NCAA Division II Champs (Preview): Nova Southeastern and UIndy Seeking Title Repeats
Last season was the first in Division II since 2014 that Queens University of Charlotte did not sweep the women’s and men’s national titles in swimming and diving, with the Royals having begun the transition to Division I. The teams that took advantage of that opening were the Nova Southeastern women and the Indy men, with both squads claiming their first-ever national titles.
Those two teams will both be on the hunt for repeat performances this year, as they return many of their main pieces from 2023. The championships will run from March 12-16.
Meet invite lists and psych sheets
Courtesy: Joe Hausman, Nova Southeastern University Athletics
The Nova women, coached by Ben Hewitt, bring back multi-time individual national champions Emily Trieschmann and Emilia Ronningdal. As a sophomore, Trieschmann was the national champion in the 500, 1000 and 1650 freestyle while setting a national record in the 40-lap race, and Ronningdal won the 200 IM and 200 free. Both swam on Nova’s title-winning 800 free relay, which also brings back Ilaria Murzilli and May Lowy, and each swimmer anchored a winning medley relay (Trieschmann the 200, Ronningdal the 400).
Nova loses breaststroke standout Savanna Best, but brings back a 400 IM title-winner in Lowy, while backstroker Mollie Morfelt, who led off both top-finishing medley relays, is also the top returning swimmer in the 100 back.
The top threats to Nova’s title include Drury, which loses 200 back champion Alexandra Waller, but will have Aurora Duncan—the 2023 national runner-up in both individual medley events plus the 200 fly—leading the way along with multi-time A-finalist Claire Conover and Mellie Wijk. Colorado Mesa has IMer Sophia Bains, backstroker Katerina Matoskova and breaststroker Maddie Moran as leading contenders.
Indy, meanwhile, graduates leading sprinter Johanna Buys as well as 100 back national champion Katie McCoy, but Leticia Vaselli returns to lead the defending-champion sprint freestyle relays along with Andrea Paaske. Other past champions returning include diver Luna Castellanos, who swept 1-meter and 3-meter last season for Clarion, as well as 2022 100 fly winner Luna Mertins of Lynn.
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Photo Courtesy: Andrea Masini / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto
On the men’s side, Indy Coach Brent Noble welcomes back Cedric Buessing to help lead the Greyhounds’ title defense. Buessing won the national title in the 1000 free last season before taking second in both the 400 IM (where he is the top returning performer) and 1650 free, losing an exciting race on a furious last-lap sprint from Grand Valley’s Eric Hieber. Leading sprinter Jeron Thompson is back at Indy for a fifth season, while diver Julio Osuna hopes to maintain his dominance after scoring the top spot in 1-meter and 3-meter in 2023.
Drury, the closest team to Indy last season, loses key contributors Dominik Karacic and Andrew Rodriguez, but will return Brazilian standouts Davi Mourao and Joao Nogueira. Mourao was the 100 breast national champion last season and fifth-place finisher in the 200 breast while Noguiera placed fourth in the 400 IM and fifth in the 500 free a year ago. Alejandro Vilarejo qualified for the 200 fly final as a freshman and could make a jump this year.
McKendree does not return star Gregg Lichinsky from a third-place roster last year, but Jackson Lustig is back after swimming a national-record mark of 1:40.75 in the 200 fly. Additionally, McKendree won three relays in 2023 and brings back eight of the 12 legs from those relays, with Lichinsky representing three of the four departed. Lustig, Arthur Souza, Leo Gandaria-Hernandez, Alireza Yavari, Patryk Rozenek and Filipe Pinheiro are returning relay standouts.
A rising team from Tampa is led by Santiago Corredor, who won the national title in the 400 IM while finishing second in the 200 back and third in the 200 IM in his first season with the Spartans. Barnabus Fluck, Parker Knollman and Caleb Brandon are all returners who played key roles last year. Colorado Mesa’s Ben Sampson returns to defend his 2023 national crowns in the 200 IM and 200 back, as do Henderson State’s Lamar Taylor in the sprint freestyle races and Nova Southeastern’s Thomas Flower in the 200 free.
No mention of Colorado Mesa University? Women have been ranked #1.