FORT LAUDERDALE – With one day down, the Nova Southeastern University men's and women's swim teams began the 2016-17 season on a solid note while hosting the NSU Sharks All-Florida Invitational on Friday at the NSU Aquatic Complex. With a full day of competition completed, the Sharks men are in second with 273 points while the women's team is fourth with 178.
 
The University of Florida leads both the men's and women's competition with the Gators' men leading the three-team field with 388 points, and their women lead a five-team field with 385.
 
Two Sharks posted first-place finishes in both the prelims and finals. After posting the top time through three heats of competition in the morning session, junior Franco Lupoli went on to win the A-final of the men's 500 freestyle in the evening. With a time of 4:32.43 he edged out Florida's Blake Manganiello by less than a tenth of a second to give NSU 20 points.
 
Thiago Sickert finished in the same fashion by winning the 50 free during the morning session and later won the A-final in the same event by three-tenths of a second over fellow teammate Till Barthel with a time of 20.96. In the men's 200-yard free relay, NSU's A-relay (Sickert, Barthel, Victor Tarin, Malique Elder) finished with a NCAA DII provisional qualifying time of 1:23.09 to take the championship final in over Florida.
 
On the women's side, Courtney DeVeny won the consolation final in the women's 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:10.37 shaving off more than a second from her morning prelim. DeVeny's teammate Malin Westman finished eighth overall in the event while competing in the A-final.  
 
Other top performances for the Sharks women came from Sydney Panzarino who finished fifth in the women's 50-free A-final at 24.36. Emma Wahlstrom swam a time of 5:01.90 in the women's 500-free A-final, which was also a NCAA DII provisional qualifying time.
 
Day two of the NSU Sharks All-Florida Invitational will begin with 9 a.m. prelims followed by finals at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24.