2024 NAIA Nationwide Championships: Day 2 Finals Recap

2024 NAIA Males’s and Ladies’s Swimming and Diving Nationwide Championships

• Dates: March 6-9, 2024
• Instances: Prelims 9AM Japanese, Finals 5PM Japanese
• Location: Columbus Aquatics Middle in Columbus, Georgia
• Defending Champions:
  • Keiser ladies (2x)
  • Keiser males (5x)
• Psych Sheets:
• Stay Outcomes
• Stay Video

Day 2

Ladies’s 500 Yard Freestyle – Finals

• Meet Document: 4:52.24 – Alex Peters, Concordia Irvine (2011)

Podium:

1. Rachel Bradley, Keiser – 4:56.86
2. Riley Renaud, Milligan – 5:01.55
3. Haley Vanbuskirk, SCAD – 5:03.20
4. Sky Marjamaa, SCAD – 5:04.80
5. Rylee Woelk, St Thomas – 5:05.68
6. Kylee Sears, Grasp’s – 5:07.84
7. Sophie Urias, St Thomas – 5:11.66
8. Bea Moron Alonso, St Thomas – 5:19.44

For the second 12 months in a row, Rachel Bradley of Keiser stood atop the rostrum within the ladies’s 500 free. In 2023, as a freshman, she gained by 1.3 seconds with 4:58.51. This time, she was 1.7 seconds quicker (4:56.86) and dominated the ultimate, with Milligan’s Riley Renaud ending 5.7 seconds behind. Renaud’s 5:01.55 was 2 full seconds quicker than her Fifth-place end a 12 months in the past.

SCAD took third and 4th with Haley Vanbuskirk (5:03.20) and Sky Marjamaa (5:04.80). Vanbuskirk positioned third on this occasion final 12 months, whereas Marjamaa was a B finalist.

Rounding out the A last had been three teammates from St Thomas (Rylee Woelk, Sophie Urias, and Bea Moron Alonso) and Kylee Sears from Grasp’s.

Michelle Weiss of Cumberlands moved from 14th place in prelims to win the B last with 5:08.80, dropping 4.4 seconds from her morning swim.

Males’s 500 Yard Freestyle – Finals

• Meet Document: 4:20.35 – Joel Thatcher, SCAD (2017)

Podium:

1. Daniel Laureyssens, St Thomas – 4:25.32
2. Fabio Martin Rojo, Lindsey Wilson – 4:25.80
3. Carlos Trinidad Sancho, Keiser – 4:32.46
4. Mate Dort, Life – 4:32.54
5. Zoltan Tompos, SCAD – 4:32.59
6. Jonas Friess, St Ambrose – 4:34.98
7. Wyatt Smith, SCAD – 4:35.50
8. Matt Mizell, St Thomas – 4:43.60

Daniel Laureyssens from St Thomas eked out a good win over Lindsey Wilson’s Fabio Martin Rojo, 4:25.32 to 4:25.80. The 2 had been a lot quicker than a 12 months in the past once they completed 4th and Fifth, respectively.

Laureyssens was out shortly. He break up 49.0 on the primary 100 and 53.5 on the second 100. On the midway mark, he was up greater than a physique size over Martin Rojo, 2:09.3 to 2:10.9. Martin Rojo break up 26.7s on the following 2 50s, outpacing Laureyssens by simply over 2 seconds. Martin Rojo took over the lead with 150 to go. He fell off tempo over the following 2 50s, whereas Laureyssens discovered one other gear. He bought the higher of Martin Rojo during the last 100 yards and got here away with the victory by half a second.

One other battle was being waged for third place, with Carlos Trinidad Sancho of Keiser, Mate Dort from Life, and SCAD’s Zoltan Tompos all got here to the wall collectively, clocking in at 4:32.46, 4:32.54, and 4:32.59, respectively. Trinidad Sancho had led the trio all through the 20 laps, whereas Dort and Tompos had been only a bit behind. Dort pulled away from Tompos after the midway mark, however Tompos put his legs into it on the final 150 yards, coming residence in 27.1-27.2-25.9 to return inside .13 of catching the chief, Trinidad Sancho.

Jonas Friess of St Ambrose, SCAD’s Wyatt Smith, and Matt Mizell from St Thomas positioned Sixth by way of eighth.

Nestor Montero of St Thomas, additionally in 14th place this morning, completed in ninth after successful the B last with 4:34.64, 6.3 seconds quicker than he’d been in prelims.

