2017 NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships: Day 1 Prelims Recap

Photo Courtesy: Cathleen Pruden

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Women’s 500 freestyle

NCAA Record: 4:43.37 – Kendra Stern, Amherst (2011)
2016 Top 8: 4:54.15
2016 Top 16: 4:57.95

Denison’s Campbell Costley set the pace in the women’s 500 by claiming heat four in 4:51.50. She was followed closely by Meg Stanley of Illinois Wesleyan in 4:52.31 and Kenyon duo Hannah Orbach-Mandel (4:52.31) and Marysol Arce (4:53.19). Kenyon also placed three swimmers in the consolation final in Delaney Ambrosen (4:56.94), Kendall Vanderhoof (4:57.73) and Gail Anderson (4:58.02).

Rounding out the championship final will be Lauren Jones of Williams (4:53.41), Nicole Zanolli of Washington University (4:53.85), DePauw’s Angela Newlon (4:56.49) and Mount Union’s Dana Lautenschleger (4:56.88).

Finishing sixteenth this year is Connecticut’s Valerie Urban, swimming a 4:58.27. Making it back to both final heats took slower times than last year, as did being the top qualifier.

Men’s 500 Freestyle

NCAA Record: 4:20.60 – Andrew Greenhalgh, Johns Hopkins (2015)
2016 Top 8: 4:29.08
2016 Top 16: 4:32.55

NCAA record-holder Andrew Greenhalgh made a statement this morning by racing to a 4:22.66, a few one-hundredths faster than his top-qualifying swim from last year and two seconds off his record time from two years ago. He went 53.2 for his final three 100 splits preceded by a 49.7 and 53.07.

Christian Baker of Emory claimed the second seed with a close 4:22.84. Baker descended his 100 splits, swimming nearly his exact same prelims time from last year.

Kenyon’s Arthur Conover swam a relaxed 4:25.34 to take the third seed, cruising the middle 300 yards around 54.0 pace and then coming home in a 51.84. Despite swimming a smooth race, this is still faster than his morning swim at this meet last year. Between these three different racing styles, tonight’s race has shaped up to be an interesting one for sure.

Conover will be joined by teammates Robert Williams (4:28.58) and David Perez (4:28.67) in the championship final tonight while Baker will look for backup from Thomas Gordon (4:27.44) and Henry Copses (4:28.83). Finishing in eighth was Mitchell Riek of Carnegie Mellon (4:28.89) and taking sixteenth was Andrew Trunsky of Williams (4:30.94).

Women’s 200 IM

NCAA Record: 1:58.81 – Caroline Wilson, Williams (2013)
2016 Top 8: 2:04.00
2016 Top 16: 2:05.50

Freshman Honore Collins of New York University made a huge impact on this event in her NCAA debut. She split a 28.19 coming home in the freestyle, surging her ahead of the competition. Collins struggled in the finals at the UAA Championships, so it will be very impressive if she can withstand a loaded and experienced field in tonight’s championship heat.

One of these veterans is second-place qualifier Annelise Kowalsky, who will need to hold off a charging Collins in the free split if she wants to take this one tonight. This was a great best time for the senior, who will team up with Julia Durmer (2:02.16) in the A final.

Rounding out the championship final will be Julia Wilson of Kenyon (2:02.25), Olivia Jackson of Williams (2:02.34), Bates’ Sara Daher (2:02.93), Ithaca’s Grace Ayer (2:03.85) and Carnegie Mellon’s Emma Nicklas-Morris (2:04.04).

It took Williams’ freshman Caroline White‘s 2:05.45 to make the consolation final, after Denison’s Kt Kustritz was disqualified in the final heat. This is a huge loss of points for Denison as Kustritz was likely to make the A final.

Men’s 200 IM

NCAA Record: 1:45.57 – Andrew Wilson, Emory (2016)
2016 Top 8: 1:50.06
2016 Top 16: 1:51.26

Johns Hopkins’ Evan Holder raced to a quick 1:45.64 this morning, just .07 off Andrew Wilson‘s NCAA record. He will face none other than the man himself tonight, who took the second seed in 1:46.18. It was clear that Wilson backed off on the back half of this race, taking an opposing strategy of Holder.

Kenyon’s Trevor Manz took the third seed in 1:46.92 while Denison’s Jackson Lindell raced to a 1:47.49 in the heats of this event, giving him the fourth seed. Ian Reardon, also of the Lords, qualified seventh in 1:48.84.

