SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo men's and women's swimming programs opened their 2021-22 seasons Saturday morning at the Marion Bowman Aquatics Center with the No. 22 Saint Leo women's team knocking off No. 19 Florida Southern while the Saint Leo men fell to No. 10 Florida Southern.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Men's Final: No. 10 Florida Southern 187, Saint Leo 75
Women's Final: No. 22 Saint Leo 146, Florida Southern 116
Location: Marion Bowman Aquatics Center | Saint Leo, Fla.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The meets consisted of 28 total events with 14 for the men and 14 for the women.
• The Saint Leo men took home two event victories while the women captured 10 victories on the day.
• The women earned three one-two finishes including in the 200 medley relay where both the Lions' "A" squad and "B" squad bested the Mocs.
• The men picked up six second place finishes.

 
MEN'S TOP PERFORMERS:

• Sophomore Szymon Leszega was the lone individual on the men's side to take home a victory as he topped the field in the 100 freestyle with a time of 46.53.
• The Lions' 400 freestyle relay also took home a victory as sophomore Carlos Nava, Leszega, sophomore Devin Green and senior Hampus Lovinge teamed up to post a time of 3:06.09.
• Nava earned a pair of second place finishes as the sophomore went second and third with teammate Green in the 200 freestyle. Nava finished the distance in 1:41.59 while Green touched the wall in 1:42.34. Nava also took second in the 100 breaststroke as he clocked in at 57.69.
• Lovinge also picked up two second place postings as he took runner-up in both the 50 and 100 backstroke. He went 23.51 in the 50 and 51.48 in the 100.
• Junior Hugo Chopineau earned a second place finish in the 1000 freestyle in his Saint Leo debut while also finishing third in the 500 free. He stopped the clock in the 1000 at 9:51.34 while finishing the 500 in 4:45.33.
• Sophomore RJ Ferguson rounded out the top-three individual finishers as he placed third in both the 50 and 100 butterfly. He clocked in at 23.37 in the 50 and 52.64 in the 100.
• The 200 medley relay picked up a second place showing as Lovinge, Nava, Ferguson and Leszega teamed up to post a time of 1:33.68.

 
WOMEN'S TOP PERFORMERS:

• Sophomore Isabelle Sering was the top Lion with three individual victories while also competing on a winning relay. She took the top spots in the 100 freestyle, 50 butterfly and 100 butterfly while also appearing on the winning 200 medley relay. She took the 100 free in 53.08 while going first and third with teammate Jayana Pasteur in the 50 fly. Sering finished in 25.51 while Pasteur clocked in at 27.11. The winning time I the 100 fly was 56.42. Sering was also part of the one-two finish for the Lions in the medley relay.
• Sophomore Emma Bjoernholdt was the only other Lion with multiple individual victories as she took the top spot in the 200 freestyle and 200 individual medley while placing second in the 100 breaststroke. She touched the wall in 1:54.02 in the free and 2:07.96 in the IM. She was also part of the second place medley relay squad.
• Bjoernholdt joined teammate freshman Elze Bielskute in the 100 breaststroke. Bielskute picked up the win at 1:06.23 in her collegiate debut while Bjoernholdt finished just behind her at 1:06.50. Bielskute was also part of the winning 400 free relay and 200 medley relay.
• Sophomore Anett Daka picked up a victory in the 50 backstroke as she went first and third with freshman Romane Cayla. Daka took the top spot in 57.55 while Romane came in just seconds behind at 1:00.72. Daka also took part in the winning 400 free and 200 medley relays.
• Senior Paulina Majszutowicz went one-two in the 50 breaststroke with Bielskute. Majszutowicz won in 30.88 while Bielskute took second at 30.96 in a very close finish.
• Senior Vittoria Bonsanti Feniello earned a pair of second place finishes in the 500 and 1000 freestyle. The Venezuela native clocked in at 5:14.17 in the 500 and 10:50.97 in the 1000.
• Bielskute, Daka, Bonsanti Feniello and Pasteur teamed up to take home the top spot in the 400 freestyle relay as the quartet stopped the clock in 3:34.24.
• Daka, Bielskute, Sering and Bonsanti Feniello were the top team in the 200 medley relay while Pasteur, Majszutowicz, Romane and Bjoernholdt took the second spot. The top team finished in 1:47.36 while the second squad touched in 1:50.41.

 
UP NEXT:
Saint Leo will travel to Melbourne, Fla. next Friday, Oct. 29 to take part in a tri-meet with Florida Tech and Lynn. The Lynn women are ranked No. 15 in the country while the Florida Tech men are ranked No. 19.
 
For the latest news, updates, and information on Saint Leo swimming, be sure to visit SaintLeoLions.com.  Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Lions news by following Saint Leo Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.