By John Ostapowicz / The Jambar
With a tough start to the 2025-26 campaign against the defending 2025 Horizon League Swimming and Diving Champions in Oakland University, the Youngstown State University swimming and diving teams participated in the Akron Zips Classic on Oct. 10-11.
In the two-day meet hosted by University of Akron, the relay teams shined for the Penguins, and out of four teams, Youngstown State finished runner-up to the Zips.
Day One featured junior Hanna Held, who won the women’s one-meter dive with a score of 242. The men’s 400 medley relay teams placed within the top five and claimed the event victory.
The squad of graduate student Quinn Cynor, senior James Slessor, sophomore Lorenz Beck and sophomore Jacob Gramer finished with a time of 3:16.96. The other team, consisting of sophomore Elliot Elmore, junior Adrian Andres Moreno, freshman Valer Kennedy and sophomore Noah Smith, placed fourth in the event.
Cynor continued the successful day for the Penguins with a win in the men’s 200 individual medley with 1:50.28 — almost two seconds faster than the second-place finisher.
Sophomore Olivia Sweetman finished runner-up in the women’s 500 freestyle with a time of 4:57.22, while sophomore Poyraz San Askin rounded out the men’s finishers in the 500 free with a third-place finish.
The final day of competition showcased the Penguins’ relay teams. The men’s 400 freestyle relay team of Cynor, Gramer, Beck and Smith finished with a meet record of 2:58.60.
Day Two featured another triumphant outing for Cynor, as he won the men’s 100 backstroke with a new meet-record time of 48.46 seconds. He also won the 200 backstroke with a time of 1:48.58.
Up next, the Penguins will hit the road for a meet against Cleveland State University on Nov. 8 at the Robert F. Busbey Natatorium.