Texas A&M
SMU
Aggies Take Down SMU at Home
Dec 04, 2010 | Men's Swimming and Diving
Dec. 4, 2010
The Texas A&M men's swimming and diving team captured 10 wins in 13 events and defeated Southern Methodist University 136-98 Saturday at the Student Recreation Natatorium.
"Anytime you swim against SMU, you can count on it being a great meet," said A&M swimming head coach Jay Holmes. "I thought our guys came out and took charge from the first race. Anytime you can do that in a meet, you're proud of the guys."
Junior swimmer Amini Fonua opened the meet for the Aggies with a 50.64 split in the 100-yard backstroke leg of the 400-yard medley relay. His effort was good enough for the fastest A&M 100-yard backstroke split of the season.
The Aggies took first place in the only two relays of the meet, the 400-yard medley relay and 400-yard freestyle relay, edging out SMU by a combined 1.03 seconds in both events.
Sophomore swimmer Omar Enriquez notched a hat trick as he won all three of his individual swims. Enriquez lowered the Aggies' season bests in both the 1,000-yard freestyle (9:22.83) and the 200-yard individual medley (1:52.16) while also taking first in the 500-yard freestyle (4:32.45).
"I was very happy with the times I swam today," Enriquez said. "Especially for this time of year, the racing becomes more important than the times. But I was still happy with how I swam."
The A&M swimmers also had individual wins from sophomore Paul-Marc Schweitzer in the 200 backstroke (1:51.00). The races from Dalton and Makany both lowered the Aggies' season bests of the 2010-2011 season.
On the diving boards, the Aggies were dominant over the Mustangs as they won first place in both the 3-meter and 1-meter springboard events. Junior diver Cameron McLean, who was injured for the 2009-2010 season, took first place on the 1-meter with a score of 335.7. Freshman diver Adam Ruiz and sophomore diver Paul Xiques took third and fourth, respectively.
In the 3-meter event, McLean caused gasps around the natatorium when he slipped on the approach of his second dive, scratching his back on the board and falling into the pool. Despite the tumble, which counted as a failed dive, McLean still finished in third place in the event with 241.55. Ruiz notched his first win of the season in the event with a 264.35 and Xiques placed second with a 249.90.
"This things coach Jay Lerew does with the divers over there are amazing," Holmes said. "I just get to sit back and watch the wonderful things they do every meet."
Holmes said that McLean's fall was especially scary due to his injury in the Aggies' previous season.
"I saw Cam's back-splat on the second dive, and I think we were all scared for him," Holmes said. "But he just popped back up and did his dives. It just shows the kind of competitor he is. He's getting better with every meet right now. "
The Aggies will not take to the pool again until the spring semester, when they host Louisiana State University at the Student Recreation Center on Jan. 22.
Players Mentioned
