Swimcloud

Eastern Michigan Closes Season With Victories Against Miami

Eastern Michigan Press Release

The Eastern Michigan University men's swimming and diving team closed out dual competition with a 188.5-110.5 Senior Day win over Miami University, Saturday, Feb. 4, at Jones Natatorium. The Eagles won 10-of-16 events on the day to best the RedHawks.

Miami grabbed an early lead in the team standings with a win in the 200 Medley Relay to open the meet, before the Eagles came back with a dominating effort in the 1000 Freestyle. Senior Kyle Lichtenberg (Clarkston, Mich.) paced Eastern's sweep of the top-five slots in the race. Lichtenberg secured the win with a time of 9:25.64, while freshman Eric Akins (Houston, Texas-Klein) posted a career-best time of 9:41.92 to claim second-place. Senior Marcin Rzyski (Olsztyn, Poland-Liceum Ogolnoksztalcace #4), freshman Tanner Olmos (Clovis, Calif.-Buchanan), and freshman Benjamin Ryan (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) rounded out the top-five, erasing MU's lead.

Following second and third place finishes by sophomore Jake Tyson (Ipswich, England-Northgate) and freshman Matan Segal in the 200 Freestyle, sophomore Tosh Kawaguchi (Cary, N.C.-Cary) put the Eagles back on top of the podium. Kawaguchi picked up his sixth win of the season, clocking in with a time of 49.34. Senior Cole Bateman (Hutchinson, Minn.-Hutchinson) wrapped up a third-place finish with a time of 50.62.

The freshmen duo of Aaron Hendry (Evans, Ga.-Evans) and Matthew Tsenkov (Sofia, Bulgaria-General Vladamir Stoychev) paced the Eagles in the 100 Breaststroke. Hendry reeled in second-place, touching in with a career-best time of 57.06, while Tsenkov's time of 57.49 was good for third.

Youth continued to lead the way for the Eagles in the 200 Butterfly, as freshmen Parker Saladin (Buchanan, Mich.-Buchanan) and Alex Arrieta (Miami, Fla.-Doral Academy Center) turned in a 1-2 finish. Saladin picked up the win, while Arrieta clocked in with a career-best time of 1:51.62 as the runner-up. Junior Logan Burton (Chesapeake, Va.-Hickory) completed the sweep, extending EMU's lead to 68-43.

The RedHawks got a few points back before the diving break, as redshirt sophomore Max Wilkinson (South Lyon, Mich.-South Lyon) notched a third-place finish in the 50 Free, making the team score 71.5-58.5 in favor of the Eagles at the midway point.

Senior Alex Chan (Toronto, Ontario-Neil McNeil Catholic Secondary) was the top performer on the springboard for the Eagles, claiming the title in both the 1 and 3 meter behind season-best scores. On the 3-meter, Chan broke the 400-point barrier with a score of 409.95 to lead a 1-2 punch for the Eagles. Sophomore Tom Gillis (Halifax, Nova Scotia-Citadel) grabbed a second-place finish with a score of 315.30. Chan completed the sweep on the 1-meter, scoring 369.75 points to earn the win. Freshman Noah Galluzzo added a third-place finish, scoring a career-best 333.30.

Tyson notched a third-place finish in the 100 Free out of the break, before the Green and White turned in another sweep. Returning to the pool, Kawaguchi bested the field in the 200 Back for the sixth time this season. Segal clocked in with a career-best time of 1:49.77 to take second, while sophomore Ricky Perez finished third.

After Hendry and Tsenkov repeated their previous success in the 200 Breast, with second and third-place finishes, Lichtenberg touched in with a season-best time in the 500 Free. Clocking in with a time of 4:35.90, Lichtenberg led another outstanding performance by the Eagles. Arrieta reeled in second-place, while sophomore JF Murphy (Montreal, Quebec-Sainte-Anne) touched in in third.

