By Taylor Covington, Swimming World College Intern.
Denison will head into tonight’s final day of the 2019 NCAA Division III Swimming Championships with a healthy point advantage on the men’s side, while Emory maintains the lead for the women. Both teams are not out of striking distance, however, as the persistent dark horse, Kenyon, continues to climb in point standings night after night. With consistent finishes across the board and an uncanny ability to get their hands on the wall first, the Kenyon Lords and Ladies will pose a major threat heading into the last night of competition.
Emory will have to stave off a Kenyon upset by banking on sprinting stalwart Fiona Muir, who took the women’s 100 free preliminary with ease. If she and teammate Megan Taylor can post 1-2 finishes in tonight’s finale, they may be able to put Emory out of arm’s reach.
On the men’s side, Denison will have to find a way to the podium if they hope to hold off an aggressive Kenyon approach. Failing to place a lot of men in middle lanes tonight, the Big Red will have to see some breakout swims in the 200 back and 200 breast. With all the pressure on the top two teams, the Lords and Ladies may be poised for a scrappy win.
Tonight’s spread of events include Men and Women’s 100 free, 200 back, 200 breast, and 400 yard relay.
Women 100 Free
Emory’s Fiona Muir came out of the gates swinging, posting a 50.14 to take the top seed in prelims. Narrowly outsplitting her closest competitor, Denison’s Madison Hopkins (50.33), on the first 50, Muir seized tonight’s middle lane by 0.19 on the first half alone, which will give Denison much to think about in terms of race strategy heading into the evening. Muir’s teammate Megan Taylor (50.54) claimed her spot on the other side of the sprinting stalwart, as the two hope to rake in points with a 1-2 finish tonight.
Kenyon’s Abigail Wilson stayed with the pack by dropping a 50.57, followed closely by BSC’s Rebecca Erwin (50.60). Wheaton forced their way into the A-final with an impressive swim from Brooke Barnes, who slashed her seed time to post a 50.73. Emory sophomore Lucena Daro (50.75) and Kenyon’s Hannah Orbach-Mandel (50.79) will round out the A-final in the outside lanes.
Event 32 Women 100 Yard Freestyle
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NCAA Record: * 48.98 3/20/2010 Kendra Stern, Amherst
2018 Winner: 49.29 Fiona Muir, Emory
Meet Qualify: 51.37
Name Year School Seed Prelims
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=== Preliminaries ===
1 Muir, Fiona SR Emory 49.50 50.14
23.83 50.14 (26.31)
2 Hopkins, Madiso SO Denison 50.12 50.33
24.02 50.33 (26.31)
3 Taylor, Megan SR Emory 50.56 50.54
23.99 50.54 (26.55)
4 Wilson, Abigail SR Kenyon 50.43 50.57
24.42 50.57 (26.15)
5 Erwin, Rebecca JR BSC 50.76 50.60
24.22 50.60 (26.38)
6 Barnes, Brooke SR Wheaton (IL) 51.14 50.73
24.43 50.73 (26.30)
7 Daro, Lucena SO Emory 50.99 50.75
24.49 50.75 (26.26)
8 Orbach-Mandel, SR Kenyon 51.01 50.79
24.40 50.79 (26.39)
Men 100 Free
Tufts will dominate the middle of the pool on the men’s side, as Roger Ju sprinted to a 43.87 finish to position himself as top seed. Emory’s Trey Kolleck was close behind, dropping a 43.98 of his own to take his seat beside Ju. F & M sophomore Chris Sciavone managed to slip past UW Eau Claire’s Collin Miller (44.19) to cinch the third seed with a time of 44.16.
Coast Guard’s Jose Rodriguez (44.53) broke into the top five by 0.01, ahead of Emory’s Sage Ono (44.54), while Rowan’s Kevin Gillooly (44.56) and Dension’s Kymani Senior (44.56) will enter as tonight’s underdogs.
