For the Western swim and dive teams, a trip to Florida wasn’t about relaxing on the beach or getting a tan.

The Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers spent Jan. 2 to Jan. 14 training in Fort Myers, Fla. They also competed in two invitational meets in the Sunshine State, before returning north to defeat Wright State on Saturday.

The Hilltoppers, who are ranked No. 10 in the nation in mid-major schools, defeated the Raiders 145-92. The Lady Toppers also won, 135-108. Both teams have perfect 7-0 dual meet records

Western won eight of the 13 events overall. Senior Karl Swanson won the 500- and 1,000-meter freestyle events. Swanson finished the 1,000 free in a time of 9:41.01, a season-best for the team.

For the women, freshman Jessica Aspinall won the 200 backstroke with a time of 2:07.18.

Swanson said the key to beating Wright State was the teams’ focus.

“We knew it would be a tough meet coming off training,” he said. “We also knew that we would have to pull together to beat Wright State, but we finished our races well. We had to take the meet seriously.”

The swim team also competed in a relay invitational in Fort Myers on Jan. 6 while the dive team competed in the Golden Panther Invitational at Florida International the same day.

The Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers swam against Bucknell, Brown, Providence and Shippensburg University. The Toppers won their division of the invite, while the Lady Toppers placed second behind Brown.

The swim teams also picked up dual meet wins over Shippensburg at the invitational. The men’s team defeated the Raiders 124-56 and the Lady Toppers won, 122-58.

“We were tired,” senior Rachel Buncher said. “It was tough because we were in the middle of training. But we did the best we could. We were happy with how we performed as a team.”

The Western dive team won at FIU, and sophomore Mike Freese took home individual titles in both the one and three-meter events.

Coach Bruce Marchionda said the teams’ main goal during the winter break training and meets was to bond and get everybody in the best shape possible.

“Right now, I feel very good about where we are as a team,” he said. “So now we’re just getting ready and sharpening up our skills and taper down and try to get ready for the (Sun Belt) conference meet and hit our last three dual meets.”

Western will meet Southern Illinois at 1 p.m. Saturday in the Bill Powell Natatorium. The teams will also honor the seniors and alumni during the meet.