Burton reeled in a victory in the 100 Fly, while junior Connor Johnson (Fort Bragg, N.C.-Terry Sanford) finished third ahead of the 200 Individual Medley. Perez came out with a win in the 200 IM and junior Hunter Cook (Hilliard, Ohio-Hilliard Darby) added a third-place finish, before the Eagles closed out the day with a win in the 400 Free Relay.

With dual competition complete, the Eagles now set their sights on the Mid-American Conference Championships. The conference meet is scheduled to take place March 1-4 in Carbondale, Ill. Prior to the MAC Championships, a small contingent of Eagles will conclude the season at the Ohio State Invitational next weekend, Feb. 11-12.

Senior Mary Grace Van Allen (Indianapolis, Ind.-North Central) won three events and Alexis Mitcheltree (Moon Twp., Pa.-Moon Area) added two wins of her own as the Eastern Michigan University women's swimming and diving team completed the dual portion of its 2016-17 season with a 185-115 win over Miami University, Saturday, Feb. 4, on Senior Day. The win marked the Eagles' eighth dual victory of the year, their most since the 2007-08 campaign. Additionally, it marked the Green and White's second consecutive season with an undefeated Mid-American Conference record, as EMU sits at 4-0 in conference and 8-0 overall.

As it has all season, Eastern Michigan used a strong start in the 200 Medley Relay to get the meet rolling. Mitcheltree teamed up with sophomores Delaney Duncan (Galesburg, Ill.-Galesburg), Michal Liberman (Rosh Haayin, Israel-Begin), and Stephanie Johnston for the first-place finish, clocking in with a time of 1:41.88. EMU also claimed second-place in the race, as freshman Claire Young (Grosse Pointe, Mich.-Grosse Point South), senior Genna Worthley (Portland, Maine-Deering), sophomore Dora Vrcic, and junior Chase Walker (Virginia Beach, Va.-Landstown) touched in with a time of 1:44.28.

Shifting to the 1000 Freestyle, the Eagles benefited from solid performances by sophomore Nicole Swartz (Dayton, Ohio-Centerville) and junior Sarah Dombkowski (Canton, Mich.-Plymouth) for their second straight 1-2 finish. Swartz posted a career-best time of 10:05.30, dominating the field en route to the win. Swartz's time was also the fourth-fastest in the conference this season. Dombkowski finished runner-up, clocking in with a season-best time of 10:14.41.

A pair of seniors kept momentum swinging in favor of the Green and White in the 200 Free, where Van Allen secured her first win of the day. The Indianapolis, Ind. native turned in her best performance of the season, finishing with a time of 1:49.77, the ninth-best in the MAC this year. Fellow senior Sierra Wagner (Hunstville, Texas-Huntsville) also wrapped up a top-three finish, touching in with a season-best time of 1:51.79 for a third-place finish.

EMU won its fourth consecutive event to open the meet in the 100 Backstroke, behind another 1-2 finish. Mitcheltree led the way, clocking in with a time of 54.69, while Young claimed second with a time of 56.69.

Duncan continued Eastern's win streak in the 100 Breaststroke, where she won the event for the seventh time this season. Worthely was not far behind, finishing third with a time of 1:04.45.

Following a pair of top-three finishes in the 200 Butterfly, Wagner reeled in her first win of the afternoon in the 50 Freestyle. Wagner clocked in with a time of 23.62, while Johnston touched in with a second-place finish. The 1-2 finish gave the Eagles a 93-38 lead as the meet hit the diving break.

On the springboard, the Eagles faced a tall task. Going against MU's Pei Lin, one of the best divers in the nation, the Green and White held their own. On the 3-meter, the freshman duo of Brielle Johnston (Ottawa, Ontario-Catholique Franco-Quest) and Sophia Tsakantakis paced Eastern Michigan. Johnston grabbed a second-place finish, scoring 305.03 points, while Tsafantakis posted a score of 284.11 to earn third. Then on the 1-meter, junior Alli Shereda (Fraser, Mich.-Fraser) led the Eagles with a score of 279.23, good for second. Johnston added another top-three finish, scoring 270.37 to claim third.