Ladies’s 200 Yard Particular person Medley – Finals

• Meet Document: 2:02.70 – Camryn Hudson, Keiser (2023)

Podium:

1. Halle Briner, ONU – 2:05.08
2. Nikoline Biltoft-Jensen, Keiser – 2:05.90
3. Romy Itzkovich, Cumberlands – 2:06.55
4. Stella Warborn, St Thomas – 2:06.74
5. Emma Phillips, Union – 2:07.39
6. Valentina Zapata, Cumberlands – 2:07.51
7. Leyre Antonanzas Fernandez, St Ambrose – 2:09.08
8. Mary Grace Bitting, Milligan – 2:09.09

Valentina Zapata from Cumberlands was out first with a powerful butterfly leg, however Halle Briner of Olivet Nazarene, final 12 months’s Sixth-place finisher, took over the lead on the breaststroke. Nikoline Biltoft-Jensen of Keiser had the quickest third 50 within the last, and she or he additionally moved previous Zapata. Biltoft-Jensen was closing in on Briner, as nicely, however the latter got here residence .7 quicker, in 29.8, to safe the win. Briner’s splits had been 26.68-32.59-35.93-29.88 for a last time of two:05.08. That’s a 1.4-second enchancment from her entry time and a couple of.7 seconds quicker than what she went in finals final 12 months, when she got here in Sixth.

Biltoft-Jensen was additionally quicker than she’d been in final 12 months’s A last; she improved by 1.3 seconds to complete with 2:05.90.

Romy Itzkovich of Cumberlands touched out St Thomas’s Stella Warborn, the highest seed coming into the meet, 2:06.55 to 2:06.74, for third place.

Ending Fifth by way of eighth had been Emma Phillips from Union, Zapata, Leyre Antonanzas Fernandez of St Ambrose, and Milligan’s Mary Grace Bitting.

Keiser’s Lorie Seranski gained the B last by .08 over SCAD sophomore Leah Givens, 2:07.80 to 2:07.88.

Males’s 200 Yard Particular person Medley – Finals

• Meet Document: 1:47.55 – David Hibberd, Simon Fraser (2011)

Podium:

1. Alex Kusik, Keiser – 1:46.76
2. Fynn Kunze, Keiser – 1:47.61
3. Jokubas Jankauskas, Cumberlands – 1:48.92
4. Stephen Gilbert, Milligan – 1:49.30
5. Adam Conrad, St Thomas – 1:49.89
6. Mikhi Hassim, St Ambrose – 1:51.39
7. Freddie Cole, Grasp’s – 1:52.59
8. Jack Fries, ONU – 1:53.12

Keiser teammates Alex Kusik and Fynn Kunze swept the highest 2 spots however within the reverse order from a 12 months in the past. This time it was Kusik on the highest step of the rostrum. He not solely beat his teammate, however he broke the meet report with 1:46.76. The boys’s 200 IM mark had stood since 2011, when Simon Fraser was within the NAIA and Havid Hibberd went 1:47.55.

Kusik was in Sixth place after the butterfly leg, however he pulled into third place on the backstroke. Kunze was forward by 1.1 seconds on the 150 wall. Kusik got here residence 2 full seconds quicker to safe the win. His splits had been:

• Fly – 24.10
• Again – 27.31
• Breast – 30.58
• Free – 24.77

Kunze positioned 2nd with 1:47.61, a tick quicker than his successful time from 2023.

Jokubas Jankauskas, Fifth in 2023, moved as much as third this 12 months with 1:48.92. Milligan’s Stephen Gilbert bought previous St Thomas’s Adam Conrad on the final 50 yards to complete 4th with 1:49.30. Gilbert gained the B last a 12 months in the past.

Mikhi Hassim from St Ambrose, Freddie Cole of Grasp’s, and Jack Fries from Olivet Nazarene rounded out the A last.

Emil Schildhauer from Thomas edged SCAD’s Finlay Saunders, 1:51.72 to 1:51.92, to win the B last.

Ladies’s 50 Yard Freestyle – Finals

• Meet Document: 22.29 – Cheyenne Coffman, Fresno Pacific (2012)

Podium:

1. Maaike Broersma, Lindsey Wilson – 23.25
2. Ines Laurent, Keiser – 23.45
3. Natalia Gorska, Lindsey Wilson – 23.49
4. Julie Vega, ONU – 23.53
5. Hanne te Velthuis, Milligan – 23.54
6. Regan Garcia, St Thomas – 23.72
7. Danai Sofoulis, Keiser – 24.06
8. Aubrey Bach, Keiser – 24.12

Lindsey Wilson went 1-3 in a really tight 50 free last. Maaike Broersma bought her hand to the wall first, stopping the clock at 23.25. Keiser’s Ines Laurent touched out Broersma’s teammate Natalia Gorska by .04 with 23.45.

Olivet Nazarene’s Julie Vega went one higher, snatching 4th place from Hanne te Velthuis of Milligan by .01 with 23.53.

