Upcoming Event: Men's Swimming and Diving at St. Thomas Invite on November 20, 2025 at 10 a.m./5:30 p.m.
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10 a.m./5:30 p.m.
Men's Swimming and Diving
at St. Thomas Invite
South Dakota State University Athletics
Photo by: SDSU Athletics
VERTIN WINS 200 IM TO OPEN ST. THOMAS INVITE
11/20/2025 9:52:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Cody Vertin won the 200-yard individual medley and three South Dakota State freshmen etched their names into the Jackrabbits' career top-10 rankings Thursday during the opening day of men's swimming and diving competition at the St. Thomas Invite.
A junior from Brookings who set the school record in the 200 IM a season ago, Vertin posted the top time in the event during the morning preliminaries (1:50.23), then went nearly a second and a half lower in the evening finals by clocking a winning time of 1:48.79 to lead a group of four Jackrabbits in the top eight. Freshmen Connor Trinidad and Evan Schott placed fifth and seventh with respective times of 1:51.50 and 1:52.49, while senior Braxton McGrath placed eighth in 1:52.88.
Trinidad took over fourth place on the SDSU career leaderboard in the event, with Schott supplanting McGrath for the 10th spot.
Another first-year swimmer to record a top-10 showing in program history on Thursday was Luke Watkins in the 500 freestyle. Watkins placed fifth overall with a time of 4:34.06, a mark that now ranks eighth on the SDSU all-time charts.
Jack Ellison qualified for the A final in the 500 freestyle after clocking a prelim time of 4:33.94 that ranked second in the field. However, Ellison fell back to a time of 4:37.67 to place fourth in the four-person A final during the night session.
Meanwhile, Landon Schemel placed seventh overall in the 500 freestyle, 4:36.99, with Kolden Kringen placing eighth in 4:37.32.
Eric Anderson led the Jackrabbits in the shortest race of the night, placing fifth in the 50 freestyle with a time of 20.56 seconds. He also teamed with Colby Williams, Colt Frein and Zavier Kranz for a third-place time of 1:22.21 in the 200 freestyle relay to open the night session.
The quartet of Williams, David Bosch, McGrath and Kranz closed the evening with a runner-up showing in the 400 medley relay by combining for a time of 3:16.29.
Junior diver Deshawn Campbell notched a runner-up individual finish for the Jackrabbits in 3-meter diving. He scored a season-high 285.35 points over six dives.
The Jackrabbits closed the first day of the three-day competition in second place in the team standings with 294 points. South Dakota leads the four-team race with 336 points, while St. Thomas (265) and Green Bay (106) round out the field.
UP NEXT
The St. Thomas Invite continues Friday with preliminary races starting at 10 a.m., followed by event finals at 5:30 p.m.
EVENT WINNERS
200 Freestyle Relay: South Dakota, 1:20.30
3-Meter Diving: Maddox Mork, South Dakota, 303.50
500 Freestyle: Alex Parkinson, South Dakota, 4:22.87
200 Individual Medley: Cody Vertin, SDSU, 1:48.79
50 Freestyle: Nick Rounds, South Dakota, :19.44
400 Medley Relay: South Dakota, 3:13.29
TEAM STANDINGS
1. South Dakota – 336
2. South Dakota State – 294
3. St. Thomas – 265
4. Green Bay – 106
A junior from Brookings who set the school record in the 200 IM a season ago, Vertin posted the top time in the event during the morning preliminaries (1:50.23), then went nearly a second and a half lower in the evening finals by clocking a winning time of 1:48.79 to lead a group of four Jackrabbits in the top eight. Freshmen Connor Trinidad and Evan Schott placed fifth and seventh with respective times of 1:51.50 and 1:52.49, while senior Braxton McGrath placed eighth in 1:52.88.
Trinidad took over fourth place on the SDSU career leaderboard in the event, with Schott supplanting McGrath for the 10th spot.
Another first-year swimmer to record a top-10 showing in program history on Thursday was Luke Watkins in the 500 freestyle. Watkins placed fifth overall with a time of 4:34.06, a mark that now ranks eighth on the SDSU all-time charts.
Jack Ellison qualified for the A final in the 500 freestyle after clocking a prelim time of 4:33.94 that ranked second in the field. However, Ellison fell back to a time of 4:37.67 to place fourth in the four-person A final during the night session.
Meanwhile, Landon Schemel placed seventh overall in the 500 freestyle, 4:36.99, with Kolden Kringen placing eighth in 4:37.32.
Eric Anderson led the Jackrabbits in the shortest race of the night, placing fifth in the 50 freestyle with a time of 20.56 seconds. He also teamed with Colby Williams, Colt Frein and Zavier Kranz for a third-place time of 1:22.21 in the 200 freestyle relay to open the night session.
The quartet of Williams, David Bosch, McGrath and Kranz closed the evening with a runner-up showing in the 400 medley relay by combining for a time of 3:16.29.
Junior diver Deshawn Campbell notched a runner-up individual finish for the Jackrabbits in 3-meter diving. He scored a season-high 285.35 points over six dives.
The Jackrabbits closed the first day of the three-day competition in second place in the team standings with 294 points. South Dakota leads the four-team race with 336 points, while St. Thomas (265) and Green Bay (106) round out the field.
UP NEXT
The St. Thomas Invite continues Friday with preliminary races starting at 10 a.m., followed by event finals at 5:30 p.m.
EVENT WINNERS
200 Freestyle Relay: South Dakota, 1:20.30
3-Meter Diving: Maddox Mork, South Dakota, 303.50
500 Freestyle: Alex Parkinson, South Dakota, 4:22.87
200 Individual Medley: Cody Vertin, SDSU, 1:48.79
50 Freestyle: Nick Rounds, South Dakota, :19.44
400 Medley Relay: South Dakota, 3:13.29
TEAM STANDINGS
1. South Dakota – 336
2. South Dakota State – 294
3. St. Thomas – 265
4. Green Bay – 106
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Players Mentioned
FREE, FLY
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
FREE, BR
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
DV
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
FREE
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
FREE, BR
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
FR
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
FREE, IM
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
FLY
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
FREE, FLY
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
BACK, IM
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
BR, IM
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
FREE
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
FREE, BACK
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