LEXINGTON, Ky. — Transylvania University men's and women's swimming and diving opened the 2026-27 season Saturday afternoon, hosting Asbury University and Midway University in a tri-meet at the Transylvania University Pool. Both Pioneer teams earned victories over Midway, while Asbury narrowly edged the Transylvania women and defeated the Pioneer men.
The Transylvania women defeated Midway 134-100 before falling to Asbury 118-114 in a tightly contested matchup. On the men's side, the Pioneers earned a 109-99 victory over Midway and fell to Asbury 115-92.

Following the meet, Head Coach Dave Doolin reflected on his team's performance and the opportunity to evaluate the Pioneers in their first competition of the season.
"I was really happy with the effort we gave today. The first meet of the year is always a chance for me to see what our team is going to look like. I liked what I saw today even though the outcome wasn't what we wanted," said Doolin.

The Pioneer women turned in several strong individual performances, highlighted by victories in the 200-yard backstroke, 500-yard freestyle and both diving events.
Riley Shaw captured first place in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:19.24, finishing more than three seconds ahead of the field. Elliott Havens added another victory for Transylvania in the 500-yard freestyle, touching the wall in 5:39.03.

Havens also finished second in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 26.09, followed closely by teammate Maddie Cunningham in third at 26.59. Emily Kastner recorded a pair of runner-up finishes, placing second in the 1,000-yard freestyle with a time of 12:13.27 and second in the 200-yard breaststroke at 2:45.03. Cunningham added a second-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly, recording a time of 2:37.35, while Kate Kesler followed in third at 2:40.97.

The Pioneers also received a strong performance from their diving squad. Felice Pappalardo won the women's one-meter competition with a score of 157.35, followed by Carley Craig in second with 140.34 and Megan Jones in third with 121.60. Craig captured first place in the three-meter competition with a score of 155.03, while Pappalardo finished second at 146.71 and Jones placed third with 106.06. Transylvania's 400-yard freestyle relay team of Cunningham, Shaw, Havens and Emerson Campbell finished third with a time of 3:57.46. The women's efforts helped secure a 34-point victory over Midway while coming within four points of Asbury.

The Transylvania men opened their season with several standout performances, including victories in the 400-yard medley relay, 200-yard breaststroke and both diving events.
The Pioneers opened the meet with a first-place finish in the 400-yard medley relay as Bryce Highley, Kyle Rodgers, Carter Knowles and Hayes Doolin combined for a time of 3:45.40. The quartet narrowly edged Asbury's top relay team, which finished in 3:45.55, giving Transylvania the victory by just 15 hundredths of a second.

Rodgers continued his strong afternoon with a victory in the 200-yard breaststroke, touching the wall in 2:28.08. Teammate Eli Shaw finished second in the event with a time of 2:30.29, giving Transylvania the top two spots. Rodgers also earned a runner-up finish in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:09.13.

Hayes Doolin added a second-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly, recording a time of 2:06.86, while Braden Shearer finished fourth in the event at 2:14.07. Highley placed third in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 23.44, while Knowles recorded a third-place finish in the 200-yard backstroke at 2:15.53.

Cash Doolin recorded first-place finishes in both men's diving events, scoring 169.28 in the one-meter competition and 140.05 in the three-meter event. The Pioneers' performances helped secure a 10-point victory over Midway in their first competition of the season.

Transylvania University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the HCAC. To keep up to date with all of Transylvania Athletics, check out our website at transysports.com and follow @TransySports on Instagram.