Division III Weekly Preview: UAA, NESCAC and NCAC Meets To Kick Off Hectic Week

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The first major weekend of conference meets in Division III will begin this weekend as 19 different Division III conference meets will be this weekend. Perhaps the biggest meet though is the University Athletic Association Championships in Atlanta with defending national champions Emory doing battle with NYU, Wash U, Chicago, Carnegie Mellon, Case Western, Rochester and Brandeis.

UAA Teams ranked in the last Division III CSCAA poll:

  • #2 Emory women
  • #8 NYU women
  • #9 Carnegie Mellon women
  • #10 Chicago women
  • #11 Wash U women
  • #23 Case Western women
  • #3 Emory men
  • #6 Wash U men
  • #7 NYU men
  • #8 Chicago men
  • #12 Carnegie Mellon men
  • #17 Case Western men

Emory comes in as a big favorite on both sides but the meet won’t be a cake walk for the Eagles as four other teams are ranked in the top 15 on both sides as well as Case Western sneaking into the top 25 in the last poll.

The meet is perhaps the strongest in Division III. Most of the best swimmers in Division III on the men’s side will be in action in Atlanta. There is no official psych sheet for the meet available, but below are some of the events that the swimmers might be swimming in.

Top men’s swimmers to watch:

  • Tom Gordon, Emory (500, 200 free, 1650)
  • Ian Rainey, NYU (500, 400 IM, 200 fly)
  • Brandon Lum, Wash U (100 fly, 200 fly)
  • Oliver Smith, Emory (50, 100 fly, 100 free)
  • Timothy Kou, NYU (100 breast, 200 breast)
  • Reona Yamaguchi, Chicago (200 IM, 100 breast, 200 breast)

One of the best matchups of the meet will be in the 100 breast where Reona Yamaguchi and Timothy Kou will do battle. They sit second and fourth nationally in the event and will challenge for the national title in five weeks.

Brandon Lum and Oliver Smith also tied in the 100 fly at the Miami Invite in December and should do battle again this weekend.

Ian Rainey also has the capability of scoring in a number of events so it will be interesting to see what he ends up competing in. Tom Gordon is also one of the best swimmers in Division III as the best distance swimmer in the nation. He will be looking to put up times in this first weekend to put everyone else on notice.

Top women’s swimmers to watch:

  • Cindy Cheng, Emory (500, 200 free, 200 back)
  • Fiona Muir, Emory (50, 200 free, 100 free)
  • Julia Durmer, Emory (200 IM, 400 IM, 1650)
  • Nicole Zanolli, Wash U (500, 200 free, 200 back)
  • Niamh O’Grady, Wash U (200 IM, 100 fly, 200 fly)
  • Honroe Collins, NYU (200 IM, 100 fly, 100 breast)
  • Gillian Gagnard, Chicago (100 back, 200 back)
  • Emma Nicklas, Carnegie Mellon (200 IM, 400 IM, 200 fly)

The Emory women’s team is stacked this year like always. But Wash U has a couple of aces in seniors Nicole Zanolli and Niamh O’Grady who are solid national scorers. The meet also features Cindy Cheng, who is one of the best swimmers in Division III as the defending NCAA champion in the 200 free and 100 back.

The meet also features defending NCAA champions Julia Durmer in the 1650, Fiona Muir in the 100 free, and Honroe Collins in the 200 IM.

The meet will begin Thursday morning.

There are two other huge meets going on in Division III this weekend.

Kenyon and Denison will lock horns in the North Coast Athletic Conference that will begin Wednesday night.

NCAC ranked teams:

  • #1 Kenyon women
  • #3 Denison women
  • #1 Denison men
  • #2 Kenyon men
  • #21 DePauw men
  • #24 Wabash men

The meet will be a showdown between Kenyon and Denison as they are the two best men’s teams in the CSCAA poll. Denison sits third on the women’s side behind Kenyon and UAA Emory. The women’s meet should still be a good competitive meet though with these two rivals going at it in the pool.

Men’s swimmers to watch:

  • Sam McManus, DePauw (100 breast, 200 breast)
  • Bebe Wang, Denison (200 IM, 400 IM, 200 back)
  • Zachary Wagner, Denison (50, 200 free, 100 free)
  • Matt Hedman, Denison (500, 400 IM, 1650)
  • Connor Rumpit, Kenyon (500 free, 1650, 200 fly)
  • Mick Bartholomew, Kenyon (200 IM, 400 IM, 200 back)
  • Matthew Leenhouts, Kenyon (200 IM, 400 IM, 200 free)

Women’s swimmers to watch:

  • KT Kustritz, Denison (100 breast, 200 breast)
  • Kate Mesaros, Denison (100 breast, 200 breast)
  • Halli Garza, Denison (200 IM, 400 IM, 200 fly)
  • Casey Kirby, Denison (100 back, 200 back)
  • Julia Wilson, Kenyon (200 IM, 100 breast, 200 breast)
  • Crile Hart, Kenyon (200 IM, 100 back, 200 back)
  • Marysol Arce, Kenyon (500, 400 IM, 1650)
  • Hannah Orbach-Mandel, Kenyon (500, 200 free, 100 free)

The third big meet in Division III this weekend will be the NESCAC Championship, which is basically the Division III Ivy League meet.

  • #4 Williams women
  • #6 Amherst women
  • #22 Bates women
  • #24 Tufts women
  • #9 Tufts men
  • #13 Amherst men
  • #15 Williams men

Men’s swimmers to watch:

  • Kingsley Bowen, Tufts (100 fly, 100 back, 200 back)
  • Roger Gu, Tufts (50 free, 100 free)
  • Andrew Trunsky, Williams (500, 200 free, 1650)
  • Karl Sarier, Bowdoin (200 IM, 200 free, 100 free)

Women’s swimmers to watch:

  • Emma Waddell, Williams (50, 100 fly, 100 free)
  • Alison McNamara, Williams (500, 200 free, 1650)
  • Caroline White, Williams (200 IM, 100 breast, 200 breast)
  • Bridgitte Kwong, Amherst (200 IM, 400 IM, 200 back)
  • Sterling Dixon, Bowdoin (200 IM, 400 IM, 200 fly)
  • Mary Erb, Connecticut College (100 breast, 200 breast)

Other big meets going on in Division III:

  • #18 Carthage men will swim arch-rival Wheaton in the CCIW in Wisconsin
  • #25 Rowan women and #20 TCNJ men will swim at the Metropolitan Championships in Rutgers
  • #23 Saint Thomas in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in Minneapolis
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