Out of the break, EMU swept the top four spots in the 100 Free. Van Allen fueled the sweep, notching her second win of the day, this time turning in a season-best time of 51.38. Wagner finished runner-up, while Stephanie Johnston, and freshman Rachel Stark completed the sweep.

A win by Mitcheltree in the 200 Back, paired with a third-place finish by freshman Casey Gavigan (East Setauket, N.Y.-Ward Melville), extended EMU's advantage to 131-57 with five events to go.

After a third place finish by Duncan in the 200 Breast, Swartz and Dombkowski returned to work in the 500 Free. As they had in the 1000 Free earlier in the meet, the dynamic duo clocked in within a second of each other for another 1-2 finish. Swartz clocked in with a career-best time of 4:56.39m while Dombkowksi's season-best time of 4:57.06 was good for second-place.

Liberman and senior Carly Jackson (La Porte, Ind.-La Porte) finished second and third, respectively, in the 100 Fly, setting up Van Allen for another win in the 200 Individual Medley. Van Allen got out to an early lead and never looked back, cruising to a first-place finish with a time of 2:05.49.

EMU closed out the dual with a win in the 400 Free Relay, where Wagner, Johnston, Mitcheltree, and Walker combined for the win, sealing a 185-115 win for the Eagles.

With dual competition complete, the Eagles will send a small contingent to the Ohio State Invitational, Feb. 11-12, before the rest of the squad takes part in the Mid-American Conference Championships, Feb. 22-25.

Miami Press Release

Miami University’s swimming and diving team traveled to Eastern Michigan on Saturday afternoon. The men lost 188.5-110.5 and the women fell 185-115.

For the women, Pei Lin won two individual events, the three-meter dive and one-meter dive. In the three-meter, she won by a score of 380.18. Lin won with 314.32 points in the one-meter.

Holly Schuster won the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:18.55. Stephanie LeMire placed second in the event, clocking in at 2:19.70. Schuster touched the wall in 2:06.07 in the 200-yard IM, earning her second place. Hannah Fuchs placed third with a time of 2:07.32. Schuster also took second in the 100-yard breaststroke, timing in at 1:04.25.

Izzy Herb took gold in the 200-yard butterfly (2:04.81) and silver in the 200-yard backstroke (2:01.51).

Peyton Mosbaugh won the 100-yard butterfly, clocking in at 56.57. The second-place finisher from Eastern Michigan finished 0.1 seconds behind her.

Ella Moynihan earned second in the 200-yard freestyle, timing in at 1:50.10. She also took third in the 500-yard freestyle, touching the wall in 4:58.46.
Three RedHawk women placed third in their events: Emma Bradley in the 1000-yard freestyle (10:25.08), Brittany Dudzinski in the 100-yard backstroke (56.82) and Elise Campbell in the 50-yard freestyle (24.12).

The men started off the meet with a win in the 200-yard medley relay. The team of James Wray, Hutch Blackstone, Iago Moussalem do Amaral and Nick Ward clocked in at 1:31.57.

Nicholas Wukovits won both the 100-yard breaststroke (56.64) and 200-yard breaststroke (2:04.91).

Lucas Brock won the 200-yard freestyle, touching the wall in 1:40.39. He also placed second in the 50-yard freestyle (21.40) and 100-yard freestyle (46.35). Jack Strauss tied for third in the 50 free (21.50) and Ward won the 100 free (46.30).

For diving, Sean Sargent placed second in the one-meter dive (354.68) and Harrison Moncino took third in the three-meter dive (311.93).

Three RedHawk men placed second in their events: Wray in the 100-yard backstroke (50.41), Iago Moussalem do Amaral in the 100-yard butterfly (49.90) and Ross Rybakowicz in the 200-yard IM (1:55.25).

The men will compete on Saturday, Feb. 11 against Ball State for their senior day at 1 p.m.

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