Division III Weekly Preview: Annual Denison vs. Kenyon Showdown

Photo Courtesy: Allen Rich

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Meet of the Week: Denison vs. Kenyon

In the world of Division III swimming, it would be pretty hard to out-do the Denison vs. Kenyon dual meet. While the Lords provided a dominating 196-104 win last year, the Ladies of Kenyon fell to Denison 150.5-149.5. At the 2016 NCAA Championships, the roles reversed on both sides as the Big Red men won the team title and Kenyon took second. For the women, Kenyon finished second to Emory while Denison finished fourth.

Photo Courtesy: Hayley Good

As always, there will be a certain intensity in the air at 10am on Saturday. Below is a breakdown of how this year’s contest should go down:

200 Medley Relay

With the second fastest 100 backstroker and fastest 100 breaststroker in Division III this season, it seems that Denison should have the upper hand in this relay. Their only issue is that senior standout Carolyn Kane obviously cannot swim both the fly and free leg. This is where Kenyon will have an opening. Kenyon may need to come from behind in this event, but with Hannah Orbach-Mandel most likely to swim the anchor leg, the Ladies should be able to get it done.

For the men, Denison’s Kenny Fox should put in a huge leg for the Big Red. Aside from the fly, the teams are pretty much evenly matched. Denison has gone 1:33.98 this season, while Kenyon has gone 1:34.62. Denison also had a B relay swim 1:34.98 against Xavier last weekend, so their depth should put them on top in this event.

Distance Free

The stars will come out for Kenyon in the 1,000 freestyle as National Champion Marysol Arce and National Runner-up Arthur Conover will hit the pool. There is no question that these two will win their respective events, as they both currently hold the national top time in this event. While Conover is also expected to win the 500 over a strong Stuart Hohm, the same cannot be said for Arce in the 500 free. Denison’s Campbell Costley has already swam a 5:01.51 this season, while Arce has raced to a 5:06.71. It would not be completely out of the question for Arce to win this one as she won the event at last year’s NCAA Championships, but she would definitely need to swim outside her in-season comfort zone to pull out this win. Big Red’s Natalie Zaravella may also pose a threat as she swam a 5:06.63 against Eastern Michigan in October.

Sprint Free

While Hohm will have his work cut out for him in the 500, he should have a a more dominant performance in the 200. His 1:41.42 stands as the fastest time so far this season nationwide. This could be a good scoring opportunity for the Big Red as Maxwell Howes has also gone 1:43.14 this season and is among the national top 10. The duo will find themselves in a similar position in the 100 as they rank sixth and eighth in the national rankings. Both have swam a 46-mid so far this season and will be a challenge for Kenyon’s Austin Pu and Christopher Rutter. Pu will most likely battle Fox in the 50, where just two tenths separate the men so far this season.

The women’s 200 free could one of the races of the meet featuring Kenyon’s Orbach-Mandel and Denison’s Costley. While Orbach-Mandel posted a blazing 1:49.99 at her last meet, both swimmers are known to rise to a challenge. You simply cannot count out Campbell Costley if she is put in this event. While it would take quite the swim to get it done, Costley has the ability for a surprise in the 200 free. Orbach-Mandel will most likely take the 100 over Cane, but the Ladies do not have the power to take her down in the 50.

Backstroke

Denison’s Casey Kirby should have no problem winning the 200 distance as she currently sits second in the national rankings with a 2:04.44. In the 100 however, Kenyon’s Micah Otazu sits just three tenths behind Kirby while Caitlin Foley will also be in the mix. If Arce and Orbach-Mandel win the 1,000 and 200 free, Otazu may have the atmosphere she needs to get her hand on the wall first in the 100 back which would be a huge swing for the Ladies.

While neither team has any top speed in the 100 back, Bebe Wang of Denison and Mick Bartholomew of Kenyon are currently first and second in the 200 back. You also cannot count out reigining NCAA Champion in this event Jackson Lindell for the Big Red. While the 100 may be a good race, expect the 200 to be a crowd pleaser with what will most likely be the three fastest times in Division III so far this season.

Breaststroke

If the Denison women are in need of a boost after the first four events, they can certainly rely on freshman Katherine Kustritz to get it done in the 100 breast. Her 1:03.33 will easily win the event and gain some momentum for her team. Teammate Kate Mesaros also has a great scoring opportunity as her best this season is also faster than ay Kenyon Lady. Laura Duncan will be Kenyon’s best chance at getting between these two swimmers in the 100. On paper, the 200 breast will not be the most exciting race of the day, but anytime Kustritz hits the pool she seems to put on a show.

On the men’s side, Jake Ball (Denison) and Kieran Allsop (Kenyon) will serve as the breaststroke specialists for these events. Ball currently has the upper hand so far this season by about one second in each event. Both swimmers will be looking to make a bigger impact in the national rankings with these swims.

Butterfly

While the 100 distance may be a little tight, expect the Denison women to takeover the fly events. Junior All-American Halli Garza currently holds the top time in the nation in the 200 fly with a 2:04.83. She swam a 2:02.40 at NCACs last years, and a 2:03.43 at NCAAs. It is pretty safe to say she has this one wrapped up. Freshman Zoe Whelan should also provide some back up for Garza and may even snag second-place points. The same pattern should hold true with Kane in the 100 butterfly with good support from freshman Angela Le.

Fox will be back at it to go after the 100 fly for Denison and he should take the win pretty easily. His 50.22 is currently the top time in the nation. In the 200 fly however, Jon Zimdars of Kenyon and Aaron Saccurato of Denison will provide quite the race. Both men are in the top 10 right now, as Zimdars has gone 1:54.04 and Saccurato has gone 1:54.64. David Perez has also gone 1:54.32 for the Lords, so this could be a big opportunity for Kenyon early on in the meet.

200 IM

The Big Red will most likely look to Kustritz again in the IM. Her 2:07.65 may not be quite as nationally dominant as her breaststroke, but it will certainly get the job done against Kenyon. Eliana Crawford will be fighting for a second place finish in this event for the Ladies. While the splits should be pretty even, there is just no one in the country right now who can out-swim Kustritz on the breaststroke leg.

Dynamic duo Wang and Lindell will most likely be at it again in this event for Denison. Bartholomew and Ian Reardon will be Kenyon’s best shot at mixing it up in this event. At the very least Kenyon should get two-three in this event, but Lindell is also known to get it done when it matters. Bartholomew (1:53.41) should get the win, but don’t count out Lindell for a close second.

200 Free Relay

This will certainly be an interesting race on the women’s side as Denison has the studs but Kenyon has the depth among the 50 freestyle. If Kenyon could secure both relays, this would be a huge step towards claiming this meet. On paper, it just does not seem like Kenyon has the fire power to win this relay for the men. The depth on Denison in the sprint freestyle events should set them apart. Similar to the Kenyon Ladies, Denison has a shot at winning both of these relays.

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Brandon Simpson

7 years ago

Aleksandar Tasic- show your boy some of these times/races. Still a bit to fast for him but could eventually compete for a championship with his current progress…