COLUMBUS, Ga.- The Ave Maria University swim program had a historic showing at the Georgia Small College Championships, held this past week in Columbus, Georgia. The Gyrene women earned their first ever team victory at the event, and set a whopping eleven school records. On the men's side, the Gyrenes placed second overall behind Life University, and added three school records to the books. Six teams from the NAIA and NCAA ranks competed, with Life, Brenau, Thomas, UT Southern, and Piedmont in the competition.

The depth of the Ave Maria women won them the event, as the Gyrenes did not win any gold medals, but led the overall medal count with 13 - six silver and seven bronze. As has been the case for much of the season, AMU's youth movement took center stage, with each of the seven individual school records that fell coming from Gyrene newcomers. The leader of this charge was Delaney Weisbruch, who set five school records, toppling marks in the 100 free (54.64), 200 free (1:57.24), 200 fly (2:12.14), 200 IM (2:09.68), and 400 IM (4:37.17), all of which hit NAIA provisional times.

The other two individual school records to fall were provided by Anna Szucs' time of 5:22.66 in the 500 free, and Hannah Nelson's time of 19:10.05 in the 1650 free. The Gyrenes also broke school records in four of the five relay races. 

The pairings that set school records were Stella Paradise, Emma Heasty, Maureen Eads, and Maryanna Matista in the 200 free relay, Weisbruch, Matista, Paradise, and Heasty in the 400 free relay, Weisbruch, Paradise, Szucs, and Heasty in the 800 free relay, and Gabby Darakchieva, Szucs, Weisbruch, and Heasty in the 400 medley relay.

In the men's event, the Gyrenes set school records in two individual events and one relay. The first school record set came on Thursday, when Sam Pilkington touched the wall with a time of 1:56.41 in the 200 IM. Newcomer Lucas Thomaz also added a school record on Friday, clocking in at 51.14 seconds in the 100 fly. Another standout swim was recorded by Eduardo Martiniano, who earned AMU's lone individual gold medal of the event with an NAIA provisional time of 46.39 in the 100 yard freestyle.

The Gyrene men also had success in the relays, with one gold medal and one school record. AMU's 200 medley relay team of Martiniano, Pilkington, Thomaz, and Pete Anderson set a school record of 1:32.53, while the Gyrene 400 free relay team earned the lone relay gold medal for the Gyrenes, as Eli Pelzer, Pilkington, Anderson, and Martiniano touched the wall at 3:05.61.

Ave Maria's efforts at the Georgia Small College Championships completes the fall semester schedule. The schedule will resume on Friday, January 10, when the Gyrenes host a tri-meet against Life and St. Thomas in Fort Myers.