By Rebecca Noblett
FORT PIERCE, Florida, March 8. Indian River won 38 of 40 events on their way to their 40th straight men’s NJCAA championship and 32nd consecutive women’s title. The River only missed out on the top points in men’s diving, an event in which they had no competitors.
Indian River’s women won their 32nd straight title with 1782 points over Iowa Lakes’ 934. South Georgia (827), Darton (652), and Monroe (624) rounded out the top five.
For the men, the River won with 1773 points over Darton’s 1098. South Georgia (1009), Iowa Lakes (882), and Monroe (734) rounded out the top five.
In the afternoon diving session, Indian River’s Ashley Wright won the 3 meter springboard with a commanding points total of 520.75. Her teammate Hunter Taff finished second with 379.20 points, while Darton’s Sarah Hoop posted a 368.65 for third place.
Crawford Berry of Darton took home his second diving win of the meet in the 1 meter springboard, finishing with 542.70 points. SUNY Delhi’s Matt Salle placed second with 495.25 points, and Lincoln’s Cory Barnes took third with 391.70 points.
Josefine Hippi of Indian River got the night started off by winning her third individual event of the meet. Hippi already won the 200 and 500 freestyles earlier this week and added the mile to her medal tally tonight, with a winning time of 16:55.85. Grace Conlon of Iowa Lakes finished second, touching in 17:45.18. Hippi’s teammate Lorena Guercio rounded out the podium with her time of 17:52 ood for third place.
The mile came down to the wire on the men’s side, with the top two within a second of each other. Roland Santos of Indian River touched first at 16:04.55, edging out teammate Quinn Poti (16:05.36). Darton’s JD Rousseau posted a 16:12.78 for third.
The River women swept the 200 backstroke. Shelby Leonard posted a 2:01.45 for first, while Rebecca Halfast took second with a 2:05.01. Kaitlyn Yearout touched with a time of 2:09.12 for third place.
Indian River’s Joshua Oathout toyed with a thirteen-year old NJCAA record in the 200 back. His 1:46.67 fell short of the mark set in 2001 by Matthew Spicer, but it was good enough for first place tonight. IRSC’s Alec Scott touched second in 1:49.05, with Darton’s Gabe Downey hitting the wall third in 1:54.16.
Yurie Nakano of Indian River touched out teammate Rebecca Derogatis in the 100 free, with Nakano’s 50.48 good for first over Derogatis’ 50.78. Their teammate Olivia Sims clocked in at 52.47 for third. Indian River’s Adam Wise added another title to his haul in the men’s 100 free, with a winning time of 45.21. Teammate Michael Ragan touched just behind him at 45.39, just ahead of Darton’s Matt Weiss (45.91).
Patricia Casellas of Indian River doubled up on breaststroke wins with a 2:21.48 to win the 200. Teammates Sorca Jordan (2:27.31) and Vanessa Aycart (2:27.96) completed the River’s sweep of the event. They swept the men’s podium as well, with Shota Nakano getting the win with a 1:58.82. Marc Rojas took second with a 2:01.80, with Brandon Graber placing third with a 2:06.29.
In the 200 fly, Indian River’s Barbara Caraballo won her third event of the meet in style, with her 2:03.73 over nine seconds ahead of the rest of the field. Her teammates Emily Ramirez (2:12.80) and Kaitlyn Yearout (2:16.93) rounded out the podium. Evan Jacob of Indian River won on the men’s side with a 1:48.49, ahead of teammates Heinrich Alberts (1:51.20) and Brandon Thoman (1:51.63).
Indian River took the final relays to cap off their championship. In the women’s 400 free relay, the team of Yurie Nakano, Barbara Caraballo, Shelby Leonard, and Rebecca Derogatis clocked in at 3:24.06 for the title. Iowa Lakes’ Cheyenne Rova, Dashley Reyes, Grace Conlon, and Hannah White placed second with a 3:40.93. Monroe touched third, with the team of Rosalyn Louk, Xiomara Getrouw, Sarah Mack, and Elizabeth Maier posting a 3:46.75.
On the men’s side, the River’s Stefan Stojmenovic, Adam Wise, Bryce Timonera, and Michael Ragan posted a 3:00.12 for first. South Georgia’s Amir Munajj, Ryan Hinojosa, Daniel Hogan, and Christian Marchione hit the wall second in 3:09.74, while Darton’s team of Gabe Downey, Michael Neese, Draven Barcia, and Matt Weiss put up a 3:10.73 for third.
Results For: NJCAA Championships: Day Four