The 2016 Summit League Swimming and Diving Championships saw more records fall Thursday night at the IU Natatorium. A total of six league records (four individual, two relay) were set during the course of the evening to go with two individuals winning their respective events for the third straight year.
Denver leads both team races after the second day of the four-day meet, overtaking host IUPUI atop the men’s standings and extending its lead on the women’s side. IUPUI is currently in second place on both the men’s and women’s sides, with South Dakota State in third in both races.
The Pioneers picked up first-, second- and third-place points in five of the six individual swimming events, including taking the top seven spots in the women’s 500-yard freestyle, along with winning both 200 freestyle relay events. IUPUI finished in second in both the men’s and women’s 200 free relays with South Dakota State’s teams finishing in third.
Senior Dylan Bunch (Denver) completed his three-peat in the 500 freestyle, breaking his own league record (4:18.06) in the process. He is just the third male swimmer in league history to win the 500 freestyle three times, and the first to accomplish the feat since 1996. The victory increases his career Summit League total to six individual crowns.
South Dakota junior diver Greysen Hertting became a three-time one-meter diving champion when she posted a winning score of 293.35. She becomes just the third female diver to win the event three times, and the first to do so in consecutive seasons.
South Dakota State senior Ben Bolinske and IUPUI junior Lennart Kuester each earned all-league honors by finishing second and third, respectively, in the men’s 50 free, finishing just behind Denver’s Kyle Robrock. Robrock broke the league’s all-time mark during the morning preliminary session with his time of 19.53, a record that had stood since 2003 (Chris Sullivan, Oakland).
The third day of competition is set to begin with morning preliminaries at 11 a.m. ET. Finals are set to start at 6 p.m.
News & Notes
The Denver men’s and women’s 200 freestyle relay teams each set all-time league records. The men’s 200 free relay record was set in 2009 by Oakland.
Maddie Myers of Denver successfully defended her women’s 500 freestyle title, swimming 4:45.30 and breaking The Summit League’s all-time mark. Myers was joined on the medal stand by six other teammates, as the Pioneers took the top seven spots in the event.
Denver senior Dylan Bunch won the men’s 500 freestyle for the third consecutive season, bringing his career total to six individual Summit League titles.
Freshman Bailey Andison of Denver clocked an all-time league record 1:56.81 in the 200 IM. She is the only woman in Summit League history to swim below two minutes in the event.
During the morning prelim session, Denver junior Kyle Robrock broke a 13-year-old Summit League record with his time of 19.53 in the 50 freestyle.
South Dakota’s Greysen Hertting became the first woman to win the one-meter title in three consecutive seasons. She now has five career Summit League individual championships.
Team Standings
Men
1. Denver – 320.5
2. IUPUI – 192
3. South Dakota State – 155
4. Western Illinois – 151
5. South Dakota – 122
6. Eastern Illinois – 57.5
Women
1. Denver – 395
2. IUPUI – 187
3. South Dakota State – 185.5
4. South Dakota – 159
5. Omaha – 146
6. Eastern Illinois – 96.5
7. Western Illinois – 89
Champions
Individual
Men's 500 Free – Dylan Bunch, Denver (4:18.06)*
Women's 500 Free – Maddie Myers, Denver (4:45.30)*
Men's 200 IM – Tim Cottam, Denver (1:47.87)
Women's 200 IM – Bailey Andison, Denver (1:56.81)*
Men's 50 Free – Kyle Robrock, Denver (19.65; record time of 19.53 set in prelims)*
Women's 50 Free – Morgan Wice-Roslin, Denver (22.82)
Women's One-Meter Dive – Greysen Hertting, South Dakota (293.35)
Relay
Men's 200 Free – Denver (1:18.42)*
Women's 200 Free – Denver (1:30.77)*
*Summit League Championship Record
Friday marks day three of the championships with preliminaries beginning at 11 a.m. ET followed by finals at 6 p.m. ET.
