CLEVELAND, Miss.- The No. 6 West Florida swimming and diving team continues to hold their first-place lead heading into the last day of the New South Intercollegiate Swim Conference (NSISC) Championships on Saturday. The Argonauts lead the meet with 956 points and had two first-place finishes on the day.

To start off the evening portion, Sofia Kendzior championed the 500 free and earned a new personal best with a time of 4:58.05. This marks her second individual win of conference, her other victory was in the 1000 free. The freshman from Tallinn, Estonia earned another first-place finish in the 800 free relay on the first day of conference. Tori Johnston rounded out the third spot with a time of 5:00.21. Rylee Woelk and Shannah Dillman came in fourth (5:00.55) and fifth (5:02.47), respectively.

"A lot of the girls are doing well, we are getting better throughout the weekend. We have to make sure we are ready to go for Saturday morning, so we try and get another victory. We have been able to outscore our opponents everyday and I would like to see that continue tomorrow. We are shooting for wins, but also NCAA B Cuts. Katie Balent earned a lower time on her 200 fly B cut time, which is exciting. There are 16 girls that have earned NCAA B cut times and we are looking to grow," stated head coach Phil Kraus. 

Nina Imboden once again got on the podium with a third-place finish in the 100 back in 56.99. Stefanie Markwardt earned second place in the 100 breast, she touched the wall with a time of 1:03.90. Her teammate Morgan Despres finished fifth with 1:05.82.

In the 200 fly, Katie Balent earned a personal best and grabbed second with 2:03.98. Sydney Dawson came in fourth in 2:06.00.

The UWF divers dominated the 3-meter boards on Friday evening as five divers finished in the top-five spots. Oliva Nelson won the event with a score of 478.00 points, this marks her first NSISC Championship title. She was followed by Jade Fontenelle (450.50), and Daniela Reyes rounded out the third spot for the Argos with 434.45 points. Michelle Mejia and Adriana Mieses-Sanchez finished fourth (431.40) and fifth (423.00). West Florida excelled in both the 1- and 3-meter boards in the NSISC Championship to earn more points for the Argos.

"Today's 3-meter event did not disappoint. Olivia won her first conference title and all six athletes made finals once again! These ladies looked strong and confident throughout the meet and represented the Argo team in an amazing way," said head diving coach Barbara Parker.

TEAM SCORES

1. West Florida- 956 points
2. Delta State- 646 points
3. Henderson State- 457 points
4. Montevallo- 349 points
5. Ouachita Baptist- 344 points

Competition on Saturday will feature the 100 free, 200 back, 200 breast, 1650 free, and 400 free relay. Prelims will begin at 10:00 a.m. (CST) with finals at 5:00 p.m. (CST). The NSISC champion will be crowned after all the events.

For the latest information on UWF athletics, visit goargos.com or follow UWF Swimming and Diving on social media on Instagram @uwfswimdive or twitter @UWFSwimDive.