Event 33 Men 100 Yard Freestyle
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NCAA Record: * 42.98 3/24/2018 Oliver Smith, Emory
2018 Winner: 43.32 Oliver Smith, Emory
Meet Qualify: 44.86
Name Year School Seed Prelims
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=== Preliminaries ===
1 Gu, Roger JR Tufts 43.78 43.87
20.88 43.87 (22.99)
2 Kolleck, Trey SR Emory 43.81 43.98
20.84 43.98 (23.14)
3 Schiavone, Chri SO F&M 44.05 44.16
21.03 44.16 (23.13)
4 Miller, Collin JR UW Eau Claire 43.95 44.19
21.10 44.19 (23.09)
5 Rodriguez, Jose JR Coast Guard 45.57 44.53
20.63 44.53 (23.90)
6 Ono, Sage JR Emory 44.99 44.54
21.10 44.54 (23.44)
7 Gillooly, Kevin SO Rowan 45.05 44.56
21.14 44.56 (23.42)
7 Senior, Kymani JR Denison 44.58 44.56
21.02 44.56 (23.54)
Women 200 Back
Kenyon’s Crile Hart continues to pile on an already impressive individual schedule, taking first seed with ease with a time of 1:58.18. Hope’s Megan Peel (1:59.56) shaved over a second off her seed time to take a lane next to her, while freshman standout Jessil Eckland (2:00.38) from Vassar took third. MIT’s Laura Rosado (2:00.71) brought it home in 1:01.94 to seize fourth seed, while Kenyon’s Delan Ambrosen (2:01.39) followed close behind. John Hopkins’ freshman Sydney Okubo (2:01.39) surged into the finish ahead of Chicago’s Gillia Gagnard (2:01.72) and Emory’s Gaige Elms (2:02.17).
Event 34 Women 200 Yard Backstroke
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NCAA Record: * 1:55.67 3/24/2018 Crile Hart, Kenyon
2018 Winner: 1:55.67 Crile Hart, Kenyon
Meet Qualify: 2:02.99
Name Year School Seed Prelims
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=== Preliminaries ===
1 Hart, Crile SO Kenyon 1:57.35 1:58.18
27.87 57.44 (29.57)
1:27.69 (30.25) 1:58.18 (30.49)
2 Peel, Meghan SO Hope 2:00.96 1:59.56
28.03 58.12 (30.09)
1:28.54 (30.42) 1:59.56 (31.02)
3 Ecklund, Jessil FR Vassar 2:00.82 2:00.38
28.46 58.17 (29.71)
1:29.01 (30.84) 2:00.38 (31.37)
4 Rosado, Laura FR MIT 2:00.42 2:00.71
28.63 58.77 (30.14)
1:29.75 (30.98) 2:00.71 (30.96)
5 Ambrosen, Delan SR Kenyon 2:01.16 2:01.24
28.58 58.51 (29.93)
1:29.62 (31.11) 2:01.24 (31.62)
6 Okubo, Sydney FR Johns Hopkins 1:59.92 2:01.39
27.88 58.16 (30.28)
1:29.69 (31.53) 2:01.39 (31.70)
7 Gagnard, Gillia SO Chicago 2:03.07 2:01.72
28.43 58.86 (30.43)
1:29.98 (31.12) 2:01.72 (31.74)
8 Elms, Gaige FR Emory 2:00.06 2:02.17
27.91 58.25 (30.34)
Men 200 Back
Chicago’s Byrne Litschgi seized first seed by a wide margin on the men’s side, dropping a 1:45.07. Nearly a second faster than his closest competitor, WPI’s Jack Bauer (1:46.35), Litschgi’s seed going into tonight would’ve won the championship in 2018. Last year’s winner, Denison’s Robert Wang (1:46.37) will take third seed, as he sped in ahead of his freshman teammate Liam Picozzi (1:46.59).
Washington University’s Peyton Wilson posted an impressive time of his own, kicking home to post a 1:46.60 ahead of Amherst’s Craig Smith (1:46.80) John Hopkins’ Emile Koyl (1:46.82), and Kenyon’s Mi Batholomew (1:46.88).
