Division III Preview: Williams and NYU Meet MIT In Cambridge

In another incredibly full weekend of racing, three NCAA Division III top 20 teams will square off in a triple dual meet at MIT. Ursinus has back to back meets, hosting Susquehanna on Friday before heading to NYU on Saturday.

After their meet with UIndy was cancelled last weekend, Denison will race Division I Pitt on Friday and then host Carnegie Mellon Saturday. Johns Hopkins, Rowan, Stevens, and Swarthmore will all meet in a competitive quad meet. CMS will race Redlands and Pomona-Pitzer takes on La Verne and Chapman Saturday.

MIT Hosts Fellow Powerhouses Williams and NYU

The women’s meet is likely the most stacked dual meet of the year as #4 NYU, #6 Williams, and #7 MIT will all dive in in Cambridge on Saturday. The men’s meet may not put up the same top end speed, but all three are top 20 teams (#6 MIT, #9 NYU, #19 Williams).

By season’s end, these three teams will sit atop the national rankings in numerous events. Without a mid-season rest, Williams isn’t ranked nearly as highly yet, but the teams are competitive in a dual meet setting.

Honore Collins has been great so far in her junior season for NYU, among the nation’s best in the 200 IM and 200 fly. Sydney Catron is also a leader of the Violets’ squad, taking command in backstroke and freestyle events. The team’s distance free crew is remarkably deep, currently holding five of the country’s ten fastest mile times.

Williams also has a deep freestyle group, strong across the events with Laura Westphal and Gwyneth Maloy and Molly Craig. Craig can do nearly anything well, especially IM and fly. Caroline White is one of the country’s top breaststrokers, something the Ephs need to stay competitive in a dual meet with some of the country’s best teams.

Leading the way for MIT? Freshman Laura Rosado is among the nation’s best 200 backstrokers. Hannah Mahaffey, Kayla Holman, and Kailey Allen offer a one-two-three punch in the 200 fly.

MIT is the team to beat in the men’s meet. They’ve got talent across the board, with Sam Ubellacker and Justin Liu taking the lead in the sprints and Josh Graves setting the tone in distance freestyle. Tim Kralj is the go-to backstroker, Brandon McKenzie the top breaststroker, and Bouke Edskes tough butterfly competition.

So far this year NYU has Justin Lum leading the way in the 200 breaststroke. Graham Chatoor is the team’s top distance swimmer. Elan Oumarov and Nathan Huot are a powerful butterfly duo.

Williams doesn’t quite have all the pieces to put together a compete, dominant dual meet team, but they’ll rack up points come championship season. Jackson Karofsky, Jamie Lovette, and Andrew Trunsky, are all powerful distance swimmers, with Lovette stretching down to the 200 free and Karofsky also a nice IMer.

Colby-Bates-Bowdoin Begins

This weekend kicks off Colby-Bates-Bowdoin action in the pool. Bates (#25 Women) will go back to back, hosting Bowdoin (#23 Women) on Friday night before traveling to Waterville on Saturday. Bowdoin and Colby won’t race until February. Last year both Bowdoin teams won both meets and Bates swept Colby.

Without divers, the Bates women will be at a disadvantage in both meets. Bowdoin’s Mary Laurita and Bates’ Caroline Apathy are a matched set in the 50 and 100 butterfly. First year Maya Reynoso-Williams has been versatile for the Bates Bobcats so far this year, while sprinter Janika Ho is just back from abroad and already returning to form. The Polar Bears have their own versatile option in senior All-American Sterling Dixon, and her teammate Marshall Lowery could be tough to beat in the backstrokes.

Alexander Ignatov is the Bates men’s leading distance swimmer, going up against Bowdoin’s Coleman Komishane and Dan Williams. Defending NESCAC Swimmer of the Year Karl Sarier is the high point for the Polar Bears while breaststroker Alex Bedard appears to be the leader of the Bobcat men so far this season.

Last weekend the Bates men beat Middlebury by 90 points, a day after the Mules beat Midd by 36 points. The quickly rising Colby squad could put up more of a fight for the Bobcats than in recent years.

Case Western at SUNY Geneseo

The 13th ranked SUNY Geneseo women will race the #16 Case Western Reserve team on Saturday.

In the 50 and the 100 free the Geneseo women have the depth but Case Western has faster top end speed in Suhan Mestha. Geneseo has the 200 and up in the bag, courtesy of Nancy Nasky and company. The backstroke and breaststroke events are remarkably even at the top. Geneseo appears to have the upper hand in the IMs.

The Case Western men are ranked 17th in the latest CSCAA poll. While the Geneseo men are currently unranked, they are fairly evenly matched in the freestyle events. Kaz Sampson is a standout breaststroker for the Geneseo Blue Wave and the team’s Mitchell Phelps is a head above the rest in the fly events. This weekend Geneseo has a chance to make the case for inclusion in the national rankings.

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