Swimcloud

NCAA DII Meet Recaps - Day 2

California-San Diego

The UC San Diego women sit in fifth place after two days at the 2015 NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships. The four-day meet is being hosted inside the IU Natatorium on the campus of IUPUI by the University of Indianapolis and the Indiana Sports Corporation.

The Triton women have accumulated 113 points, while the men are 21st with 18.

Colleen Daley and the sophomore trio of Austine Lee, Catherine Woo and anchor Natalie Tang timed 1:33.42 for a sixth-place finish and All-America honors for the four Tritons in the championship final of the 200 free relay to begin the evening portion. Drury won the race in a meet-record 1:30.57. Daley, Lee, Angie Phetbenjakul and Tang had gone 1:33.70 for the fifth-fastest time in morning prelims.

Daley also later anchored the ninth-place 400 medley relay to a come-from-behind win in the consolation final, entering the water with UCSD in third, and turning in a split of 50.24 for a combined mark of a season-best 3:45.89 behind Julia Toronczak (Santee/West Hills HS), Jaimie Bryan and Jaclyn Amog.

Seven UCSD individuals swam in consolation finals. Bryan turned in the best effort out of all of them, touching second for 10th overall in the 400 individual medley in 4:25.61, exactly one second faster than her previous best for the season, and just off of her personal record of 4:25.50. She and teammate Maddy Huttner had taken the final two spots in the B final after prelims, with Huttner swimming 4:30.63 at night.

Amog (56.06) and Naomi Thomas (56.20), and Toronczak and Dari Watkins (1:52.01) went 6-7 in consolation finals of the 100 fly and 200 free, respectively, for 14th and 15th overall in those events. Toronczak, a freshman completing her first day at an NCAA meet, swam a lifetime-best 1:51.13.

Zachary Yong wound up 15th (4:03.39) in the 400 IM. The sophomore later took the breaststroke leg of the 12th-place 400 medley relay, teaming with Michael Cohn (Solana Beach/Grossmont College), Kevin Wylder andChandler Pourvahidi (3:20.68) for All-America honorable mentions.

"Going in, making the top five was the goal for the women, and we knew that was going to be a challenge," said UCSD women's head coach Corrie Falcon. "Right now, halfway through the meet, we're still in position to make that happen. In the prelims this morning, we were able to sneak a few swimmers into the consolation finals, and more than a few were able to out-race their seedings, which is something we always want to see.

"They had two excellent relay performances. The 200 free relay started things off with a solid top-eight showing, and the 400 medley relay did a great job in posting a season-best time while winning the consolation finals and getting as many points as they could have tonight.

"On the men's side, we just need to be a little better, plain and simple. Things ended on a bit of a high note in the consolations of the 400 medley relay, which I hope is a sign that a few of our guys are starting to pick it up. This is without a doubt the fastest men's meet in Division II history. We need to recognize that and step up our game over the next two days."

Remaining Triton women's competitors in Thursday prelims were Eva Chen (T-22nd, 56.39) and Watkins (24th, 56.47) in the 100 fly, and Natalie Tang (17th, 1:51.74), Stephanie Sin (19th, 1:51.99) and Woo (30th, 1:52.98) in the 200 free. Watkins' time was a lifetime best, while Tang was the alternate, narrowly missing out on the last spot in the B final of the 200.

For the men, junior captain Paul Li hit the water for the first time in his third NCAA Championships in the morning in both the 400 IM (21st, 3:58.68) and the 200 free (43rd, 1:41.76). Pourvahidi (26th, 1:39.54), Cohn (31st, 1:39.73) and Howie Chang (T-38th, 1:41.09) joined Li in the 200 free. Wylder was 24th (49.29) in the 100 fly.

The NCAA Championships continue on Friday, March 13, with morning prelims beginning at 7:30 a.m. PT, and evening finals at 3 p.m. PT. The lineup consists of the 500 free, 100 back, 100 breast, 200 fly and 800 free relay. Pourvahidi is seeded fourth in the 500, with Thomas seeded ninth in her specialty, the 200 fly. The UCSD women are fourth in the 800 relay. All sessions can be watched live online, free of charge, at NCAA.com, with live resultshere.

Triton Notes: The Tritons now have nine All-America distinctions for these 2015 NCAA Championships, withStephanie Sin, as well as the 200 medley relay of Austine Lee, Jaimie Bryan, Jaclyn Amog and Colleen Daleyearning top-eight finishes on Wednesday ... Sin's time in the 1000 free remains the lone school record.

