Akron Shines on Day 3 of the Zippy Invitational

Saturday, December 6

Akron, Ohio

9:00 AM/1:30 PM/6 PM

University of Akron

Zippy Invitational

December 06 | Women's Swimming & Diving

AKRON, Ohio — The University of Akron women delivered another electrifying performance Saturday at the Zippy Invitational, stacking up event titles, major points and relay dominance to strengthen their hold on the top of the standings heading into the final day of competition.

Senior Callie Parkes set the tone with a decisive win in the 100-yard butterfly, clocking 53.36 to outpace a deep championship field and secure Akron's first victory of the evening. Sophomore Addy Soehnlen (54.48) added a fifth-place finish, bolstering the Zips' scoring punch.

In one of the night's strongest events, the 200-yard freestyle, Akron placed four swimmers in the championship final. Sophomore Helena Lalkovic (1:47.62) and senior Hannah Trainer (1:49.13) led the way with a one-two finish, followed by senior Elle Couture (1:50.44) in fifth and junior Brie Trumpower (1:51.71) in seventh, a huge point-scoring haul that helped widen the Zips' overall lead.

Akron kept rolling in the 100-yard breaststroke, where junior Claire Cox surged to the event title in 1:00.69 — the only swimmer under 1:01 in the final — giving the Zips another top-of-the-podium performance and a wave of momentum midway through the session. The depth continued in the 100 breast as sophomore Madelyn Bosler (1:03.34) and Efi Mazaraki (1:03.49) finished seventh and eighth, respectively.

Akron had a pair of swimmers score in the final heat of the 100-yard backstroke as well. Freshman Avery Knight won the event with a 53.72 time, just under one-second from the NCAA DI A standard, while freshman Abbey Cronin (55.24) followed with a seventh-place showing.

Akron capped the night with a burst of electricity in the 200-yard freestyle relay, where Parkes, Trumpower, Trainer and Szwabinska stormed to a victory in 1:29.92. Their performance — the only sub-1:30 relay of the session — energized the Ocasek Natatorium crowd and delivered the Zips another marquee win.

At the close of Saturday's events, Akron remained on top of the women's team standings with 1,275 points, maintaining a slim but steady lead over Cornell and Buffalo entering Sunday's finale.

Prelims on Sunday, Dec. 7 are scheduled for 9 a.m. and finals are slated for a 4 p.m. start.

Women - Team Rankings - Through Event 28
1. Akron 1,275
2. Cornell 1,250
3. Buffalo 1,216
4. Bowling Green 829.5
5. Keiser 566
6. Youngstown State 543.5
7. Clarion 344