FARGO, N.D. – South Dakota men's swimming and diving team leads after day one of the Summit League Championships on Thursday inside the Hulbert Aquatic Center.
 
The Coyote men accumulated 315 points on the first day, getting individual titles from Aidan Gantenbein and Zachary Kopp, along with a relay victory to aid to that point total.
 
It was part of four combined Summit League titles earned on the opening day of the 2021 championship presented by U.S. Air Force Special Warfare.
 
Stella Fairbanks, a freshman, won the 1-Meter Diving title with season best point total of 265.20.
 
Gantenbein and Kopp, both sophomores, became just the second and third individual league champions for South Dakota in a men's swimming event in league history.
 
Gantenbein, a former National Junior College Champion, won the 100 butterfly in 49.31 while his personal best time moves him up to second on the Coyotes all-time chart.
 
Kopp, the school record holder in the 50 freestyle, touched the wall first in 20.40, edging out teammate Cooper Fuchs, second in 20.47.
 
Kopp and Fuchs joined Brady Torborg and Charlie Bean on a 200 free relay that won the league title, just the second in school history, while setting a school record in 1:19.89.
 
Hudson Wilkerson finished second in the one-meter diving event while teammate Seth O'Dea was third. Also earning all-conference honors on the opening day with top three finishes were Jacob Won in the 500 freestyle and Jake Leichner in the 200 IM.
 
The women finished third in both the 200 free relay and 400 medley relay while the men were second in the 400 medley relay as Torborg, Leichner, Gantenbein and Bean clocked 3:20.08.
 
Day two begins with prelims at 10 a.m. while finals start at 5:30 p.m.