Incarnate Word hosted the annual UIW Swimming and Diving Invitational last weekend and the home-standing Cardinals completed a near sweep of the meet at the Aquatic Center at Palo Alto.

Using the competition as a final warm-up prior to hosting the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championships in mid-February, the Cardinals won every event save two, the 100-breaststroke where national contender Thiago Parravicini was not entered, and the 800-freestyle relay where UIW was disqualified.

Otherwise Incarnate Word piled up the points in outdistancing runner-up and fellow RMAC affiliateTexas-Permian Basin.  The Cardinals had 1455.5 points, the Falcons had 763.5.

While he was in the 800-breastroke, Parravicini won two other individual races, the 200-IM and the 200-breastroke which he finished some 10 seconds ahead of the number two man.  He also had a lap in on three winning Cardinals relay teams, the 200 and 400-medleys and the 400-freestyle.

There were five other double-winners on the UIW ledger.  Conrado Chede finished first in the 500 and 1650-freestyles while Daniel Torres won the 400-IM and the 100-backstroke.  Also a double-winner was Daniel Murat in the 100-butterfly and 100-freestyle.  Then, James Shake came home first in the 200-backstroke and the 200-butterfly.

The fifth Cardinals to double up was diver Justin McDonald.  He won the three-meter event before coming back to capture the 1-meter dive with a margin of 45 points.  This was the same venue where he won last spring's NCAA Division II national championship on the 1-meter board.

One of the more interesting races of the day, for UIW fans, was the 200-freestyle.  Patrick Cardenas touched first as Incarnate Word had the top four finishers and seven of the eight swimmers in the finals.

The RMAC championships are next up and are set for February 15 to 18 in San Antonio at the Palo Alto natatorium.