Division II Weekly Recap: Drury Men, Nova Southeastern Women Impress in Early Season Showcase

We are still in early season October, but the (#3) Nova Southeastern women won another early season invitational against top ranked (#1) Drury, Florida Tech and (#23) Florida Southern. Emma Sundstedt won the 1000 free for Nova Southeast with a 10:13.44, the fastest time in Division II swimming so far this year. Sydney Panzarino also had a good 50 free with a 23.55 for the win with her teammate Jenna Johns (24.01).

Johns also posted a win in the 100 fly (56.02) and finished second in the 100 back (56.46) to Drury’s Katya Rudenko (56.21). Nova Southeast also got wins from Courtney Devenny in the 400 IM (4:29.03), Caroline Oster in the 200 fly (2:06.30) and the 400 free relay team on Friday night (3:29.10). Devenny’s time is the number one time in the country while the relay is ranked second.

Drury also had a spectacular showing on the women’s side from Bailee Nunn. Nunn won the 100 breast (1:01.67), 200 IM (2:04.20), 200 breast (2:18.32) and led off the winning 200 free relay (23.24) and the second place 400 free relay (50.93) all in nation leading times. Nunn currently leads Division II in five different events. Nunn also split a 1:01.74 on Drury’s 400 medley relay team that currently leads the Division II rankings (3:49.22).

On the women’s side, the only other nation leading time out of the weekend came from Queens’ McKenzie Stevens in the 200 fly (2:01.11) in Queens’ loss to Virginia Tech and Liberty, as well as Delta State’s Lucia Martelli in the 100 back (55.80) in their loss to Lindenwood.

In the men’s side, (#2) Drury won the Fall Showcase in Florida ahead of (#3) Nova Southeastern, (#16) Florida Tech and Florida Southern. The biggest story of the meet came from Joan Casanovas of Drury and Franco Lupoli of Nova Southeast in the 500 and the 1000. Casanovas got the upper hand in both races and posted a 4:31.07 and a 9:22.52 for the number one time in Division II so far this season. Lupoli posted a 4:31.47 and a 9:25.69 to sit third and second in the national rankings respectively.

Florida Tech’s Victor Rocha Furtado won the 100 free with a 44.49 as the nation’s leading time in Division II. Drury’s 400 medley relay (3:21.57) and Florida Tech’s 400 free relay (3:03.10) also posted the top time in Division II in those events.

Other nation leading times from the weekend came from Queens’ Nick Arakelian in the 200 IM (1:50.14) and the 200 breast (2:01.22), Paul Pijulet in the 100 fly (47.94) and 100 back (48.26) and Lindenwood’s Justin Winnett in the 100 breast (55.24).

Other highlights from the weekend in Division II swimming came from:

(#9) West Florida women lost to Tulane
(#20) Missouri S&T men upset (#6) Delta State
(#12) West Chester men beat Division I Lehigh and (#21) Bloomsburg
(#10) Cal Baptist men won the Malibu Invitational while (#14) Cal Baptist women finished second to Division I San Jose State
McKendree hosted its first ever home meet on Friday night as the men defeated Division I Saint Louis

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