After finishing 2-4 in the 2020-21 season and finishing fourth in last season’s American Athletic Conference Championship, Tulane University swimming and diving is back in action for its 2021-22 campaign. 

Green Wave swim and dive started their season with a splash, as five Tulane swimmers recorded first-place finishes on opening day. The team began their season on Oct. 8 at the Donaghey Aquatic Center in Little Rock, Arkansas, facing off against the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and the Air Force Falcons. 

On the first day of the action, freshman Sam Krew collected her first career win as Noa Heron, Danielle Titus and Paige McKenzie all finished in first place as well. Heron finished in first twice, winning the 100-yard freestyle and the 500-yard freestyle. The Olive and Blue finished the first day of the meet in second place. 

Tulane swim and dive continued their dominance on the second day of the meet, adding six more first-place finishes to their season total. Krew collected another win in her debut, winning the 1000-yard freestyle. 

Green Wave swimmers finished first and second in the 200-yard freestyle, with Lilly Byrne finishing at 1:51.37 and Heron finishing at 1:52.87. Byrne also won the 500-yard freestyle. 

The Green Wave wreaked havoc in the 200-yard backstroke, 200-yard butterfly and three-meter dive with Titus, Mya Drost-Parra and McKenzie finishing in first. Despite 11 first-place finishes in the meet, Tulane finished in second place overall. 

The Green Wave traveled to the University of West Florida Aquatic Center in Pensacola, Florida to face the University of West Florida in its second meet on Oct. 15. The Olive and Blue picked up where they left off in Arkansas, finishing with 11 first-place finishes in back-to-back meets. The evening included Tulane sweeping the podium twice, in the 200-yard freestyle and again in the 200-yard backstroke.

Head coach Leah Stancil is optimistic about her team’s future. “The team competed with a lot of pride. We had specific race strategies that we were focused on which they executed very well,” Stancil said after the team’s win against the Argonauts. “We still have some technical skills that need improvement but I have been seeing growth from each of them, which I am very happy to witness.”

With the win against West Florida, Green Wave swim and dive advances to 1-0 on the season. The team is set to travel to Nashville, Tennessee on Nov. 6 to face Vanderbilt University.