 

Catwaba

Catawba sophomore Sebastian Holmberg (Akersberga, Sweden/Skolan) earned All-America honors on Thursday at the 2015 NCAA II Swimming & Diving Championships at the IUPUI Natatorium. Holmberg swam to a fourth-place finish in the 100 fly.

His finals swim of 46.73 was the second fastest 100 fly in school history, behind only his own record at last month's Bluegrass Mountain Conference Championships where he posted a time of 46.51.

Holmberg swam his opening 50 in 21.28, which was just .05 seconds off his record. Both of his finals times bettered his prelims time, which were a 21.60 start, and a 47.25 time for the 100. He was fifth in the morning prelim.

Queens' Mathew Josa won the event with a time of 44.89 to establish a new NCAA II record. Gianni Ferrero (46.54), of Grand Valley State, and Soren Holm (46.69), of Wayne State, finished just ahead of Holmberg.

Holmberg is back in action on Friday, as he will compete in the 100 back. He has the 10th fastest seed time in the field.

 

Nova Southeastern

Nova Southeastern University has its second and third national champions of 2015, as Courtney DeVeny (Fr., Estero, Fla.) and Thiago Sickert (So., Vila Velha, Brazil) took home gold on day two of the 2015 NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving National Championships. DeVeny swam a 4:16.63 in the women's 400-yard individual medley, while Sickert swam a 1:35.07 in the men's 200-yard freestyle. At the end of day two, DeVeny and the women sit in fourth place with 159 points, while Sickert and the men are in ninth place with 97 points.
 
In the first event of day two's finals session, Bryndis Hansen (So., Akureyri, Iceland), Emma Wahlstrom (So., Stockholm, Sweden), Jordan Shows (Fr., Alta Loma, Calif.) and Emma Lawrenz (Sr., Minnetonka, Minn.) swam a time of 1:33.35 in the women's 200-yard freestyle relay, good enough for fifth place. The men's 200-yard freestyle relay team, consisting of Anton Lobanov (Fr., Novosibirisk, Russia), Shane Kleinbeck (Sr., San Antonio, Texas), Michael Ragan (So., Dacula, Ga.) and Magnus Lundgren (Sr., Stockholm, Sweden), followed with a time of 1:20.28 to finish in seventh place.
 
In the next event, Malin Westman (Fr., Harryda, Sweden) swam a time of 4:27.34 to finish in seventh place in the women's 400-yard individual medley consolation final. DeVeny then came back from body length down to win the 400-yard individual medley final. In the men's 400-yard individual medley, Marco Aldabe (So., Alicante, Spain) swam a 3:55.73 in the consolation final, but was disqualified.
 
The women's 100-yard butterfly featured an eighth-place finish in the consolation final from Lawrenz, swimming a time of 56.31. In the next event, the women's 200-yard freestyle, Hansen and Wahlstrom finished third and sixth, respectively. Hansen's time of 1:48.03 was 0.19 seconds off of the second-place time, while Wahlstrom swam a time of 1:49.64. Sickert followed the women's 200-yard freestyle duo by winning the men's 200-yard freestyle for the first national championship of his career. His teammate, Kleinbeck, swam a 1:37.85 in the men's 200-yard freestyle consolation final to take fifth place.
 
The night concluded with the women's 400-yard medley relay, as DeVeny, Westman, Lawrenz and Shows finished in eighth place, swimming a time of 3:46.17.

 

Queens

Launching to the top, Queens University of Charlotte men’s and women’s swim teams excelled on day two of the NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships securing the top spot on the women’s side with 280 points and second place on the men’s side with 202.5, trailing off the lead by only 3.5 points.
 
Adding another four national records to the list, Queens saw records fall from Nicholas Arakelian in the 400 Yard Individual Medley, Matthew Josa in the 100 Yard Butterfly and Patricia Castro-Ortega in the 200 Yard Freestyle.
 
The men’s 400 Yard Medley Relay took the fourth record off the wall with a 3:08.07. John Suther, Niclas Eriksson, Josa, and Ben Taylor, respectfully, brought down the prior national record by over two seconds claiming the honor with a second separation from the pool.
 
Arakelian dominated the men’s 400 Individual Medley toppling the competition by nearly eight seconds and surpassing his previous record by nearly three seconds. Arakelian’s performance brought him to the wall in a 3:43.84 record time.
 
Josa demolished the 100 Yard Butterfly launching to not only the top of Division II history but landed as the 10th all-time fastest for the race, smashing the record with a 44.89. 
 
