This weekend’s NCAA Division III dual meets among top teams did not produce any particularly tight team finishes. There were some quick races, and some head turning times coming from meets across the country.
For a number of teams this weekend marked the end of the dual meet slate, as they now turn to a Pre-Championship invitational, or take their weekends off before heading into Conference Championships.
MIT Dominant Against Tufts
MIT (#6 Men, #7 Women) was dominant against two ranked Tufts (#22 Men, #11 Women) squads on Friday night.
Tufts’ Roger Gu roared to a 50 and 100 freestyle double victory. In the 50 free he touched in 20.31 ahead of MIT teammates Justin Liu and Sam Ubellacker both in 21.03. In the 100 Gu posted a dominating 44.96. He also split a 19.82, going second on the team’s 200 free relay.
MIT had three men go 1:42s in the 200 free: Jordan Ren (1:42.31), Bouke Edskes (1:42.71), and Alex Ellison (1:42.99).
The Engineers’ sophomore backstroker Henry Hu tied with Tufts’ senior All-American Kingsley Bowen in the 100 back, as the two both got to the wall in 51.90. In the 200 back Hu touched in 1:53.77, just faster than teammate Edskes in 1:53.80. Edskes won the 400 IM in 4:01.04.
MIT went one-two in the women’s 200 fly with Hannah Mahafey touching in 2:07.02 and Kailey Allen getting to the wall in 2:10.68. The Engineers took the top three spots in both sprint freestyles, led by Lara Ketonen in both (24.51, 53.59). Laura Rosado raced to a dominating 2:06.21 to win the 200 back.
Tufts picked up a victory from Sasha Fong in the 100 fly, with her time of 57.87. Her teammate Mary Hufzinger added another win with a 5:16.43 500 freestyle, just ahead of teammate Sook-hee Evans who won the 1000 in 10:49.70.
Full results
Chicago Rolls Past Calvin and DePauw
Chicago (#9 Women/#7 Men) had dominant team victories in a meet with Calvin (#19 Women/#11 Men) and DePauw on Saturday.
The Calvin women showed impressive 200 freestyle depth taking second, third, fourth, and sixth, with four women under two minutes. Chicago’s Hannah Eastman won the event in 1:57.56. Chicago claimed the top four spots in the 200 fly, led by Hadley Ackerman in 2:07.89.
Calvin’s freestyle depth also showed in the 200 freestyle relay where Emily Gunderson, Anna Kutschke, Alyssa Oezer, and Hannah Chao put together four 24 second splits for a winning 1:38.29 in the 200 freestyle relay.
Chicago’s Taye Baldinazzo clocked a 1:42.37 to win the men’s 200 freestyle. He also put together a 4:40.35, just three seconds ahead of DePauw’s Tommy Hackley (4:43.11), who was just ahead of Calvin’s Julian Iturbe (4:44.33).
Chicago freshman Martin Baffico won the 100 back in 52.91. Keda Song (1:53.98) led the team to a one-two-three finish in the 200 backstroke and was at the top (1:54.47) of a one through four finish in the 200 IM.
Full Results
(Many) Other Swims of Note
- University of Wisconsin Stevens Point’s men and women suffered dual meet losses on the same day for the first time since 2007, as UW-La Crosse defended their home pool. The La Crosse men won 122.5 to 118.5 while the women posted a more dominant win, 141 to 96. La Crosse’s Hans Hover set a 200 backstroke pool record of 1:51.45.
- Emory senior Julia Durmer won the 1000 free against Centre College in 10:25.62, her third best ever dual meet time, a promising sign for the woman likely looking to get back to NCAA 1650 Champion form (She won the event in 2017.). Durmer also won the 200 breaststroke in 2:24.79.
- Things are clicking together for Connecticut College sophomore Maddie Ford. After posting a lifetime best 200 free against Williams earlier this month, Ford went her second best ever 100 free on Saturday, the fastest time in the country this week, a 52.63.
Photo Courtesy: Tori Hagstrom
- Jordyn Wentzel is making a case to be named most versatile swimmer in Division III. In a dual meet against Macalester, the St. Kate’s freshman popped off a 5:00.40 500 freestyle. That’s less than four seconds from her lifetime best, and the 15th best overall time in the country so far this year. Wentzel already has at least a 100 fly, free and breast, and 200 IM, free, breast, and fly time under the 2018 NCAA Invited standard, and now adds the 500 freestyle to the mix of potential championship events.
- WashU junior Stephanie Li had a pair of top times of the week with a 1:05.55 100 breaststroke and a 2:23.21 200 breaststroke. Her teammate Brandon Lum blasted a 1:48.36 200 butterfly on Saturday, five seconds faster than any other Division III swimmer this week.
- Franklin&Marshall sophomore Chris Schiavone raced to a 20.97 50 free and a 46.50 100 free against Ursinus on Saturday.
- WPI’s Jack Bauer won the 100 backstroke against Clark in 51.12, the fastest time of the weekend.
- Two men hit low 56s in the 100 breaststroke this weekend, with WashU’s Kevin Van Cleave in at 56.10 and Gustavus’ Tanner Sonnek clocking a 56.38.
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Such a hard working, humble swimmer Jordyn Wentzel! Congratulations