Washington University will have a pair of swimmers in the A final tonight after Michael Lagieski (1:48.71) and Kevin Van Cleave (1:48.90) finished sixth and eighth, respectively. MIT’s Bouke Edskes will also be in the championship final after placing fifth in 1:48.01.

The event was much faster this year in its entirety, as it took a 1:50.20 from Kenyon’s Michael Bartholomew to make the B final.

Women’s 50 Free

NCAA Record: 22.71 – Elizabeth Carlton, Kenyon (2009)
2016 Top 8: 23.31
2016 Top 16: 23.51

Three women found themselves under the 23-second barrier this morning. Leading the way was Emory’s Fiona Muir in 22.77, just .06 seconds off the national record. Close behind in the same heat was Williams’ junior Emma Waddell with a 22.84 followed by St. Thomas’ Emma Paulson in 22.97. Paulson has the experience in this event but Muir looked strong the whole way through this morning.

Abby VanHarn of Calvin (23.15), Marissa Bergh of Emory (23.31), Wheaton’s Erin Bagley (23.24), Denison’s Carolyn Kane (23.34) and Whitman’s Tai Hallstein (23.38) will round out the championship final. Ithaca’s Lake Duffy took the sixteenth seed in 23.53.

Men’s 50 Free

NCAA Record: 19.38 – Zach Turk, Kenyon (2012)
2016 Top 8: 20.32
2016 Top 16: 20.50

Defending-Champion Oliver Smith of Emory took top honors in this event after the morning heats. His time of 19.85 was just enough to put him ahead of Rowan’s Jesse Novak who took third in this event last year.

The next three seeds did not even final in this event last year; Ivan Garvin of California-Santa Cruz (20.09), Jack Englehardt of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (20.10) and Ryan Boraski of Keene State (20.17) placed third through fifth, respectively.

They were followed by Emory’s Mathias Kolleck in 20.19 and MIT’s Joshua Tomazin in 20.20. Ian Gaynor claimed the seventh seed (20.31) as Tyler Dougherty (20.38) took eighth.

Emory backstroker Sage Ono snuck in for the sixteenth spot with a 20.64.

Women’s 200 Medley Relay

NCAA Record: 1:40.58 – Celia Oberholzer, Laura Duncan, Hannah Cooper, Jennifer McLeod (Kenyon – 2015)
2016 Top 8: 1:43.79
2016 Top 16: 1:45.64

The Emory team of Cindy Cheng, Kowalsky, Marcela Sanchez-Aizcorbe and Megan Taylor took the top qualifying time in 1:41.01, less than half a second off the NCAA record. A strong lead off leg of from Cheng (25.53) will be a challenge for any other team to contest with. She will get some clean water for Kowalsky which will help her fend off Kustritz of Denison and Wilson of Kenyon.

Kustritz’s 27.84 helped give Denison the second seed while Johns Hopkins had four all-around solid splits from Natalia Rincon, Sonia Lin, Abigail Brown and Kristen Peterson. Other noticeable splits include William’s Emma Waddell‘s 23.83 fly split helping her team place fifth and NYU’s Rebecca Gibbs anchoring her team’s relay in a 22.76.

Also competing in the A final are Kenyon (1:42.58-fourth), Connecticut College (1:42.98 – sixth) and Washington & Lee (1:43.78 – eighth). Pomona-Pitzer clinched the sixteenth seed with a 1:45.22.

Men’s 200 Medley Relay

NCAA Record: 1:26.74 – Sage Ono, Andrew Wilson, Christian Baker, Oliver Smith (Emory – 2016)
2016 Top 8: 1:30.16
2016 Top 16: 1:32.31

Despite a blazing 22.13 backstroke split from Williams’ Benjamin Lin, Emory’s team of Ono (23.37), Wilson (23.34), Baker (21.43) and Smith (19.17) took the top seed in 1:27.31. Their efforts distanced them from a field of six 1:29 swims and a 1:30.06 from Wisconsin-Stevens Point to take the eighth spot.

Denison claimed the second seed (1:29.59) followed by Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Brothers John (backstroke-22.57) and Andrew Bauer (19.91) led their team to a 1:29.72, almost two seconds faster than their entry time. Williams took fourth in 1:29.81 followed by Johns Hopkins in 1:29.81.

MIT, Washington University and Wisconsin-Stevens Point round out the top eight, while NYU and Kenyon will swim in the B final. Bates took sixteenth place in 1:31.13.

Women’s 3-Meter Diving

NCAA Record: 517.10 – Hayley Emerick, Trinity (2010)
2016 Top 8: 420.05 points
2016 Top 16: 394.10 points

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