Spartans Top FGCU, Miami in Non-Diving Events at Eagle Invitational

FORT MYERS, Fla. — The University of Tampa women's swimming team wrapped up a strong showing at the Eagle Fall Invitational on Saturday, finishing second overall with 2,342 points behind host Florida Gulf Coast (2,527.25) and ahead of Miami (1,814.75).

The Spartans capped the two-day meet with multiple top-three finishes, led by standout swims from veterans and newcomers alike. Tampa, which did not compete in the diving events, was the top-scoring team in non-diving scoring.

Top Tampa Performers

• 200 Freestyle Relay:Tampa's "A" squad of Sara Safranko, Avery Frece, McCall Freiburger, and Tilde Morin placed third with a 1:33.77 finish, followed closely by the "B" relay of Laney Jones, Sara Teague, Madalee Roberts, and Alicia Soderlind in fourth at 1:34.28.
• 500 Freestyle: Junior Laura Hodgson paced the Spartans with a first-place finish at 4:54.99. McKenna Patrick followed closely in third (4:57.08), while Morgan Wimberly and Alyssa Webb also placed in the top 15.
• 200 Individual Medley: Sophomore Burlingtyn Bokos led Tampa with a second-place time of 2:03.56, while Caroline Foltz (4th, 2:04.93) and Carlie Tyler (5th, 2:05.01) added valuable points.
• 50 Freestyle: Senior Tilde Morin tied for fourth place in 23.50, with Sara Safranko, Laney Jones, and Avery Frece all finishing among the top 15 in a deep sprint field.
• 400 Medley Relay: Tampa's top relay of Kim McCaffrey, Caroline Foltz, Burlingtyn Bokos, and Tilde Morin touched in third place (3:45.87).
• 400 Individual Medley: Bokos claimed first place with a dominant 4:22.35. Caroline Byers finished fourth (4:25.84), and Carlie Tyler added a seventh-place showing.
• 100 Butterfly: Sophomore Sofia Krstolic led Tampa with an eighth-place finish (56.90), followed by Sophie Frece (9th, 57.19) and McCall Freiburger (12th, 58.14).
• 200 Freestyle: Sophomore McKenna Patrick placed second overall in 1:50.51, while Laura Hodgson and Alyssa Webb both earned top-12 finishes.
• 100 Breaststroke: Junior Caroline Foltz was runner-up in 1:03.46, just ahead of Alicia Soderlind (3rd, 1:03.78) and Stephanie Vogt (5th, 1:04.71) as Tampa dominated the heat.
• 100 Backstroke: Junior Lindsey Louder secured third with a 56.22 finish. Kimberly McCaffrey placed fourth (56.70), and both Avery Frece and Merritt Walker tied for eighth (57.46).
• 800 Freestyle Relay: The Spartans' "A" team of Louder, Patrick, Hodgson, and Bokos finished fourth overall (7:31.39), with the "B" relay also landing in the top five.
• 1650 Freestyle: Hodgson returned to the distance pool with a runner-up finish (17:09.49), and Wimberly followed in third (17:16.04) to keep Tampa strong in the distance events.
• 200 Backstroke: Louder led the way again with a third-place showing at 1:59.69, while Carlie Tyler (7th, 2:03.22) and McCaffrey (8th, 2:03.24) gave Tampa three top-10 performances.
• 100 Freestyle: Avery Frece (51.84) and Mckenna Patrick (51.98) finished eighth and ninth, respectively, while Chloi Harper (11th) and Laney Jones (12th) added more sprint depth.
• 200 Breaststroke: Caroline Foltz led Tampa with a third-place finish (2:16.88), while Vogt (5th) and Cameron Dukat (8th) kept Tampa among the top programs in the event.
• 200 Butterfly: Burlingtyn Bokos notched another second-place finish (2:00.61), with Sofia Krstolic following in sixth (2:03.12) and Caroline Byers in eighth (2:05.10).
• 400 Freestyle Relay: The Spartans closed the meet with a strong fourth-place finish (3:25.77) behind Patrick, Frece, Harper, and Morin, while Tampa's "B" team finished sixth (3:29.28).