ORLANDO, FLA - The Gardner-Webb swimming team continued a good run at the 2026 ASUN Championships on Friday, adding two more podium finishes to its weekend tally

Senior Justin Bender, the defending ASUN Most Outstanding Men's Swimmer, was back on the conference podium on Friday night. Competing in the men's 100 yard breaststroke, Bender posted a time of 52.59 seconds to finish in third place

Also on the podium and continuing a second-straight outstanding run at the ASUN Championships, sophomore Dakota Townley. Townley was also third, finishing with a bronze medal in the women's 100 yard breaststroke with a time of 1:02.80

Continuing to add to a weekend where he's rewrote the Gardner-Webb record book, freshman Victor Cury did it again in the men's 200 yard freestyle. Cury set a brand new record for Gardner-Webb in the event, posting a time of 1:37.07. Cury also competed in the men's 200 yard freestyle, where 1:37.07 set a new personal best time

Other notable performances for GWU on Friday include sophomore Augustin Orechia who finished the 100 yard backstroke in 47.35 seconds, freshman Thomas Adam who finished the 100 yard breaststroke in 56.10 seconds, sophomore Porter Lane who completed the same event in 56.81 seconds, sophomore Joshua Johnson who did so in 58.07 seconds, freshman Jonathan Fracola who recorded a time of 49.38 seconds in the men's 100 yard fly, and freshman Alena Ward who touched the wall in 1:05.12 in the women's 100 yard breaststroke. All these times go in the books as new personal best for Gardner-Webb.