Castro-Ortega’s 200 Yard Freestyle time topped her national record from the Bluegrass Mountain Conference Championship the month prior. Castro-Ortega touched with a 1:45.27 to further secure her spot at the top of the event.
 
Castro-Ortega was not alone in the 200 Yard Freestyle as Lillian Gordy and McKenzie Stevens made a statement, hoisting themselves into the top of the event. Gordy found the second place spot for the 1-2 finish with a 1:47.84. Stevens would drive into the wall moments later with a 1:49.04 taking fourth place off the board.
 
Both 200 Yard Freestyle Relays leaped off the blocks to grab new school records. Lillian Gordy, Alexandra Marshall, Kristin Diemer, and Shane Knight, respectfully, passed the old time of 1:32.84 with a 1:32.17 to take the school record. The men’s side saw Eriksson, Taylor, Austin Sumrall, and Hayden Kosater, respectfully, find the wall in a 1:19.25 to trump the previous time of 1:20.16.
 
Taylor clocked a 1:36.07 in the 200 Yard Freestyle taking the bronze placement in the event. Rounding out the event, Kosater found the wall in 1:38.57 for the 15th overall rank.
 
The women’s 100 Yard Butterfly featured two Queens’ swimmers in the finals as Peiffer and Marshall took the fourth and sixth spots, respectfully. Peiffer found a 54.28 for the event as Marshall followed close behind with a 54.37.
 
In a narrow race to the wall, the women’s 400 Individual Medley clocked a 3:41.03 third place finish from Hannah Peiffer, Caroline Arakelian, Alexandra Marshall, and Castro-Ortega, respectfully.
 
Arakelian would find herself in the top heat again this time for the 400 Individual Medley. She took a 4:25.91 finish for eighth place.

 

Tampa

The University of Tampa men's and women's swimming teams moved up in the standings following day two of the NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships. 

UT's men are now eighth overall, totaling 100 points through 20 events. Drury leads with 206 points to edge Queens (202.5). Tampa's women are now 13th with 48 points, as Queens leads the field with 280 points. 

The Spartan women began the finals portion of the day with a fourth-place finish in the 200 Free Relay, that also marked a new school record. The group of Marisa Barton, Erin Plachy, Briana Murphy and Amanda Fernandes earned All-American honors after being timed at 1:33.13. 

In the men's 200 Free Relay, UT's team finished second while setting a new school record. With a time of 1:18.98, the relay of Runar Borgen, Jeremy Parker, Martin Hammer and Khalid Aldaboos registered the second-fastest time in NCAA Division II history. 

The Spartans finished the night in the men's 400 Medley Relay, finishing eighth with a time of 3:16.68. Jordan Augier, Wayne Denswil, Borgen and Derek Krell became All-Americans in the event with the performance. 

 

West Florida

The West Florida women’s swimming and diving team continued its impressive week at the NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships on Thursday, as the Argonauts now rank 12th after two days of competition. Sophomore diver Monica Amaral finished third in the one meter event, and UWF also scored in the consolation finals in the 200-yard freestyle relay and 400-yard medley relay.

Queens (N.C.) took over the lead with 280 points, and they are followed by Drury at 257.5. Wingate (173), Nova Southeastern (159) and UC San Diego (113) round out the top five. Delta State (85) leads the teams from the New South Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Conference in eighth place, and the Argonauts (52) are close behind in 12th.

“We feel like it’s ‘mission accomplished’ today,” said UWF head coach Andrew Hancock. “Today potentially was going to be the weakest day for us at the meet, at least on the swimming side of things with not a lot of scoring opportunities. Our goal all along is to keep chipping away at that score and picking up the points we feel like we can pick up. Hopefully it will set us up for a good finish and something that UWF can be proud of by the end of this meet.”

Amaral (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) advanced to the evening finals in the 1-meter event by placing third in the prelim with a score of 461.80. She then scored 490.80 in the final to clinch third place and the highest individual finish for an Argonaut in any event at the national meet. She joins Anna-Marie Macht (Markkleeberg, Germany), who placed fifth in the 200-yard individual medley on Wednesday, as the first two Argonauts to earn national top-eight finishes and All-America awards.

“With Monica in her first national championship finishing third in the nation, she’s proving herself to be one of the best divers in the country,” said Hancock. “She has probably her best event coming up on Saturday. We’re very excited to see what she can do. I give her and our diving coach Barbara Parker a ton of credit. They’ve worked very hard to get here. We’re really proud what they were able to accomplish today.”

