MONTEVALLO, Ala. – The Montevallo men's and women's swimming teams will open the new year on the road, traveling to Cleveland, Miss., to take on Delta State on Friday. The dual meet is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. inside the Ronald G. Mayers Aquatics Center.
Montevallo resumes competition in 2026 following a break since the House of Champions in late November. The Falcons delivered historic performances throughout the three-day meet, highlighted by a school record in the women's 400-yard medley relay as the quartet of Petra Cajkas, Hanna Persson, Keara McGee, and Alexandria Morgan posted a time of 3:52.37 to rewrite the program record books.
On the men's side, freshman Denis Popov enjoyed a standout opening month of his collegiate career, earning Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Month honors for November. At the House of Champions, Popov recorded the program's fifth- and sixth-fastest times in the 200-yard individual medley, touching the wall at 1:51.74 and 1:51.75. He followed with UM's 10th-fastest time in the 100-yard backstroke (50.05) and another top-10 performance in the 200-yard backstroke at 1:51.23. Over the course of the meet, Popov also contributed to four relay teams that posted new top-10 times in program history.
Delta State enters Friday's meet with momentum on both sides. The Lady Statesmen hold a 3-1 dual meet record this season, while the DSU men are 2-2 with victories over Rhodes and Ouachita Baptist. Both squads are coming off strong performances at the DSU Holiday Invite on Dec. 13-14.
MEET NOTES
