Baylor Swimming & Diving competed at the Junior National Championship this past weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana. With 10 athletes qualifying—tied for the most in Baylor history—the team delivered a breakout performance on the national stage.
As a combined team, Baylor posted the highest score of any team from the Southeast region and finished 12th overall while the boys finished 7th.
Coach Brooks, Director of Swimming & Diving, said "I am incredibly proud of the way our athletes competed and represented Baylor at Junior Nationals. This was a special performance for our program and a reflection of the consistent growth we've seen over the past three years. Our athletes went into the meet with a clear plan and did an excellent job executing it, which was evident throughout the weekend. This Junior National Championship represents an important step forward for Baylor Swimming & Diving, and I am extremely excited about the future of our program."
The women's performances were highlighted by first-time qualifiers Norah Sunderland, Anara Summers, and Anna Bennett Curtis. Sunderland and Summers each achieved personal-best times in the 200 Breaststroke and 200 IM & Butterfly, respectively. Curtis scored valuable points for the team with two finals appearances in the 100 & 200 Backstroke.
On the men's side, Radford Walker secured a lifetime best after qualifying just four days prior to the start of the meet. Baylor placed in the top 10 in all 5 Relays, including a podium finish with 3rd place finish in the 200 Free Relay, swum by Hayden Vicknair, Ethan Gover, Connor Hupman, and Javier Diaz Lopez.
Diaz Lopez also went under the Varsity record in the 100 Breaststroke. Individually, Ethan Gover earned two finals swims in the 100 & 200 Freestyle, while Luke Higgo qualified for the "A" final in the 100 Backstroke, finishing 6th overall.
Hayden Vicknair capped off an exceptional meet with three finals appearances, including the 50 Freestyle, where his time of 20.14 broke the Varsity school record, and the 100 Butterfly. Vicknair closed the meet as the Junior National Champion, in the 200 Butterfly posting a time of 1:43.06 to break both the Baylor team record and the Southeastern record in the event.
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