280.20. Nick Benson competed in the "B" final, finishing second (249.80).

GCU returns to action next Saturday, when it hosts Arizona for the first time in program history. The Wildcats are coming off top-25 finishes for men (No. 18) and women (No. 23) last season.

"We get right back to work on my Monday," Schaffer said. "We are looking forward to getting the entire team competing this Saturday against the University of Arizona. It should be a fun one."

For more on GCU swimming and diving, follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @GCU_Swimming.