CONWAY, Ark. – The final meet of the first semester was by the best meet of the semester for Barton swimming team. Perhaps the best in the 2-year history of the program. So far, that is.

The Cougars hit their stride at the Hendrix College Invitational in Conway, Arkansas over the weekend.

The Barton men won the meet with a total of 652 points followed by host Hendrix College with 645. Centenary was third with 494.5.

In the women’s division, the top two teams switched places as Hendrix won with 857 points followed by Barton at 627. Centenary was again third with 508.

At the same meet last year – with pretty much the same teams – the men scored 389 and took 3rd and a much smaller women’s team scored just 172 and finished 6th.

Pretty vast improvement over one season.

The women won all four relays as well as five individual races. The men didn’t win as many races – two relays and one individual – but had eight second place finishes and showed great depth on the way to the win.

Freshman Elizabeth Spitz won three individual events and swam on three of the four winning relays. Spitz won both the 100 (1:01.43) and 200 (2:29.82) breast stroke events as well as the 100 individual medley. Elizabeth Schrock was third in both breast stroke races while McKayla Siemiller was third in the medley.

Siemiller, a freshman from Wichita, took first in the 50m freestyle in 24.98 and won the 100 back stroke in 1:00.72.

Spitz and Siemiller both swam on the 200 freestyle and 200 medley relay teams that took first. They were joined on both relays by Cassandre Zenon and Reagan Smyth.

Spitz swam on the 400 medley with Smyth, Abigail Frye and Schrock while Siemiller was joined by Smyth, Kayla Hennan and Schrock on the 400 free.

Runner up efforts for the Barton women at the meet were by Zenon (100 fly), Frye (200 back), and Smyth (100 free).

For the men, Wichita freshman David Garcia took part in three first place efforts. He won the 50 freestyle in 21.88, a race the Cougars went 1-2-3-4, as William Spitz, Isaac Panzer and Noah Childs followed.

Garcia was also part of two winning freestyle relay teams. Garcia, Panzer, Spitz and Elijah Draper won the 200 in 1:26.81 while Garcia, Christian Taylor, Panzer and Spitz won the 400 free in 3:17.48.

Rory Smith finished second in a pair of races as well as swam on the two medley relays that finished second. Smith was second in the 100 breast stroke in 59.51 and the 200 breast in 2:12.88.

Smith, Childs, Garcia and Leonard Olaru took second in the 200 medley relay while Childs, Smith, Olaru and Christian Taylor swam the 400 medley.

Panzer, a Great Bend freshman, was second in the 100 free in 48.70. Olaru took second in the 200 fly in 2:01.88 and Simon Bottom was second in the 100 medley in 55.61.

Barton won’t be back in the pool until next semester. The Cougars will take part in the Colorado College Classic in Colorado Springs on Jan. 19-20.

Teams Scores

Men

Barton 652, Hendrix 645, Centenary 494.5, Oklahoma Christian 471, Ozarks 383.5, Tabor 155.5, Williams Baptist 79.5

Women

Hendrix 857, Barton 627, Centenary 508, Oklahoma Christian 352, Ozarks 209, Tabor 205, Williams Baptist 33