NCAA Division II Championships: Ann Carozza Threatens Another Record; Big Morning for Queens

Photo Courtesy: NCAA Media

NCAA Division II Championships: Ann Carozza Threatens Another Record; Big Morning for Queens

Queens University of Charlotte is leading the team competition at the NCAA Division II Championships in Greensboro, N.C., with the men having already pulled more than 100 points ahead of the closest competition (Drury) and the women holding a small edge over Indy. However, the Friday morning prelims session saw Queens’ women earn four individual A-final spots, including one top seed, so that margin could grow after the third of four finals sessions.

The morning session included an impressive performance from West Chester’s Ann Carozza in the women’s 200 butterfly, where she almost broke her second NCAA DII record of the week, while record-holder Alex Kunert was well ahead of the field in the men’s 200 fly.

2022 NCAA Division II Championship Links 2022

Team Scores

Women - Team Rankings - Through Event 19                     
 
  1. Queens (Nc)                       276   2. Indy                              246
  3. Nova S'Eastern                    221   4. Drury                             163
  5. West Chester                       99   6. Colorado Mesa                      97
  7. Simon Fraser                       90   8. Carson-Newman                      86
  9. Lindenwood                         84  10. West Florida                       80
 11. Wingate                            68  12. Tampa                              58
 12. Delta State                        58  14. Nmu                                56
 15. Lynn                               51  16. Msu Mankato                        45
 17. McKendree                          32  18. Wayne State                        26
 19. Florida Tech                       23  20. St Cloud St                        22
 21. Saint Leo                          20  22. Azusa Pacific                      18
 23. Augustana                          15  23. Grand Valley                       15
 23. Iup                                15  26. Rollins                            11
 27. Florida Southern                    7  28. Henderson St.                       5
 28. Mines                               5  28. Saginaw Valley State Univ           5
 31. Clarion University                  4  32. Umsl                                2
 33. Gannon                              1

Men - Team Rankings - Through Event 20                      
 
  1. Queens (Nc)                       330   2. Drury                             231
  3. Indy                              217   4. McKendree                         161
  5. Findlay                           129   6. Lindenwood                        111
  7. Colorado Mesa                      92   8. Nova S'Eastern                     91
  9. Wingate                            87  10. Florida Southern                   79
 11. Wayne State                        72  12. Delta State                        60
 13. Grand Valley                       46  14. Simon Fraser                       43
 14. Oklahoma Christian                 43  16. Carson-Newman                      42
 17. Rollins                            36  18. Missouri S & T                     35
 19. Henderson St.                      28  20. Nmu                                27
 21. St Cloud St                        22  22. Lewis                              16
 23. Lenoir-Rhyne                        5  24. Clarion University                  4
 25. Florida Tech                        3  26. Southern Conn                       2
 27. Fresno Pacific                      1  27. Lynn                                1
 27. UT Permian Basin                    1

Carozza recorded a time of 1:57.07 in the women’s 200 fly, just off the 2018 record of 1:56.89 set by Queens’ Mckenzie Stevens. Finishing more than eight tenths behind Carozza was Lynn’s Luna Mertins (1:57.91), with Nova Southeastern’s Aleksandra Maslova third (1:58.59). Carozza previously set an NCAA DII record in the 100 fly prelims Thursday before placing second in the event in the final.

The men’s 200 fly saw Kunert, a senior at Queens, qualifying first by more than a second in 1:43.32. His own national record sits at 1:41.19, set back in 2019. Queens teammate Yannick Plasil (1:44.59) and McKendree’s Jack Lustig (1:44.79) went 2-3.

Wingate’s Kate Agger finished first in the women’s 500 free heats in 4:51.51, just ahead of Queens teammates Sophie Lange (4:51.72) and Monica Gumina (4:52.06). Nova Southeastern teammates Cassie Wright (53.11) and Celina Marquez (53.18) paced the 100 backstroke ahead of Drury’s Laura Pareja (53.38), and Queens earned the top seed in the 100 breast with Danielle Melilli setting the pace in 1:00.94, ahead of Indy’s Marizel Van Jaarsveld (1:01.33) and Nova’s Savanna Best (1:01.51).

It should be a great showdown in the men’s 500 free final between Nova’s Luca Alessandrini and Rollins’ Ward Lockhart. The two swimmers entered seeded two seconds ahead of anyone else in the field, and in prelims, Alessandrini’s top time of 4:23.81 was only three hundredths ahead of Lockhart, the 1000 free winner, who went 4:23.84. Florida Southern’s Elder Oliveira was third (4:24.08).

Drury’s Mikita Tsmyh and Florida Tech’s Daniel Aizenberg tied for the top seed in the men’s 100 back in 46.64, with Florida Southern’s Brandon Dyck (46.70) just behind. In the men’s 100 breast, three swimmers went under 53: Indy’s Jan Zuchowicz (52.68), Florida Southern’s Ludo Viberti (52.80) and Indy’s Liki Prema (52.84). Indy also captured the top spot in men’s 3-meter diving with freshman Julio Osuna Kelly (515.05), who finished ahead of Colorado Mesa’s Isaiah Cheeks and Drury’s Charles Earl.

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