Division III Weekly Meet Recap: Kalamazoo Edges Hope

Photo Courtesy: Chris McGuire/Kalamazoo Athletics

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Conference dual meets and a handful of B cuts highlight this week’s recap of Division III competition. Kenyon put up a strong effort against Division I Ohio State, while the Kalamazoo vs. Hope meet of the week provided some intense races. Both present a preview of what’s to come in Shenandoah next year.

Meet of the Week: Kalamazoo vs. Hope

Efforts from seniors Colleen Orwin and Tristyn Edsall along with diver Madeline Woods led Kalamazoo to a 169-131 victory over MIAA rival Hope College this weekend. This was just four more points then they won by last year, which shows great depth especially in the distance events for having such a young team.

Orwin was victorious in the 100 and 200 fly and 200 IM, and also played a crucial role in Kalamazoo’s 400 medley relay win. The Hornets won the race by a narrow margin, starting off the meet with a 4:05.51 to out-touch Hope’s 4:05.77. Edsall handedly won both the sprint freestyle events, while freshman Beth Mitchell won the 100 back by .50 seconds.

The 200 back showed an opposite result, as Hope senior Molly Meyer and freshman Erin Emmert punched a 1-2 finish over Kalamazoo. Teammates Chloe Palajac and Abigail Brinks did the same in the 500 free and Meyer, Sydney Asselin and Allison Sabkowski had a dominating 1-3-4 finish in the 200 free.

Moving Meyer around to go after the 200 free was a smart choice in the lineup, and probably would have been a deciding factor if a few more races (such as the 100 back and 100 breast) went in favor of Hope. Narrowly dropping two relays did not help either, but this match up definitely did not disappoint as the meet of the week. A group of these swimmers will be at NCAAs this March, and expect perhaps an even closer meet next year with the graduation of Edsall and Orwin for Kalamazoo.

Other Top Swims

Photo Courtesy: Hayley Good

Photo Courtesy: Hayley Good

  • Hannah Orbach-Mandel (100/200 free – Kenyon): Orbach-Mandel earned herself a pair of B cuts and national top times this weekend competing against Division I Ohio State. She swam a 51.33 in the 100 free and a 1:49.99 in the 200. Along with the national accolades come personal achievement for Orbach-Mandel. She swam a 1:50.07 to place fifth at last year’s NCAA Championships. She also led off the 800 free relay in a 1:49.96. Emory’s Julia Wawer won the event in 1:48.88. At this contest last October, she raced to a 53.13 and a 1:54.42. Orbach-Mandel is on a clear path toward success in these events come March.
  • Arthur Conover (500/1000 free – Kenyon): Similarly to Orbach-Mandel, Conover took advantage of racing against Division I competition. Once again, he is not going to let JHU’s Andrew Greenhalgh take over the distance events without a fight. Conover’s swims from this weekend put him second to Greenhalgh in the 500 (4:35.45) and slightly ahead of him in the 1,000 (9:26.81). The pair placed first and second in both the 500 and 1,650 at NCAAs last year with Greenhalgh getting the upper edge in both. These distance races are shaping up to be some of the most exciting this season.
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