2019 MIAA Swimming & Diving Championships
- February 20th-23rd, 2019
- Holland, MI
- Championship Central
- Full Results
The 2019 Michigan Intercollegiate (MIAA) Championships, held in Holland, MI, was one of the most thrilling meets in the conference’s history. In a final day catch-up effort, the men of Albion and the women of Hope defeated rival Calvin.
The Hope women have won their first title since 2004, head coach John Patnott‘s 22nd and final MIAA title of his coaching career. Patnott was joined by co-head coach Jake Taber, who will take Patnott’s place next season.
The Albion men have won their 3rd team title in program history, with their first 2 titles won in 1976 and 2017. This also marks the first MIAA title for Albion head coach Nick Stone.
Team Scores
Women
- Hope College 810
- Calvin College Knights 793
- Albion College 681
- Kalamazoo College 496
- Alma College 236
- Olivet College 176
In the last day of competition, the Hope women were trailing behind Calvin by 37 points. However, the Calvin 400 free relay’s DQ in the morning prelims gave the Hope women a shot at the title. From there, the Hope women won 5 of the 7 Saturday events, breaking the Calvin women’s 14-year streak and winning one last title for head coach Patnott.
Men
- Albion College 912
- Calvin College Knights 886
- Kalamazoo College 488
- Hope College 467
- Olivet College 281
- Alma College 124
The men’s side was close throughout the whole meet. With Calvin’s deficit of no divers, Albion had an advantage coming into the meet. Trailing behind by 15 points, the Albion men also had a shot of taking down Calvin. With an remarkable depth in the 1650 free and 200 breast, the Albion men reclaimed their 2017 title by 26 points.
Individual Awards
Winning men’s Most Valuable Swimmer was Venezuela-native Julian Iturbe of Calvin. The sophomore was the only male winning all 3 of his individual events. Iturbe started by breaking the MIAA record in the 500 free with a 4:29.81. Iturbe also went on to win the 200 free (1:38.87) and the 1650 free (16:11.29).
Women’s Most Valuable Swimmer went to another sophomore, Hope’s Meg Peel, who also won all 3 of her individual events. Peel won the 500 free (5:03.12), 100 back (56.23), and the 200 back (2:00.96).
Winning Most Valuable Diver was Albion’s Jake Burris, who won the 1-meter and was runner-up on the 3-meter, and Calvin’s Josie Smith, who swept both boards.
More Meet Highlights
Along with Iturbe’s 500 free record, 4 MIAA records and 2 Holland Aquatic Center pool records were broken. Dan Clyde of Hope College made history in the 400 IM, becoming the first MIAA swimmer to break 4 minutes in the 400 IM. His winning time of 3:57.14, which won by 5 seconds, eclipsed the 2010 mark of 4:00.24.
Also breaking a long-standing MIAA record was Albion junior Tyler Kimbrell, who won the 200 breast with a 2:00.77 to break the 2002 record of 2:01.16. Kimbrell also won the 100 breast (56.09), making this his 3rd consecutive year sweeping the breaststroke events.
Despite not winning the team title, the Calvin men did manage to win all 5 relays, with all ranking top 8 in the nation and 4 of them breaking MIAA/pool records.
- 800 Free Relay: MIAA record (6:42.94)
- Ben Holstege, Julian Iturbe, Ryan Gelderloos, Tim Randall
- 200 Medley Relay: MIAA record (1:29.14)
- Ben Holstege, Sam Holstege, Jared Britton, Noah Holstege
- 200 Free Relay: Pool record(1:22.62)
- Noah Holstege, Jared Britton, Tristan Hazlett, Trevor Sparks
- 400 Free Relay: Pool record (3:00.74)
- Julian Iturbe, Jared Britton, Skyler Fish, Ben Holstege
Joining the multi-winners club include:
- Hope’s Emma Schaefer: 200 IM (2:06.79) and 400 IM (4:32.53)
- Calvin’s Anna Serino: 200 free (1:52.18) and 100 free (51.37)
Winning his 3rd-consecutive title in the 100 back was Calvin’s Ben Holstege (49.22). Holstege and teammate Skyler Fish also completing a 1-2 finish for the 3rd time in their careers.
Also defending a 2018 title was Albion senior Nate Kozycki, who defended the 100 fly title with a 48.45. Taking second in the event was Calvin senior Jared Britton, who broke the 2003 school record with a 49.01. Britton also won the 50 free (20.52) for the first time in his MIAA career.
Coming next for the MIAA teams are the NCAA Division III Championships, held in Greensboro, NC on March 20th-23rd. Looking to re-gain All-American spots from 2018 are seniors Nate Kozycki (100 fly) and Ben Holstege (100 back).