St Thomas’s Regan Garcia led the following wave of finishers with 23.72. Keiser positioned seventh and eighth with Danai Sofoulis and Aubrey Bach.

Ana Gross sales of St Thomas gained the B last with 23.81.

Males’s 50 Yard Freestyle – Finals

• Meet Document: 19.71 – Logan H Lassley, Oklahoma Baptist (2014) and Marcel Nagy, Keiser (2020)

Podium:

1. Noel de Geus, Keiser – 19.57
2. Hanno Boeckmann, Keiser – 19.98
3. Samuel Web page, SCAD – 20.08
4. Alex Marrero, St Thomas – 20.14
5. William Birkett, St Thomas – 20.15
6. Steven Aimable, St Thomas – 20.22
7. Robbie Backyard, St Thomas – 20.41
8. Paxton Smith, Milligan – 20.46

Keiser’s Noel de Geus efficiently defended his 2023 title, however this time he took down the meet report together with his win. De Geus notched a PB of 19.57 to interrupt the meet mark of 19.71 that was collectively held by Logan Lassey of Oklahoma Baptist and Keiser’s Marcel Nagy.

Teammate Hanno Boeckmann slipped by final 12 months’s runner-up, Samuel Web page of SCAD, out-touching him 19.98 to twenty.08.

St Thomas scored tons of factors with Alex Marrero (20.14), William Birkett (20.15), Steven Aimable (20.22), and Robbie Backyard (20.41), who positioned Fifth by way of seventh. Paxton Smith of Milligan was eighth.

SCAD’s Jan Gastal gained the B last with 20.21, taking .11 off his entry time.

Ladies’s 3-Meter Diving – Finals

• Meet Document: 444.81 – Cynthia Miller (1987)

Podium:

1. Macy Schmidtgall, IWU – 193.10
2. Megan Carroll, IWU – 176.30

Indiana Wesleyan’s Macy Schmidtgall scored 193.10 factors to beat teammate Megan Carroll in 3-meter diving. The pair elevated IWU into seventh place within the standings with their 37 staff factors.

Ladies’s 200 Yard Freestyle Relay – Timed Finals

• Meet Document: 1:32.15 – Oklahoma Baptist (2014)

Podium:

1. St Thomas – 1:33.91
2. Keiser – 1:34.09
3. Lindsey Wilson – 1:36.41
4. Milligan – 1:36.46
5. Cumberlands – 1:36.53
6. Grasp’s – 1:36.82
7. Olivet Nazarene – 1:37.09
8. Indiana Wesleyan – 1:37.41

St Thomas pulled off a gentle upset of top-seeded Keiser, successful the 200 free relay with 1:33.91. Ana Gross sales (23.72), Ellasen Peot (23.50), and Martine Abrahamsen (23.40) gave Regan Garcia (23.29) simply sufficient of a result in efficiently maintain off Keiser’s anchor Danai Sofoulis, who break up 22.99 on the tip of their relay.

Lindsey Wilson eked out third place (1:36.41), with Milligan (1:36.46), Cumberlands (1:36.53), Grasp’s (1:36.82), and Olivet (1:37.09) proper on their heels.

Males’s 200 Yard Freestyle Relay – Timed Finals

• Meet Document: 1:18.43 – Oklahoma Baptist (2014)

Podium:

1. St Thomas – 1:18.76
2. Keiser – 1:18.79
3. Milligan – 1:21.02
4. SCAD – 1:21.65
5. Cumberlands – 1:22.06
6. Thomas – 1:23.12
7. Loyola New Orleans – 1:23.77
8. St Ambrose – 1:23.78

The evening ended with an exciting end within the males’s 200 free relay. St Thomas bought the higher of Keiser, nevertheless it was a photograph end and solely .03 separated the 2 groups on the finish. Keiser led by .03 after the primary leg, by .62 after the second led, and by .15 after the third leg. Daniel Laureyssens got here residence .31 quicker than Angel Margaritov and St Thomas was in a position to snatch the win and efficiently defend their 2023 title.

The splits had been:

High 10 Ladies’s Groups After Day 2

1. Keiser – 213.5
2. St Thomas – 181
3. Milligan – 141
4. Olivet Nazarene – 126
5. Lindsey Wilson – 124
6. Cumberlands – 118
7. Indiana Wesleyan – 102
8. SCAD – 100
9. Grasp’s – 87
10. Bethel (IN) – 66

High 10 Males’s Groups After Day 2

1. Keiser – 224
2. St Thomas – 222
3. SCAD – 143
4. Milligan – 140
5. Cumberlands – 124
6. St Ambrose – 119
7. Thomas – 83
8. Grasp’s – 79
9. Olivet Nazarene – 68
10. (tie) Loyola New Orleans / Bethel (IN) – 59