Facing NCAA Division II programs Davenport and Lake Superior State, and fellow NAIA member Aquinas, St. Ambrose had a strong showing at the season-opening Davenport Invitational Friday and Saturday in Grand Rapids, Mich.

The Bee men won the four-team event, edging Davenport 961-930. The SAU women finished with 811 points to finish second behind Davenport (953).

Jonas Friess won a pair of events and was runner-up in a third for the Bee men. He won the 200-yard freestyle in 1:41.54. Four other Bees - Juan Gomez (fourth in 1:47.01), Thomas Noller (fifth in 1:48.66), Benny Zarhin (sixth) and Panagiotis Pappous (eighth) - also placed inside the top eight in the event. Friess also won the 1000-yard freestyle in a time of 9:48.64. Marat Usov was second in 9:51.21 and Sam Gillham placed seventh. Friess was the runner-up in the 500-yard freestyle in 4:39.02. Usov took third (4:46.67), Gomez was fourth (4:50.38) and Luke Sproule was eighth.

The other SAU champion was Cory Werrett, who won the 50-yard freestyle in 21.23 seconds. Riley Stevenson was third in 21.42 seconds and Carter Gaber and Pappous placed seventh and eighth, respectively. Werrett (46.79) and Friess (46.82) were third and fourth in the 100-yard freestyle. Stevenson finished sixth, Pappous seventh and Zarhin eighth.

Mikhi Hassim took second in the 100-yard butterfly in 50.22 seconds. Gomez was fifth in 52.71 seconds. Stevenson was seventh and Luke Thomas eighth. Hassim was also third in both the 200-yard individual medley (1:55.19) and 200-yard breaststroke (2:08.00). Thomas and Usov were seventh and eighth, respectively, in the 200 breast. Hassim's time of 58.30 seconds was good for fifth in the 100-yard breaststroke, just ahead of Werrett (seventh) and Thomas (eighth).

Jayden Coetzer, who placed eighth in the 200 IM, was runner-up in the 200-yard backstroke in 1:53.71. Gavin Hopewell finished third in 1:57.26 and Sproule was eighth. Usov was third (4:14.44), Coetzer fourth (4:21.73) and Sproule sixth in the 400-yard individual medley. Gomez (1:54.67), Coetzer (2:00.80) and Sproule (2:01.87) were third-fourth-fifth in the 200-yard butterfly, while Walter De Jongh took seventh. The Bees also had four finish in the top eight in the 100-yard backstroke as Gaber (53.97) was fifth, Hopewell sixth, Gonzalo Saenz seventh and Carter Prull eighth.

Werrett, Brett Jones, Gaber and Stevenson won the 200-yard freestyle relay in 1:24.84. Werrett, Friess, Hassim and Stevenson were champions in the 400-yard freestyle relay in 3:05.96. Stevenson, Werrett, Hassim and Zarhin were third in the 400-yard medley relay in 3:29.26. The team of Gaber, Werrett, Hassim and Stevenson placed third in the 200-yard medley relay in 1:33.58.

On the women's side, Anna Gute won the 100-yard freestyle in 54.36 seconds. Bryn Kiley (fourth in 55.89), Sophia Ewanic (seventh) and Ruthie Gemmen (eighth) also finished inside the top eight in the 100 free.

The Bees had multiple runner-up finishes. Kiley was second in both the 200-yard freestyle (1:59.48) and the 500-yard freestyle (5:13.33). Bridget O'Grady touched the wall second in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:06.58) and the 200-yard breaststroke (2:25.32). Leyre Antonanzas was also second in two events - the 200-yard individual medley (2:10.16) and the 400-yard individual medley (4:37.87). Grace Bobeldyk's time of 10:54.31 was good for second in the 1000-yard freestyle.

Bobeldyk added a third-place effort in the 200-yard butterfly in 2:17.08. Emily Henson placed seventh and Gemmen was eighth. Bobeldyk was also third in the 200 free (2:00.73) and 500 free (5:21.93). Ewanic was sixth in the 500 free and seventh in the 200 free. Gute placed fourth in the 200 free.

Gute earned a third-place showing in the 100-yard butterfly in 1:00.03. Irene Artabe, who placed third in both the 200 IM (2:13.77) and the 200 breast (2:28.98), was sixth in the 100 fly. Gemmen took eighth. Kennedy Capman was fifth in the 200 breast (2:33.47) and sixth in the 200 IM behind Artabe. Capman was also third in the 400 IM (4:54.90) and sixth in the 100 breast. Kate Henson was fifth in the 100 breast (1:09.21) and sixth in the 200 breast. Antonanzas finished sixth in the 200-yard backstroke. Loeffler was eighth in the 200 back. She also took eighth in the 200 IM and 100-yard backstroke. Annaliese Bowser (11:30.82) placed fifth in the 1000 free.

Artabe, O'Grady, Antonanzas and Gute were second in the 400-yard medley relay in 4:02.01. Gute, Antonanzas, Artabe and Kiley placed second in the 400-yard freestyle relay in 3:41.00. The 200-yard freestyle relay team of Gute, Gemmen, Artabe and Antonanzas placed third in 1:42.07. Artabe, O'Grady, Antonanzas and Gute were third in the 200-yard medley relay in 1:50.40.

St. Ambrose will host St. Thomas Oct. 25 at the Davenport Central Natatorium.

St. Ambrose women's results

200 free relay: 3-Anna Gute, Ruthie Gemmen, Irene Artabe, Leyre Antonanzas (1:42.07); 7-Bridget O'Grady, Riley Loeffler, Amber Warak, Kennedy Capman (1:48.89); 8-Kate Henson, Sylvia Zipperer, Sarah Priewe, Madeline Piper (1:50.48)

500 free: 2-Bryn Kiley (5:13.33); 3-Grace Bobeldyk (5:21.93); 6-Sophia Ewanic (5:33.18); 10-Annaliese Bowser (5:40.34)

200 IM: 2-Leyre Antonanzas (2:10.16); 3-Irene Artabe (2:13.77); 6-Kennedy Capman (2:18.31); 8-Riley Loeffler (2:21.63); 10-Ruthie Gemmen (2:23.30); 11-Kate Henson (2:23.92); 16-Emily Henson (2:36.15)

50 free: 12-Sylvia Zipperer (28.43); 13-Hannah Blackmore (28.76); 14-Sarah Priewe (29.96)

400 medley relay: 2-Irene Artabe, Bridget O'Grady, Leyre Antonanzas, Anna Gute (4:02.01); 5-Riley Loeffler, Kennedy Capman, Ruthie Gemmen, Bryn Kiley (4:13.06); 7-Madeline Piper, Kate Henson, Amber Warak, Sophia Ewanic (4:25.60); 11-Sarah Priewe, Sylvia Zipperer, Emily Henson, Annaliese Bowser (4:44.49)

100 fly: 3-Anna Gute (1:00.03); 6-Irene Artabe (1:00.50); 8-Ruthie Gemmen (1:02.01); 9-Bridget O'Grady (1:02.06); 13-Riley Loeffler (1:07.41); 14-Emily Henson (1:09.13); 15-Amber Warak (1:09.62)

400 IM: 2-Leyre Antonanzas (4:37.87); 3-Kennedy Capman (4:54.90)

200 free: 2-Bryn Kiley (1:59.48); 3-Grace Bobeldyk (2:00.73); 4-Anna Gute (2:01.52); 7-Sophia Ewanic (2:03.04); 14-Madeline Piper (2:11.14); 15-Annaliese Bowser (2:11.54)

100 breast: 2-Bridget O'Grady (1:06.58); 5-Kate Henson (1:09.21); 6-Kennedy Capman (1:10.36); 11-Sylvia Zipperer (1:17.90); 12-Hannah Blackmore (1:18.33)

100 back: 8-Riley Loeffler (1:05.47); 9-Madeline Piper (1:09.35); 12-Sarah Priewe (1:16.06)

200 medley relay: 3-Irene Artabe, Bridget O'Grady, Leyre Antonanzas, Anna Gute (1:50.40); 5-Sophia Ewanic, Kate Henson, Grace Bobeldyk, Ruthie Gemmen (1:55.24); 10-Sarah Priewe, Hannah Blackmore, Emily Henson, Amber Warak (2:08.73)

1000 free: 2-Grace Bobeldyk (10:54.31); 5-Annaliese Bowser (11:30.82)

200 back: 6-Leyre Antonanzas (2:13.93); 8-Riley Loeffler (2:19.63); 10-Madeline Piper (2:29.30)

100 free: 1-Anna Gute (54.36); 4-Bryn Kiley (55.89); 7-Sophia Ewanic (56.84); 8-Ruthie Gemmen (56.96); 13-Amber Warak (1:01.95); 15-Annaliese Bowser (1:02.40); 16-Sarah Priewe (1:02.61); 17-Sylvia Zipperer (1:03.05); 18-Emily Henson (1:03.34)

200 breast: 2-Bridget O'Grady (2:25.32); 3-Irene Artabe (2:28.98); 5-Kennedy Capman (2:33.47); 6-Kate Henson (2:34.00); 11-Hannah Blackmore (2:49.51)

200 fly: 3-Grace Bobeldyk (2:17.08); 7-Emily Henson (2:32.77); 8-Ruthie Gemmen (2:34.74); 11-Amber Warak (2:38.22)

400 free relay: 2-Anna Gute, Leyre Antonanzas, Irene Artabe, Bryn Kiley (3:41.00); 7-Sophia Ewanic, Kennedy Capman, Bridget O'Grady, Madeline Piper (3:54.81); 8-Riley Loeffler, Sarah Priewe, Annaliese Bowser, Kate Henson (4:06.46)