LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Red Wave opened their season at the 2025 All-Arkansas Invite on Saturday, collecting strong swims across both squads as the Red Wave men finished on top of the standings with 641 points, while the women placed fourth overall with 345.
The meet began with the relays, where the men's 200 medley relay team of
Avery Henke,
Oskar Cebula,
Colin Candebat and
Vitor Sa touched first in 1:33.03. The women's top relay came from
Emma Crowe,
Monroe Chittum,
Raven Roberts and
Shelby Travis, who posted a 1:52.44 to claim fifth.
Colton Bennett gave HSU its first individual victory of the afternoon in the 200 freestyle with a 1:45.12. He was followed closely by freshman
Bartu Akin at 1:45.46 and
Thomas Landreneau in third at 1:48.81, sweeping the podium for the Red Wave. On the women's side, freshman
Iris McNamara led the way with an eighth-place finish in 2:02.78.
The 200 IM proved another strong event for Henderson's men as Candebat (1:53.76),
Nojus Skirutis (1:54.21), and
Hunter Rytting (1:54.64) went one-two-three, while Crowe (2:17.10) led the HSU women with an eighth-place showing.
Sprinters shined in the 50 freestyle, with Sa claiming the victory at 21.71 seconds and teammate Tristen Fergunson right behind in 21.88. Roberts (25.66) and
Emily Hand (25.68) were the top finishers for the women.
In the butterfly, Candebat lowered his own meet mark to win the 100 in 49.70, followed by Skirutis at 50.95. Hand (1:04.22) paced the Red Wave women in the event.
Distance swimmers added depth for HSU, with Akin capturing the men's 500 freestyle in 4:45.33 and Alan Gonzalez Mujica (4:46.95) finishing second.
Emilee Rogers was the top finisher on the women's side, touching in 5:32.79.
The Red Wave capped the day with a win in the men's 200 freestyle relay as
Scott Doll, Oliver Pozvai, Fergunson and Henke combined for a 1:26.51. Henderson's women's team of
Katie Batts,
Ryann Grasser, Hand and
Ryleigh Wells clocked 1:48.36 for fifth.
The final stretch of the meet brought more highlights for Henderson. Rytting led a one-two-three sweep in the 100 backstroke at 52.70, followed by Westbrook (54.73) and Eckard (54.94). In the 100 breaststroke, Cebula stole the show with a record-breaking performance of 58.03, surpassing his own meet standard set last year.
Teammates Henke and Eberhard rounded out the sweep with second and third-place finishes. Henderson then closed the competition on a high note as Pozvai, Sa, Doll and Henke teamed up to take the 400 freestyle relay in 3:05.88.
Up Next –
Henderson State will now turn its attention to the next meet, set for Friday, Sept. 26, when the Red Wave head back to Little Rock for a dual against Arkansas-Little Rock.
