Lynchburg, Va. -- The University of Lynchburg men's and women's swim teams got competed for their first time in 2026 against Mary Washington for the team's Code Red event and fell just short on Saturday afternoon at the Liberty Natatorium.

Both the men's and women's squads battled through the end against the Eagles. The men's team was nipped by UMW, 141-121, and the women's team fell 156-106. The Hornets opened their meet with a strong showing across both relay and individual events.

Lynchburg picked up early momentum in the men's 200-yard medley relay, as the team of Henry Brooks, Ryan Bambrick, Owen Howery, and Adam Fisher touched first with a time of 1:34.00. On the women's side, the Lynchburg A relay of Abigail Schneider, Gracie Maughan, Sydney Weeks, and Sophia Schorr finished second in 1:52.00.

Distance events highlighted several strong individual efforts for the Hornets. In the women's 1000-yard freestyle, Lindsay Hanks led the Lynchburg group with a time of 11:53.61, followed by Jordyn Adametz and Sydney Parrott. The men's 1000-yard freestyle saw Jackson Holsten claim a first-place finish in 10:25.06, with Ahmad Woodson finishing second in 10:28.04. Franco Gastaldi Fossat and Keegan Williamson also contributed solid swims for Lynchburg. Holsten continued to impress with a dominant first-place in the 500-yard freestyle in 4:55.79.

Sprint events continued to showcase depth for the Hornets. Sophia Schorr won the women's 50-yard freestyle with a time of 24.74, while Sienna Schmeck placed second. Holsten followed his distance victory by winning the men's 200-yard freestyle in 1:46.08, with Fisher close behind in second. Brooks added a first-place finish in the men's 100-yard backstroke, touching in 50.72.

Charlotte Grieve earned a victory in the women's 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:19.80. Connor Marshall finished second in the men's 200-yard butterfly, while multiple Hornets added depth swims throughout the event lineup. Lynchburg continued to post competitive performances through the final events, with strong finishes in the freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke races to round out the meet.

The final two events were the electrifying 400-yard freestyle relays for both the women and men. The women's group of Weeks, Maughan, Schmeck, and Schneider took first overall with a time of 3:45.25, while the collective of Lilly Pifer, Eliza Fleenor, Giuli Soria, and Reagan Leech finished in third. The men's crew of Wyatt Dacus, Jacob Andrews, Fisher, and Brooks earned second place and the foursome of Holsten, Marshall, Fossat, and Tyler Caten followed up with a third-place finish.

The men's and women's swim teams will return to the pool at the end of the month when they host the Battle of the Burg at the Liberty Natatorium on Saturday, Jan. 31 starting at noon.

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