MIAMI, Fla. – Joaquin Contreras-Fallico earned an individual victory as South Dakota swimming and diving recorded 13 top four finishes on Wednesday at the FIU Sprint Invite hosted by Florida International University inside the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Center.
 
The Coyote men finished second behind Bringham Young (BYU) while the women's squad was third behind the host and BYU in a meet that saw 12 events contested.
 
The meet comprised of six typical swim event finals while the four 50-yard sprint events, one in each stroke, were swam in an elimination style format beginning with prelims then onto quarterfinals, semifinals and finals.
 
Contreras-Fallico, a freshman, touched the wall first in the 100 back in 51.67, edging out BYU freshman Bryce Broadhead who clocked 53.32.
 
It was the second straight win in the 100 back for Contreras-Fallico, who hails from Wheat Ridge, Colorado, and his sixth top four finish in the event in six tries.
 
Emily Kahn, a junior, reached the finals in the 50 free and posted her fastest time of her four swims in that event in the finals, finishing second in 23.73. The school record holder in the event was noised at the wall by BYU's Halli Williams, who clocked 23.53.
 
South Dakota had four individuals advance to the semifinals, three in the 50 back and one in the 50 breast.
 
Adam Fisher, a junior, placed third in the 50 back, just ahead of teammate Contreras-Fallico in the semifinal heat with Fisher clocking 24.91 and Contreras-Fallico 25.61.
 
Anna Balfanz, a freshman, posted a time of 27.10, her fastest of the day, in the semifinals of the 50 back to finish third while fifth-year senior Mack Sathre was a semifinalist in the 50 breast, where he had a time of 26.46 and placed fourth.
 
Jacob Carlson, a senior, and Skyler Leverenz, a junior, each recorded third-place finishes in the 100 free. That was Carlson's fifth top three finish in that event this season and Leverenz's fourth.
 
A trio of Coyote men recorded fourth place efforts as Grant Wolner, a senior, clocked 57.07 in the 100 IM, Zachary Kopp, a fifth-year senior, timed 54.76 in the 100 back and Fisher in the 100 fly (52.04).
 
A pair of divers also earned fourth-place finishes as junior Samantha Mersnick scored 242.10 on the three-meter board and freshman Charlie Matthews tallied 215.70 points on the one-meter board.
 
South Dakota resumes its schedule on Jan. 20 in the team's final home dual inside the DakotaDome Pool when rival South Dakota State comes to Vermillion.