Four school records and 13 top-five times in program history punctuated a strong finish in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Swimming Championships for Cal Poly Swimming.
The men’s team finished fourth (471 points), tied for the highest placement in program history, while the women’s team placed sixth (245 points) in the four-day meet from Feb. 21-24 in St. George, Utah.
Sophomore men’s swimmer Drew Huston dominated the competition, winning the conference title in the 200-yard backstroke and taking second in the 100-yard backstroke, shattering school records in both events. He broke his own school record in the 100-yard backstroke by over half a second, scoring a 46.56 in prelims.
He was the first Mustang to win the 200-yard backstroke and now holds the first conference title for a Cal Poly Swimmer since Kieran McNulty’s win in 2022. In the coming weeks, Huston will swim in a last-chance meet to try to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Huston also broke a school record as a part of the men’s 400-yard medley relay, alongside freshman Luke Reyes, sophomore Finn Schlamp, and sophomore Jonathan Butler. They bested the previous mark by a second and a half.
The men’s team missed the podium by just two points, finishing behind University of the Incarnate Word with a final score of 473.
The Mustangs started the four-day championships well, the men’s team finishing the first day in third place and the women’s team in fourth place behind 200-yard medley relays that nearly broke school records on both sides.
The second day was a bigger struggle as preliminary times dropped almost across the board going into races.
Despite the day two challenges, senior men’s swimmer Sean Keegan was a standout performer, breaking the 200 IM school record with a time of 1:46:89. Keegan was also a part of the 200 free relay team that finished 0.07 seconds off of the school record which was good for sixth in the event.
On the women’s side, senior Kelly McDermott and freshman Rhian Neitzel placed fourth and sixth, respectively, in the 400 IM. Neitzel scored her personal best of 4:26.48 in prelims, an unlikely feat in competition.
McDermott also took ninth in the women’s 200-yard backstroke on the final day.
Freshman Olivia Sundgren placed fifth in the 1650-yard freestyle, the second-best placement for a Cal Poly women’s swimmer in the tournament.
This season was the best finish for the women’s team since they placed fifth in MPSF in 2021.
To end competition, Schlamp and senior Joshua Billote both took home podium finishes, Billote in the men’s 1650-yard freestyle and Schlamp in the men’s 200-yard butterfly.
The Mustangs finished their season on a memorable run, notching back-to-back regular season dual-meet victories going into the championships.
Cal Poly Diving had multiple notable accomplishments in the MPSF Diving Championships a week prior, including freshman Justin Dolezal securing the highest finish for a diver in program history.
This was Cal Poly’s last year competing in the MPSF, as the Big West will be taking over swimming and diving beginning next fall.
The season isn’t completely over for the Mustangs yet, as a few Cal Poly divers will be competing in the NCAA Zone E Diving Championships starting March 11.