ONEONTA, N.Y. - The Red Dragons look at the national stage, with current Oneonta men's swimming & diving senior Delroy Tyrrell (Trincity, Trinidad and Tobago/) competing for Guyana this November at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The games run from November 7 to 21, and Tyrrell will swim on November 8th, 9th, and 11th.

Tyrrell joined the Red Dragons in 2024 after transferring from St. Rose and made an immediate impact for the Oneonta swimmers. Competing primarily in the backstroke and freestyle events, Tyrrell won gold in the 100-yard backstroke at the 2025 SUNYAC Championships with a school-record time of 50.76. This season, Tyrrell has already won multiple events, including the 200-yard freestyle (1:50.69) and the 100-yard backstroke (56.50) in the dual meet against Oswego.

"It has been such a long and arduous journey to represent my home country, and all I want is to make my countrymen and family proud," said Tyrrell. "It means an opportunity to realize a lot of dreams that I have had for so many years!"

The Islamic Solidarity Games are a multinational, multi-sport event featuring 57 member countries and were first held in 2005. Tyrrell is expected to compete in the 50-metre backstroke, 50-metre butterfly, 50-metre freestyle, and 100-metre backstroke.

"My main goals would be to hopefully break a national record or two, and additionally, I would like to make it to the semifinal round at least," continued Tyrrell. "I am definitely so excited to experience a new culture, and I want to see the country and get to experience a fresh landscape and perspective."

The selection process took some time, but Tyrrell was ultimately chosen to represent Guyana. "This particular meet has qualifying standards; in the form of qualifying times, and I got a call from my coach back home, letting me know that I had qualified for some events because of my times," said Tyrrell. "Then the Guyanese Olympic Association (GOA) ratified this in a document and then sent me official congratulations for making the team."

The dates of the Islamic Solidarity Games fall right at the start of the collegiate season, so Tyrrell and Oneonta swimming & diving head coach Chris Schuler had to adjust their upcoming training plans. The games became a priority.

"I was so fortunate to be able to have a college coach like Coach Schuler," stated Tyrrell. "She and I immediately started planning on how we would structure our training to ensure that I would be in the best shape before these games. And we crafted a plan and stuck to it ever since!" 

"Delroy and I have been talking about maintaining a good balance between his training and his schoolwork and communicating effectively with his faculty," said Schuler. "We are very excited and proud of Delroy being able to represent his country. I can't imagine a more honored or privileged opportunity as well as experience."

The competition will be aired live, and streaming links will be provided as soon as they are available.