The Argos first got on the scoreboard in the consolation final for the 200-yard freestyle relay. The team of Mariana de Paula (Santos, Brazil), Macht, Emily Mitchell (Allen Park, Mich.) and Peggy de Villiers (Somerset West, South Africa) posted a time of 1:35.57 to finish sixth in the consolation final and 14th overall. UWF also scored in the 400-yard medley relay; the team of Mitchell, Paulina Szydlo (Wroclaw, Poland), Madeline Pitt (Trussville, Ala.) and de Paula swam a time of 3:53.31, placing seventh in the consolation final and 15th overall.

“Our relays did exactly what we wanted them to do today,” said Hancock. “We had some girls really step up, particularly Paulina and Madeline in the medley relay in the middle.”

In the morning prelims, UWF had competitors in the 400-yard individual medley and 100-yard butterfly. Pitt almost made the cut in the 400-yard individual medley, placing 18th in the prelims with a time of 4:31.62. The 16th place finisher and the final qualifier beat Pitt by just 2.12 seconds. In the 100-yard butterfly it was de Villiers representing UWF, and she finished 26th with a time of 56.62.

Josie McKee (Canton, Ohio) also took part in the prelim for the 1-meter diving event, and she placed 20th with a score of 369.00. 

 

Wingate

Wingate University junior Armony Dumur (Amiens, France) helped the Bulldogs claim two national titles at the 2015 NCAA Division II swimming and diving championships at the IU Natatorium on the campus of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Thursday night. Individually, Dumur won the 100 Butterfly with a new national record time of 52.42. Dumur and three teammates touched first in the 400 Medley Relay with a new school record time of 3:40.28. Dumur set her third 100 Fly national meet record of the day with her time of 51.99 (Thursday final results, Friday preliminaries heat sheet).

The two national titles give Wingate 21 national championship swims. Dumur is the third WU female to win an individual national title, joining diver Lindsey Taylor (2012) and swimmer Maria Vlashchenko (2008). The Bulldog 400 Medley Relay quartet is the first WU women's relay team to earn a national crown. The Wingate men's swimming program has 14 national championship swims, including three by 2012 Olympian Marko Blazevski (Skopje, Macedonia).

Dumur collected three All-American trophies Thursday night, as she helped the WU 200 Freestyle Relay quartet finish third with a new school-record time of 1:32.38. Dumur swam the anchor leg; she was joined by Koryukova, junior Ana Fish (Carthage, N.C.) and freshman Leigh-Ann Clark (Newport News, Va.). Sophomore Caitlin Coughlin (Cochranville, Pa.) swam in the 200 Freestyle Relay morning preliminaries Thursday. Both Clark and Coughlin earn All-American laurels for the first time in their respective careers.

Petrenko added another individual All-American award to her trophy case Thursday, as she finished fifth in the 200 Freestyle with a time of 1:49.24. Queens University of Charlotte freshman Patricia Castro Ortega (Madrid, Spain) touched first in the 200 Freestyle with her new national record time of 1:45.27.

The Wingate men collected two All-American trophies Thursday night. Bulldog sophomore Leif-Henning Klüver (Risum-Lindholm, Germany) was fourth in the 200 Freestyle with his time of 1:36.08. Freshman Jerome Heidrich (Hamburg, Germany) claimed fifth place in the 200 Freestyle consolation final with his time of 1:38.48.

Bulldog junior Ossian Arvidsson (Kungälv, Sweden) received an All-American award for his fifth-place showing in the 400 Individual Medley. Arvidsson posted a personal-best time of 3:54.72. Wingate sophomore Øystein Fjeldberg (Oslo, Norway) was sixth in the 400 Individual Medley consolation finals with his time of 3:58.77.

Two Wingate men's relay teams posted second place finishes in their respective consolation finals. The Bulldogs started the day with a second-place showing in the men's 200 Freestyle Relay thanks to a time of 1:21.49. Team members include Heidrich, Klüver, sophomore Lucas Cuadros (Cali, Colombia) and senior Issam Zeraidi (Brussels, Belgium).

In the evening's final event, Wingate claimed second place in the 400 Medley Relay consolation final. The Bulldog quartet includes Issam Zeraidi, Klüver, Cuadros and sophomore Roman Kanyuka (Moscow, Russia).

On the women's team leader board, Wingate is third with 173 points. Queens is first with 280 points, followed by Drury (Mo.) with 257.5 points. Nova Southeastern is fourth with 159 points, while UC San Diego is fifth with 113 points.

Comments