McMurry Men’s Swimming dominates against Centenary College

Last week, on October 20th, the Men’s Swimming and Diving team started their season with a bang and dominated Centenary College with a 236-59 total win at the Centenary Fitness Center.

 The meet took place over the span of two days: on day one, the score was 124-23, and on day two, it was 112- 36. 

Considering their season has just begun, I asked senior swimmer Kris Cantu Jr. what he was most optimistic about, and he responded that he was looking forward to their conference meet. He expanded, stating, “With how hard everyone is pushing each other, I’m excited to see how they do and how we’ve progressed as a team throughout this season.” Cantu hopes to break some more records throughout the season! 

Interviewing Cantu, it was undeniable that he has a passion and skill for Swimming and Diving. He started swimming as a sport in middle school after some friends told him the school threw a pool party for the team at the end of the season, and he has done it ever since. During his time at McMurry University, he actually got injured and had to step away from the sport. Cantu “thought that was the end,” but what finally brought him back was his teammates, who encouraged him and helped him through the injury. Cantu states that his team has “become more than my teammates and more like my family. Without them, I don’t know if I would be swimming.”

The trust and passion the Men’s Swimming and Diving team has shown in their success against Centenary College. With a score so impressive, I was curious about what moment shifted the meet into McMurry’s favor. Traveling hours away to a competition can be nerve-racking for any sport. For swimming and diving, it can put a team at an immediate disadvantage because the sport requires a lot of movement. This is because long hours on a bus can leave the body pretty tight. According to senior player Cantu, the meet turned to McMurry’s favor at the first event, which was “the 200 medley relay; our spirit and energy were at an all-time high, feeling eager to start racing.” The first relay allowed the team to come through with first place, and from then on, Cantu “knew our group of guys would run away with a victory for that day.” 

In the 200 medley relay, Cantu, along with Junior swimmers Victor Zambrano and Wes Scalf, and Senior swimmer Daniil Kochkonbaev, posted an impressive time of 1:42.49. After this relay, the War Hawks carried their success on to the 400 freestyle relay, with Cantu, Kochkonbaev, Scalf, and Freshman Cameron Ward posting a time of 3:31.18. Unsurprisingly, day two continued this dominance, with McMurry taking the 200 freestyle relay in 1:35.47 and the 400 medley relay in 3:48.54, and the individual events showed season-best performances from numerous team members. 

The War Hawks’ success against Centenary College should come as no surprise; according to Cantu, the team works hard at practice and has “been doing more yardage as the season goes on to get ready for our big mid-season meet.” Although the Men’s Swim team has been working hard, Cantu emphasizes that being a part of the team is also super fun, which makes the sport enjoyable as well as hard work. 

The men’s Swim and Diving team has built up trust and strength, which no doubt will help them dominate at their meets and last for many years. 

More information on this meet and many more can be found on the athletics page!