2020 NAIA Women’s Swimming & Diving National Championship
- Dates: March 4-7, 2020
- Times: Prelims 9 AM; Finals 5 PM
- Location: Allan Jones Aquatic Center – Knoxville, Tennessee (Central Time Zone)
- Defending Champions: SCAD Savannah (2x) (results)
- Psych Sheet
- Live Results: Available here
- Live Video: Available here
- Championship Central
Day Three
Women’s 200 Yard Medley Relay – Final
- Meet Record: 1:41.40 Fresno Pacific, Fresno Pacific (Coffman/Malthaner/Swanson/Brown) 2012
Podium:
- Keiser 1:43.06
- SCAD 1:43.38
- Cumberlands 1:46.18
Keiser won their second straight 200 medley relay title with a 1:43.06 effort from senior backstroker Megan Abad (26.63), sophomores Ori Freibach on breast (28.50) and Anna Herbst on fly (24.62), and junior Elianna Kennon on free (23.31). Kennon held off a fast-charging Anna Kate McGinty of SCAD who anchored in 23.08. The Bees finished second with 1:43.38. McGinty was joined by sophomore classmate Allie Rassenfoss (26.65 leadoff backstroke) and freshmen Isabella Song (28.86 breast) and Thea Brandauer (24.79 fly).
Cumberlands moved from 5th to 3rd with a 1:46.18 from freshman Maria Basto on back (27.51) and juniors Julia Hnidenko (29.72 breast), Mendy De Rooi (24.55 fly), and Houston Burgoon (24.40 free).
Keiser’s quartet set a program record with their time of 1:43.06.
Women’s 400 Yard Individual Medley – Final
- Meet Record: 4:24.03 Laurette Hakansson, Drury 1993
Podium:
- Karla Islas, Olivet Nazarene 4:26.80
- Paige Carter, Loyola 4:33.60
- Anna Lofton, Keiser 4:37.01
ONU’s Karla Islas remains undefeated in the 400 IM at NAIA Nationals. After wins in her freshman (4:24.42) and sophomore (4:26.46) years, the junior notched a 4:26.80 to win her third consecutive title. Out in 1:00.2, she split 1:07.4, 1:17.0 and 1:02.0 for the win. Loyola senior Paige Carter was runner-up for the second year in a row, this time with 4:33.60. Keiser junior Anna Lofton moved from 8th in prelims to 3rd on the podium with 4:37.01. Last year she was 11th in this event.
Keiser picked up more points from Gaja Kristan and Annamaria Zombai at 6th and 7th. SCAD sophomore Kaylen Hou finished 4th, just .04 behind Lofton. Nikoletta Alvanou of Brenau was 5th with 4:37.82. Indiana Wesleyan’s Linnea Holmgren finished 8th.
Women’s 100 Yard Butterfly – Final
- Meet Record: 53.70 Lisa Tixier, Biola 3/3/2017
Podium:
- Mendy De Rooi, Cumberlands 53.99
- Anna Herbst, Keiser 54.80
- Sydney Darnell, IWU 55.31
Defending champion Mendy De Rooi of University of the Cumberlands won her second consecutive title in the 100 fly, this time only .29 off the meet record of 53.70. De Rooi was out first with 25.21 at the 50 wall and she was the only swimmer to come home under 29 on the back half. Her 53.99 lowered her own Cumberlands school record by .42.
Keiser sophomore Anna Herbst also broke her program’s record. Going 54.80 for second place, she lowered her own school mark by .65. Indiana Wesleyan sophomore Sydney Darnell came in third with 55.31, making it 3-for-3 in school records broken. She owned the previous IWU school mark of 55.72, as well.
The rest of the A final consisted of SCAD freshman Thea Brandauer (55.83), Keiser junior Anna Lofton (56.63), Keiser freshman Noelia Garzon (56.97), SCAD senior Lydia Reinhardt (57.23), and College of Saint Mary sophomore Emily Jacobson (57.92).
