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The first weekend of November is complete in the 2017-2018 season as teams across Division II swimming are starting to gear up for the fall invitationals. This last weekend was the last weekend a lot of teams will have a chance to swim without fast suits until January as they make their final preparations for the mid-season meets.
The University of Indianapolis has been a team to watch in Division II after they won the Nova Southeastern Invitational in mid-October. The Greyhounds hosted the UIndy Quad on Friday that featured McKendree, Bellarmine and Lewis. The Greyhounds have had a strong season so far as they were ranked in the pre-season CSCAA poll at 13 on the men’s side and and 16 on the women’s side.
Indianapolis has been highlighted this season so far by Guilherme Zavaneli and Rodrigo Codo Berti. Those two starred in this weekend’s quad with Zavaneli winning the 200 free (1:39.53) and the 100 free (45.50). Codo Berti also won the 100 IM (50.22) and the 200 IM (1:52.05) on Friday as he is in the running for a national title in those events.
Indianapolis also got good swims on Friday out of Adam Rosipal who won the 500 (4:38.97) and got second in the 1000 (9:37.21) to McKendree’s Throstur Bjanason (9:29.54). Bjanason also finished second to Rosipal in the 500 with a 4:39.81. He currently ranks third in Division II with his time in the 1000 from Friday. Indianapolis also had strong relay performances in the 200 medley (1:31.22) and 400 free relays (3:02.69) as they rank third in Division II in both those relays behind both Queens and Drury.
McKendree is in its second season as a swim team but Jimmy Tierney has built a strong team so far in two years with Bjanason and Alexander Skinner. Skinner finished second to Zavaneli in the 200 (1:42.71) and the 100 (45.81) as the freshman from Namibia is on a roll for this growing McKendree team.
The UIndy women also came out on top in their quad meet as Krystal Caylor and Darian Murray were the headliners on the weekend. Caylor won the 200 IM (2:07.46) and the 100 IM (59.58) and Murray won the 200 fly (2:05.41).
The McKendree women have also turned some heads with their young team as Milica Sostarec won the 50 free (23.93) and the 100 free (52.16). She is in her first season and is 11th in both those events in the Division II national rankings as we move toward November invitationals where McKendree will be at IUPUI’s House of Champions invite.
One of the other up and coming teams is Fresno Pacific. The women lost to Fresno State on Saturday but they have been a strong team so far this fall led by sophomore Laura Fornshell. She won the 200, 500 and 1000 against Fresno State and currently leads Division II in the 500 with her 4:58.47 from Saturday. She also sits fifth in the 200 and fourth in the 1000 in Division II this year.
Fresno Pacific has also had good swims out of Olga Tovstogan as she swam a 2:19.83 in the 200 breast to sit fifth in Division II this year. Daria Belova also had good breaststroke swims this weekend with a 1:04.57 and a 2:21.31 this weekend. The men have also had a good season as they are coming off a win over UC Santa Cruz on Saturday. The men were highlighted by Aleksei Averchenko as he won the 200 fly (1:51.28) to sit at fifth in Division II this year so far. Maksim Shcherbakov has also been good for the team as he ranks third in Division II in the 200 breast this season.
Other quick times from the weekend came from West Chester’s Morgan Haney in the 50 free (23.64) and Julia McCarthy in the 200 IM (2:07.35), Northern Michigan’s Rachel Helm in the 100 (55.70) and 200 back (2:00.76), Bloomsburg’s Nicole Young in the 100 breast (1:04.13), Saint Leo’s Natalie Garriock in the 100 fly (55.58), and Simon Fraser’s Jessie Gibson in the 200 fly (2:01.66).
The men were not as quick on the weekend as Queens and Drury were both off, but there was still fast swimming across Division II this weekend. Florida Southern had a good meet against Florida State and West Florida as Matias Lopez and Matthew Holmes were the stars for them. They both rank fourth in their respective events with Lopez in the 200 back (1:50.93) and Holmes in the 200 free (1:40.03).
The Northern Michigan women also won their 10th straight duel meet on the weekend defeating Saginaw Valley State thanks to swims from Rachel Helm.
Other quick times out of the weekend came from Northern Michigan’s Lajos Budai in the 100 free (45.33), Wingate’s Marco Faerber-Gonzalez in the 500 (4:35.05), Saint Leo’s Matija Rafaj in the 1000 (9:33.75), Saginaw Valley State’s Shaun Yap in the 100 breast (56.26) and Findlay’s Janko Radmanovic in the 200 fly (1:49.84).
Last week’s recap
Last fortnight’s recap
October 16 recap
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