KINGSPORT, Tenn. – The Montevallo men's and women's swimming teams wrapped up the 2025-26 Conference Carolinas Swimming Championships on Saturday with a conference championship on the men's side and a runner-up finish for the women. The Falcon men secured the team title with 658 points for their first conference crown in program history, while the Montevallo women totaled 621 points to place second overall.
Alexandria Morgan began Saturday with a new program record and a third-place finish in the women's 1650-yard freestyle, touching the wall in 17:39.67. Liz Davis followed with a 17:55.19, the fifth-fastest time in program history. Knox St. Amant placed fourth in the men's 1650 free with a time of 16:35.46.
The Falcon women dominated the women's 200-yard backstroke, claiming five of the top seven spots. Petra Cajkas led the charge with a runner-up finish in 2:03.47, the third-fastest time in program history. She was followed by Vanina Loriedo in third (2:06.30), Nora Ilic in fourth (2:11.48), Stella Newton in sixth (2:13.25), and Kaylie Carik in seventh (2:13.97).
Edu Elizaran Galan added another individual title, this time winning the men's 200 backstroke in 1:48.76. Elijah Allen contributed a fourth-place finish in 1:52.73.
Sprint success followed in the men's 100-yard freestyle, where Aleksei Kolesnikov captured the top spot in 44.86, an NCAA B-cut time and the fourth-fastest mark in program history.
In the women's 200 breaststroke, Hanna Persson delivered a third-place finish in 2:20.81, setting a new program record. On the men's side, Xoel Parcero Areoso placed fourth in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:04.98.
Keara McGee claimed the conference crown in the women's 200 butterfly, winning in 2:06.71 after controlling the race from the opening 50 and finishing nearly four seconds ahead of the field. Gillian Chorrushi added a sixth-place finish in the event with a time of 2:11.96. The men matched that performance in the 200 butterfly as Ben Johnson earned gold in 1:52.19. Ethan Brewer joined him on the podium with a third-place finish in 1:53.71, giving the Falcons two of the top three spots.
In the women's 400 freestyle relay, the quartet of McGee, Loriedo, Cajkas, and Morgan placed third with a time of 3:32.50. Montevallo closed the meet with a crucial top-four finish in the men's 400 freestyle relay, as Jimmy Franck, Alexander Kim, Denis Popov, and Kolesnikov combined for a fourth-place time of 3:04.11 to secure the points needed to clinch the team championship.
In addition to the program's first conference title, head coach Lori Riegler was named the Conference Carolinas Men's Swimming & Diving Coach of the Year, while Alexandria Morgan earned the Women's Swimming Elite 26 Award. According to Conference Carolinas, "The Elite 26 Award honors the student-athletes with the highest cumulative grade-point average at their respective championship site."
UP NEXT: The Falcons turn their attention to the NCAA Division II Swimming Championships, scheduled for March 10-14, where several swimmers are expected to compete.
Stay up to date with Montevallo Swimming at www.MontevalloFalcons.com and on social media by searching 'Montevallo Swimming' on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
