THOMASVILLE, Ga.- The Ave Maria University swim and dive teams competed for the second time this season, taking to the pool at the Thomas Fall Meet, held on the campus of Thomas University in Georgia. The Gyrene men won a dual meet with the host Night Hawks, while the women finished second in a tri-meet - ahead of host Thomas and behind NCAA Division II West Florida.

The Ave Maria men won eleven of 14 available gold medals and 12 silver medals, dominating the dual meet with Thomas. Pete Anderson was the most successful of Ave Maria's swimmers, claiming four gold medals - winning in the 50 and 200 freestyle races and aiding victories in the 200 freestyle and 400 medley relays. Two other Gyrenes won three events, with Sam Pilkington winning the 100 yard breaststroke and two relays and Lucas Thomaz winning two relays to go with the 100 yard butterfly.

One school record fell at Thomasville, provided by freshman Eli Soderberg. Soderberg touched the wall first in the 400 yard individual medley with a time of 4:19.59, breaking the school record set during the 2023-24 season by Eli Pelzer. The Gyrene men, with the Thomas Fall Meet included, are currently ranked 14th in the nation by SwimCloud.

West Florida won all 14 events on the women's side, as the Argos enter the 2024-25 season as the seventh ranked team in the nation. Emma Heasty was Ave Maria's most active swimmer, leaving Georgia with four silver medals. Heasty swam a season-best time of 26.51 seconds in the 50 yard freestyle, and placed second in the 200 yard freestyle at 2:03.51. She also aided the Gyrenes in two relays.

Four other Gyrenes won multiple medals in individual events in Thomasville, with the efforts led by Maryanna Matista (silver, 100 yard freestyle and bronze, 50 yard freestyle), Mimi Estrada (silver, 100 yard freestyle, and bronze, 200 yard butterfly), Anna Szucs (silver, 500 yard freestyle and bronze, 200 yard backstroke), and Hannah Nelson (bronze, 500 yard freestyle and 1650 yard freestyle. Ave Maria's women enter the month of November as the 17th ranked team in the nation, with Sun Conference foes St. Thomas and Keiser at 1-2.

The Gyrenes will have a busy November, with four events on the schedule. November will begin with the Gyrenes facing one of the nation's top programs in St. Thomas University in a dual meet. St. Thomas is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation in both genders by SwimCloud. The Gyrenes will battle the Bobcats in Miami Gardens on Saturday, November 1.