Women’s 200 Yard Freestyle – Final
- Meet Record: Meet Record: 1:49.58 Alex Peters, Concordia 2011
Podium:
- Spencer Sheridan, SCAD 1:52.04
- Emma Sofie Augustsson, Keiser 1:54.12
- Sloan Sizemore, SCAD 1:52.19
For the second year in a row, SCAD sophomore Spencer Sheridan won the 200 free by the narrowest of margins. This year she got the edge by .10, an improvement of .08 over her even closer call a year ago. Sheridan claimed gold with 1:50.79, a lifetime best and a SCAD program record. Emma Sofie Augustsson of Keiser came in second with 1:50.89, lowering her own school record by .90. SCAD’s Sloan Sizemore was third with a huge lifetime best of 1:51.04.
It was Keiser junior Elianna Kennon who set the pace at the outset, turning first at the 50 wall in 25.43. She was followed closely by Sheridan and Sizemore. The two Bees turned together at the 150 wall, just a shoulder ahead of Augustsson, and looked to be setting up a 1-2 SCAD finish. But the Keiser sophomore came home 2/10 faster than Sheridan and 4/10 faster than Sizemore and was able to split the two for the silver medal.
Keiser freshman Karina Braathen came in 4th with 1:52.80, just .09 ahead of SCAD freshman Emily Elz. Stefania Sofoulis of Keiser touched 6th in 1:53.02. She was followed by Lindsey Wilson senior Jessica Macdonald (1:54.16) and Keiser’s Kennon (1:55.51).
Women’s 100 Yard Breaststroke – Final
- Meet Record: 1:02.09 Catherine Duquet, SCAD 2012
Podium:
- Ori Freibach, Keiser 1:03.24
- Isabella Song, SCAD 1:03.71
- Julia Hnidenko, Cumberlands, 1:04.72
Keiser sophomore Ori Freibach used a strong back half to touch out SCAD freshman Isabella Song for the 100 breast title. Julia Hnidenko of Cumberlands, who took third in this event a year ago, was out first with 29.58 at the 50. Freibach and Song were both 29.8, trailing by just over 2/10. Freibach had the fastest second 50, going 33.4 to Song’s 33.8. Hnidenko fell well off pace and finished with 35.1. She moved from 6th in prelims to 3rd in finals with her time of 1:04.72.
SCAD freshman Ali Sippel (1:05.14) touched out the next wave of finishers, coming to the wall just ahead of Life freshman Lillian Thurber (1:05.23), Vivienne Kunkler of Bethel (1:05.68), Hannah Springer from Asbury (1:05.78), and SCAD sophomore Sarah Scargill (1:06.03).
Women’s 100 Yard Backstroke – Final
- Meet Record 52.76 Cheyenne Coffman, Fresno Pacific 2012
Podium:
- Emma Sophie Augustsson, Keiser 56.80
- Anna Herbst, Keiser 56.92
- Allie Rassenfoss, SCAD 57.21
Keiser’s Augustsson and Herbst seem to have been shot out of the same cannon. In the final of the women’s 100 back, they moved from the 6th and 5th spots from prelims to give the Seahawks a 1-2 finish in the final. Moreover, Augustsson broke Herbst’s school record with her winning time of 56.80. And it was her second final of the night.
Herbst was first out of the gate with 27.1 at the 50. SCAD sophomore Allie Rassenfoss was half a second back, just ahead of Life freshman Dóra Reizinger. Augustsson was in 5th place, trailing Cumberlands freshman Maria Basto. Augustsson unleashed a 28.9 over the final 50 yards to pass all of them and claim the gold with 56.80. Her teammate Herbst took the silver with 56.92, while Rassenfoss held off Basto for the bronze, 57.21 to 57.35. Reizinger finished 5th with 57.61.
Midland sophomore Nerissa Wagner took 6th with 58.95. She was followed by Brenau senior Yanne Toussaint (59.05) and Loyola junior Kamy Alexander (59.23).
Women’s 3 Meter Diving
- Meet Record: 444.81 Cynthia Miller, Wisconsin-Milwaukee 1987
Podium:
- Andrea Adam, St Ambrose 256.20
- Taylor Madison, St Ambrose 207.35
- Abby Miller, Cumberlands 206.60
Andrea Adam of St Ambrose claimed her sixth NAIA diving title, scoring 256.20 points to win the 3-meter event. Adam remains unbeaten over the last three years. