Henderson State delivered another strong session on Day Three of the NSISC Championships, highlighted by a dominant performance in the Men's 400 IM and 100 Fly.
The headline moment of the night came in the 400 IM, where the Reddies controlled the championship final. Senior Nojus Skirutis captured the conference title and hit the NCAA Division II B standard, leading a statement swim for Henderson. Freshman Hunter Rytting followed in third with his own B cut, and Bartu Akin added a fourth-place finish while Emiliano Pina came seventh to give the Reddies three of the top four spots in the A final. The groups performance delivered one of the biggest point swings of the session and reinforced Henderson's strength in the IM events.
The momentum carried into the B final, where Aiden Eckard secured a 13th-place finish and added important team points to extend the Reddies advantage in the event.
The night also featured a nationally significant relay swim in the Women's 4x100 Medley Relay. Sophomore Emma Crowe led off with a 55.18 split in the 100 backstroke, a time that now ranks 12th in NCAA Division II this season and currently places her in qualifying position for the NCAA Division II National Championships. Crowe's leadoff set the tone, and the relay team of Crowe, Monroe Chittum, Irem Erktan, and Shelby Travis finished third overall to secure a podium finish.
In the Men's 100 Butterfly, Colin Candebat added another strong swim to win the event and added another NCAA DII B-Cut consideration time. Stevie Balistreri placed fourth, and Gavin Kock finished seventh to give Henderson three A-final scorers in the event.
The B final once again proved critical for team scoring, as Vitor Sa and Tristin Ferguson both added points to the overall total.
On the women's side, Jennifer Montier competed in the A final of the 100 Butterfly, while Irem Erktan, Emily Hand, Allie Rhodes, and Delaney Smith all scored in the B final to strengthen Henderson's standing.
The Women's 200 Freestyle saw B-final contributions from Ryann Grasser and Tayden Drake, and in the Men's 200 Freestyle, Alan González Mujica led the Reddies in the B final with Thomas Landreneau and Scott Doll also adding points.
The session concluded with a second-place finish in the Men's 4x100 Medley Relay, as Avery Henke, Oskar Cebula, Colin Candebat and Olivér Pózvai combined for another podium performance.
Through three days, Henderson State has blended championship-final dominance with steady B-final scoring. With two days remaining, the Reddies carry both momentum and depth into the final stretch of the NSISC Championships.
Team scores after three days are the following:
Women:
1.) University of West Florida - 614
2.) Delta State University - 447
3.) Ouachita Baptist University - 267
4.) Henderson State University - 219
Men:
1.) Ouachita Baptist University - 528. 50
2.) Henderson State University - 520
3.) Delta State University - 450. 50