Event 35 Men 200 Yard Backstroke
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NCAA Record: * 1:43.49 3/21/2015 Harrison Curley, Kenyon
2018 Winner: 1:45.37 Robert Wang, Denison
Meet Qualify: 1:48.17
Name Year School Seed Prelims
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=== Preliminaries ===
1 Litschgi, Byrne JR Chicago 1:45.07 1:45.07
24.86 51.56 (26.70)
1:18.15 (26.59) 1:45.07 (26.92)
2 Bauer, Jack SR WPI 1:45.17 1:46.35
24.26 51.12 (26.86)
1:18.62 (27.50) 1:46.35 (27.73)
3 Wang, Robert JR Denison 1:45.47 1:46.37
25.08 51.76 (26.68)
1:19.05 (27.29) 1:46.37 (27.32)
4 Picozzi, Liam FR Denison 1:49.45 1:46.59
24.94 52.17 (27.23)
1:19.37 (27.20) 1:46.59 (27.22)
5 Wilson, Peyton JR Wash U. MO 1:46.77 1:46.60
24.42 51.11 (26.69)
1:18.52 (27.41) 1:46.60 (28.08)
6 Smith, Craig JR Amherst 1:47.24 1:46.80
24.58 51.17 (26.59)
1:18.78 (27.61) 1:46.80 (28.02)
7 Kuyl, Emile SR Johns Hopkins 1:47.41 1:46.82
24.14 50.94 (26.80)
1:18.64 (27.70) 1:46.82 (28.18)
8 Bartholomew, Mi JR Kenyon 1:46.65 1:46.88
25.22 52.00 (26.78)
1:19.47 (27.47) 1:46.88 (27.41)
Women 200 Breast
Williams’ breaststroke star Caroline White (2:14.15) found a way to edge out St. Kate’s Jordyn Wentzel (2:14.24) at the finish to claim first seed. With a stellar first 100, White maintained speed to the finish to top all her competitors, including third seed Katherine Kustritz (2:14.97) who dominated the 100 breaststroke last night. Emory’s Ashley Daniels made her presence known with a 2:15.78, and her teammate Emily Hageboeck (2:16.90) claimed fifth in tonight’s standings, followed by Denison’s Katherine Mesaros (2:16.95), Amherst’s Nina Fitzgerald (2:17.96), and Pomona Pitzer’s Alexandra Werner (2:18.11).
Event 36 Women 200 Yard Breaststroke
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NCAA Record: * 2:12.20 2/20/2016 Sam Senczyszyn, UW Eau Claire
Meet Record: ! 2:12.27 3/24/2018 KT Kustritz, Denison
2018 Winner: 2:12.27 KT Kustritz, Denison
Meet Qualify: 2:20.77
Name Year School Seed Prelims
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=== Preliminaries ===
1 White, Caroline JR Williams 2:14.72 2:14.15
30.33 1:04.03 (33.70)
1:38.74 (34.71) 2:14.15 (35.41)
2 Wentzel, Jordyn FR St. Kate's 2:12.85 2:14.24
30.40 1:04.36 (33.96)
1:39.20 (34.84) 2:14.24 (35.04)
3 Kustritz, KT JR Denison 2:13.72 2:14.97
29.77 1:04.38 (34.61)
1:39.41 (35.03) 2:14.97 (35.56)
4 Daniels, Ashley SR Emory 2:16.35 2:15.78
30.34 1:04.19 (33.85)
1:39.48 (35.29) 2:15.78 (36.30)
5 Hageboeck, Emil JR W&L 2:16.07 2:16.90
31.26 1:05.74 (34.48)
1:41.34 (35.60) 2:16.90 (35.56)
6 Mesaros, Kather JR Denison 2:17.36 2:16.95
30.28 1:05.38 (35.10)
1:41.47 (36.09) 2:16.95 (35.48)
7 Fitzgerald, Nin SO Amherst 2:17.44 2:17.96
31.16 1:06.58 (35.42)
1:41.68 (35.10) 2:17.96 (36.28)
8 Werner, Alexand FR Pomona-Pitzer 2:18.62 2:18.11
31.22 1:05.93 (34.71)
1:41.67 (35.74) 2:18.11 (36.44)
Men 200 Breast
Chicago came out on top with their breaststroke center of gravity, Lance Culjat, who posted a 1:58.45 to edge out Mary Washington’s Jeffrey Leckrone (1:58.97). In a tightly packed heat, Emory’s Jason Hamilton crashed in for the finish, only 0.02 ahead of Amherst’s Sean Mebust to take one of the middle lanes with a time of 1:59.09. Washington University’s Simon Deshusses (1:59.31) found a way to get his hand on the wall before USMMA’s Nolan Monahan (1:59.31) to break into the top five, ahead of Denison’s Richard Kurlich (1:59.66) and Gustavus’ Tanner Sonnek (1:59.85).
