Men's Swimming & Diving | Nov 17, 2025
CARBONDAE, Ill. – Omaha Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving traveled to Southern Illinois for the A3 Invitational, held from Nov. 13–15 at Shea Natatorium. The Mavericks closed out the meet with strong team finishes, as the men scored 783 points and the women 714, placing second among five programs.
Omaha opened the meet with three school records on the first night of competition. The men's 200 free relay of freshman Mason Zadina (Omaha, Neb.), sophomore Aidin Kolb (Pickrell, Neb.) and seniors Grant Schaeffer (Minot, N.D.) and Will McCabe (Derby, Kan.) placed second in 1:20.14, setting the first program mark of the weekend.
Junior Kyle Kulow (Sugar Land, Texas) followed with a first-place finish and another school record, winning the 500 free prelims in 4:29.71. He later recorded a 4:31.37 in the finals.
The Mavericks capped the night by breaking the 400-medley relay record, as senior Stefan Varga (Stockholm, Sweden), freshman Brady Wainionpaa (Hudson, Wis.), Zadina and McCabe placed second in 3:15.36.
Freshman Jadeon Carter (Lincoln, Neb.) had himself a weekend, breaking back-to-back school records in the 400 IM (4:02.51) and the 1650 (16:03.10). During the 2025 season, Carter has broken four program records.
Senior diver Bella Price (Minot, N.D.), the Summit League's Kwik Star Peak Diver of the Week on Nov. 4, swept the boards with first-place finishes across two of the three days. She posted a 253.20 on the 3-meter Thursday and a 238.00 on the 1-meter Friday.
Freshman Nathan Frette (Lake Buena Vista, Fla.) added another standout performance for Omaha, earning first place on platform with a score of 282.63.
"The team did great over the weekend," said head coach Jessica Hessel. "The team did great over the weekend. We got them a few days for rest, played with some race strategy and took in a lot of information on training needs for the back half of season. Through all of that we had numerous best times and a handful of school records. Proud of this group for being tough and supporting each other."
"This week was a great chance for everyone to get the experience of a championship meet format in a championship environment," said diving coach Eric Sprague. "I saw the team perform with great determination throughout the three days. Nathan Frette had an impressive platform debut and once again Bella Price impressed me with her focus and composure. Stone, Nathan, Will, Samantha and Bronwyn all got valuable experience in a finals setting that will pay dividends at the end of the year."
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