Photo Courtesy: John Valenzuela
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The Fall focus for most Divison III teams is their respective rested invitationals. Kenyon College kicked off invite action for D-3 by competing in the Ohio State Invitational before the Thanksgiving holiday. Hannah Orbach-Mandel and Julia Wilson posted the swims of the meet on the women’s side, while Arthur Conover did the same for the men. The Lords and Ladies are currently dominating the national top times list, but should receive some competition this weekend.
They will be competing against John Hopkins and a variety of top Division I teams this weekend at their Total Performance Invitational, but this is certainly not the only fast meet going on. Below are four of the top Division-III based fall invitationals to look forward to.
Wheaton Invitational
Photo Courtesy: Michael Hudson
Competing Teams:
- Wheaton (Ill.)
- Hope College
- UW-Whitewater
- UW-Stevens Point
Swimmers to Watch:
- Erin Bagley (Wheaton)- Bagley enters the meet seeded first in the 50 free and 200 breast and second in the 100 breast. She earned All-American honors in the 200 free relay and Honorable Mention honors in the 100 breast last season. She posted a 1:04.0 at this invitational last year, and is on track to do similarly this season. She will also be a contender in the 100 fly, 100 back and 200 IM.
- Kayla Roberson (Wheaton)- Roberson also earned an Honorable Mention spot last year in the 400 IM. She did not swim the event here last season, but will most likely do so this time around. She will also give Bagley a run for her money in the breaststroke events and 200 IM.
- Christopher Szymczak (Wheaton)- Szymczak won the 200 back at this meet last year and ended the season placing fifth in it at the NCAA Championships. He has only been 1:55.0 so far this season, but this is actually faster than he had been at this point last year. Keep an on Szymack in the 100 back, 200 fly and 200 IM as well.
- Nathaniel Somers (Stevens Point) – While Somers did not post his NCAA-qualifying swims until February last year, expect this experienced sophomore to win the distance events at this meet. He will be challenged by William McCauley of Wheaton who earned honorable mention All-American honors in the 1,650 at last year’s NCAA Championships. The men’s mile may be one of the most exciting races of the weekend.
LaVerne Invitational
Photo Courtesy: Pomona-Pitzer Athletics
Competing Teams:
- Pomona-Pitzer
- Claremont Mudd-Scripps
- University of LaVerne
- CSU- East Bay (Division II)
Swimmers to Watch:
- Madison Kauahi (Pomona-Pitzer) – Kauahi has already swam faster in dual meets this year than she swam at this invitational last year in the 50 free. Her 24.10 from earlier this month puts her in contention to get the B cut in this event, the race where she earned Honorable Mention All-American status last year. She is also close in the 100 free after swimming a 52.9 this season. She finished twentieth in this event at last year’s NCAAs.
- Jocelyn Crawford (CMS) – Crawford has also swam some fast 50 freestyles this season, but her main focus will be the 100 backstroke. Crawford has already gone 57.99 this year, just .65 off the B cut. She is currently tenth in this event and will look to qualify for her first NCAA Championship as a freshman. Her best of 56.37 from high school would have made last year’s meet.
- Aaron Lutzker (CMS)- Sophomore Lutzker will look to win both butterfly and IM events at this Invitational. He is just off B cuts in all four events, as he has been 51.52, 1:53.97, 1:57.15 and 4:08.66 this season. His biggest challenge will be from freshman teammate Henry Limm who swam a 4:03.97 in the 400 IM at last year’s Futures Championships.
- Matthew Williams (CMS) – After winning the 100 back at last year’s NCAA Championships, Williams will definitely be the swimmer to watch at this meet. He will look to make a statement in his signature event here in December. His fourth-ranked 50.58 is just .04 off the B cut and less than a second off what made last year’s meet. Do not expect him to go 47 just yet but he will be a 48-high or 49-low for sure.
MIT Invitational
Photo Courtesy: MIT Athletics
Competing Teams:
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- New York University
- Tufts University
- Keene State College
- SUNY- New Paltz
- Wheaton (Mass.)
- Wellesley
Swimmers to Watch:
- Julien Zhu (NYU) – Zhu has already posted a B cut in the 200 fly (2:06.88) and currently ranks tenth in this event in Division III. She has done the same in the 400 IM (4:34.75) where she ranks fifteenth. Just a freshman, Zhu will look to add the 200 IM and/or 500 free to her list of B cuts, while the 200 fly is her best chance to qualify for the NCAA Championships. She will be challenged for the win in these distance races by MIT’s Adelaide Chambers and Katherine Pan.
- Veronika Jedryka (MIT) – All-American Jedryka always swims fast when it matters the most. While she may not grace the top of the psych sheet, expect her to post some of the nation’s top times in the 50 and 100 free and 100 and 200 back. Last year at this meet she swam a 56.6 and 2:02.1 in the backstroke events, which would put her in the top four in each event so far this year.
- Ryan Boraski (Keene State) – Boraski is currently the fastest 100 freestyler and third fastest 50 freestyler in the country for Division III. He has earned B cuts in both events already, and will likely earn his third in the 200 free this weekend. It will certainly be tough but it is not out of the question to see Division III’s first A cut from Boraski this weekend. At the very least, he will come close.
- Timothy Kou (NYU) – Kou has also posted an NCAA B cut this season with his fourth-ranked 100 breast. His 56.27 should be enough to win the race despite a challenge from MIT’s Brandon McKenzie and Keene’s Nathan Shepard. He should win the 200 more dominantly as he tries to improve upon his eighth place ranking.
Live Results
Gompei Invitational
Photo Courtesy: Frank Poulin/WPI Athletics
Competing Teams:
- Worcester Polytechnic Institute
- Stevens Institute
- Roger Williams University
- Brandeis University
- Clark University
- Bentley University (Division II)
- Assumption College (Division II)
- Merrimack College (Division II)
Swimmers to Watch:
- Mackenzie Webber (RWU)- Although just off the B cut in the 50 free, junior Webber ranks seventeenth in this event for Division III. Expect her to swim under the B standard of 23.85 this weekend. She won the event last year with a 24.05. After qualifying for the NCAA Championships last season, a fast 50 at Gompei is the first step towards becoming an All-American for Webber.
- Jennifer Day (WPI) – After posting B cuts in the 1,650 and 200 fly last year, Day is always on the radar, especially at rested meets. She posted her first B cut last season at this meet in the mile, so expect her to do the same this year. She will also be a contender in the 500 free against a strong group of Division II competitors.
- Andrew Bauer (WPI) – After competing at last year’s NCAA Championships, Bauer is likely to post B cuts in the 100 and 200 free. He will also post strong efforts in the relays for WPI, as the Goats will look to have multiple All-American relays this year in March.
- Samuel Fuller (Stevens) – Fuller will be the man to watch in the distance events, as he won the 200 back and placed second in the mile at this meet last year. He posted a B cut in the mile last year, and will be looking to repeat that performance in December this year. He will be challenged by teammates Conner Arnott and Connor Harrigan.
Live Results
Other Invitationals to Watch
Photo Courtesy: Allen Rich
- Miami Invitational- (Denison)
- SCAD Invitational- (Emory)
- Calvin Winter Invitational- (Calvin, Kalamazoo, Grove City)
- Yellow Jacket Invitational- (Washington & Lee)
This weekend will provide a decent preview of what’s to come at this year’s NCAA Championships. Most of the nation’s top teams and swimmers are set to post the fastest swims of the season. There is not one particular meet to focus on the most, as NCAA competitors will be racing hard across the country before coming together in March.
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