Event 37 Men 200 Yard Breaststroke
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NCAA Record: * 1:50.80 3/18/2017 Andrew Wilson, Emory
2018 Winner: 1:58.57 Sam McManus, DePauw
Meet Qualify: 2:00.93
Name Year School Seed Prelims
==================================================================
=== Preliminaries ===
1 Culjat, Lance JR Chicago 2:00.79 1:58.45
26.11 55.87 (29.76)
1:26.61 (30.74) 1:58.45 (31.84)
2 Leckrone, Jeffr SR Mary Washington 2:00.47 1:58.97
26.75 57.02 (30.27)
1:27.66 (30.64) 1:58.97 (31.31)
3 Hamilton, Jason FR Emory 1:59.59 1:59.09
27.02 57.74 (30.72)
1:28.24 (30.50) 1:59.09 (30.85)
4 Mebust, Sean JR Amherst 1:59.50 1:59.11
27.01 56.97 (29.96)
1:27.74 (30.77) 1:59.11 (31.37)
5 Deshusses, Simo JR Wash U. MO 2:02.35 1:59.31
26.97 56.96 (29.99)
1:27.23 (30.27) 1:59.31 (32.08)
6 Monahan, Nolan JR USMMA 2:00.89 1:59.62
26.46 56.44 (29.98)
1:27.80 (31.36) 1:59.62 (31.82)
7 Kurlich, Richar FR Denison 2:00.44 1:59.66
27.31 57.78 (30.47)
1:28.41 (30.63) 1:59.66 (31.25)
8 Sonnek, Tanner SR Gustavus 1:59.82 1:59.85
26.51 56.73 (30.22)
1:28.13 (31.40) 1:59.85 (31.72)
Women 400 Free Relay
In a cohesive effort by Denison’s Mia Chiappe, Casey Kirby, Gabriella Nutter, and Madison Hopkins, the Big Red took it all with a time of 3:23.54, taking down Kenyon’s top combo of Hannah Orbach-Mandel, Celina German, Abigail Wilson, and Crile Hart (3:23.86). Emory held on until the end to wedge themselves in the top three through efforts by Fiona Muir, Zoe Walker, Lucena Daro, and Megan Taylor (3:24.09).
Williams eclipsed the top-three by a narrow margin, finishing with a time of 3:25.21 ahead of Washington University (3:35.67), St. Kate’s (3:26.25), Conn College (3:26.26), and Bowdoin (3:26.51).
Event 39 Women 400 Yard Freestyle Relay
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NCAA Record: * 3:18.46 3/24/2018 Emory
Muir, Cheng, Ong, Taylor
2018 Winner: 3:18.46 Emory
Meet Qualify: 3:28.45
School Seed Prelims
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=== Preliminaries ===
1 Denison 3:22.30 3:23.54
1) Chiappe, Mia SO 2) Kirby, Casey JR
3) Nutter, Gabriella JR 4) Hopkins, Madison SO
24.91 51.92 (51.92)
1:15.91 (23.99) 1:43.07 (51.15)
2:07.06 (23.99) 2:33.86 (50.79)
2:49.95 (16.09) 3:23.54 (49.68)
2 Kenyon 3:22.79 3:23.86
1) Orbach-Mandel, Hannah SR 2) German, Celina SO
3) Wilson, Abigail SR 4) Hart, Crile SO
24.72 51.36 (51.36)
1:15.64 (24.28) 1:43.32 (51.96)
2:07.06 (23.74) 2:33.21 (49.89)
2:57.35 (24.14) 3:23.86 (50.65)
3 Emory 3:22.90 3:24.09
1) Muir, Fiona SR 2) Walker, Zoe FR
3) Daro, Lucena SO 4) Taylor, Megan SR
24.25 50.73 (50.73)
1:15.10 (24.37) 1:42.30 (51.57)
2:06.74 (24.44) 2:33.33 (51.03)
2:57.77 (24.44) 3:24.09 (50.76)
4 Williams 3:25.97 3:25.21
1) Peterson, Anna FR 2) Craig, Molly SO
3) Panitz, Georgia FR 4) Westphal, Laura SO
25.19 52.43 (52.43)
1:16.89 (24.46) 1:43.57 (51.14)
2:07.98 (24.41) 2:35.40 (51.83)
2:59.12 (23.72) 3:25.21 (49.81)
5 Wash U. MO 3:26.48 3:25.67
1) Pollitt, Eleanor SO 2) Seidner, Mollie JR
3) Sapp, Lauren SR 4) Cowin, Catherine JR
24.69 52.38 (52.38)
1:16.13 (23.75) 1:42.75 (50.37)
2:07.13 (24.38) 2:33.85 (51.10)
2:58.62 (24.77) 3:25.67 (51.82)
6 St. Kate's 3:26.96 3:26.25
1) Wentzel, Jordyn FR 2) Klein, Macy FR
3) Menso, Margaret FR 4) Grohman, Sydney SO
24.13 50.45 (50.45)
1:15.11 (24.66) 1:42.12 (51.67)
2:07.00 (24.88) 2:33.70 (51.58)
2:58.34 (24.64) 3:26.25 (52.55)
7 Conn College 3:26.95 3:26.26
1) Ammon, Vaughn FR 2) Healy, Mackenzie SO
3) Ford, Madison SO 4) Haskell, Olivia SR
25.00 51.77 (51.77)
1:16.78 (25.01) 1:44.64 (52.87)
2:09.33 (24.69) 2:35.86 (51.22)
2:59.87 (24.01) 3:26.26 (50.40)
8 Bowdoin 3:28.45 3:26.51
1) Laurita, Mary SO 2) Lowery, Marshall JR
3) Dixon, Sterling SR 4) Banasiak, Amanda JR
25.37 52.40 (52.40)
1:16.87 (24.47) 1:43.91 (51.51)
2:08.61 (24.70) 2:35.03 (51.12)
2:59.89 (24.86) 3:26.51 (51.48)
Men 400 Free Relay
Emory demonstrated strength on the men’s side, putting together a lethal combo with Sage Ono, Colin Lafave, Alex Kohlman, and Trey Kolleck (2:58.72). They cruised to the finish with ease, finishing nearly a second ahead of Denison’s top crew of Kenny Fox, Eric Garlach, Matthew McHugh, and Drake Horton (2:59.60). In true form, Kenyon found its way into the top-three, boasting a time of 3:00.20 with top sprinters David Fitch, Aj Reid, Thomas Weiss, and Robert Williams.
Calvin (3:00.45) will round out the heat with a narrow edge over Tufts (3:00.54), Pomona-Pitzer (3:00.77), Johns Hopkins (3:00.88), and MIT (3:00.91), as the teams battle for the title and round out a climactic 2019 championship.
Event 40 Men 400 Yard Freestyle Relay
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NCAA Record: * 2:53.59 3/24/2012 , Kenyon
Somers, Turk, Ramsey, Richardson
2018 Winner: 2:56.72 Emory
Meet Qualify: 3:01.77
School Seed Prelims
====================================================================
=== Preliminaries ===
1 Emory 2:57.66 2:58.72
1) Ono, Sage JR 2) Lafave, Colin FR
3) Kohlman, Alex SR 4) Kolleck, Trey SR
21.30 44.64 (44.64)
1:05.71 (21.07) 1:29.73 (45.09)
1:51.31 (21.58) 2:15.13 (45.40)
2:35.53 (20.40) 2:58.72 (43.59)
2 Denison 2:57.52 2:59.60
1) Fox, Kenny SR 2) Gerlach, Eric JR
3) McHugh, Matthew JR 4) Horton, Drake SO
21.89 45.80 (45.80)
1:07.11 (21.31) 1:30.41 (44.61)
1:51.40 (20.99) 2:15.19 (44.78)
2:36.49 (21.30) 2:59.60 (44.41)
3 Kenyon 2:58.71 3:00.20
1) Fitch, David SO 2) Reid, AJ SR
3) Weiss, Thomas JR 4) Williams, Robert SR
21.72 45.95 (45.95)
1:06.86 (20.91) 1:30.85 (44.90)
1:52.38 (21.53) 2:15.58 (44.73)
2:36.97 (21.39) 3:00.20 (44.62)
4 Calvin 3:00.74 3:00.45
1) Iturbe, Julian SO 2) Britton, Jared SR
3) Fish, Skyler SR 4) Holstege, Benjamin SR
21.96 45.36 (45.36)
1:06.07 (20.71) 1:29.81 (44.45)
1:51.70 (21.89) 2:15.52 (45.71)
2:36.82 (21.30) 3:00.45 (44.93)
5 Tufts 3:01.07 3:00.54
1) Tatro, Tyler SO 2) Gu, Roger JR
3) Vollbrechthausen, Victor FR 4) Bowen, Kingsley SR
21.74 45.77 (45.77)
1:05.68 (19.91) 1:28.84 (43.07)
1:50.18 (21.34) 2:14.69 (45.85)
2:36.13 (21.44) 3:00.54 (45.85)
6 Pomona-Pitzer 3:00.69 3:00.77
1) Menkhoff, Lukas SO 2) Abele, Will JR
3) Spindler, Archie FR 4) Drover, Ryan SR
21.21 44.53 (44.53)
1:05.76 (21.23) 1:29.34 (44.81)
1:51.14 (21.80) 2:15.07 (45.73)
2:36.35 (21.28) 3:00.77 (45.70)
7 Johns Hopkins 3:00.57 3:00.88
1) Corbitt, Noah FR 2) Hughes, Collin FR
3) Davenport, Nathaniel SO 4) Fabian, Brandon JR
22.12 45.60 (45.60)
1:07.24 (21.64) 1:31.18 (45.58)
1:52.68 (21.50) 2:16.54 (45.36)
2:37.46 (20.92) 3:00.88 (44.34)
8 MIT 3:00.76 3:00.91
1) Chen, Kyri FR 2) Ubellacker, Samuel JR
3) Sison, Emilio JR 4) Liu, Justin SO
21.70 45.46 (45.46)
1:06.54 (21.08) 1:30.57 (45.11)
1:51.66 (21.09) 2:16.06 (45.49)
2:36.84 (20.78) 3:00.91 (44.85)
- 2018 NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIPS
- 2017 NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIPS
- 2016 NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIPS
- 2019 WOMEN'S PSYCH SHEET
- 2019 MEN'S PSYCH SHEET
- 2019 WOMEN'S INVITED SWIMMERS BY TEAM
- 2019 MEN'S INVITED SWIMMERS BY TEAM
- 2019 WOMEN'S ALTERNATES
- 2019 MEN'S ALTERNATES
- 2019 DIVING QUALIFIERS
- 2019 WOMEN'S RESULTS
- 2019 MEN'S RESULTS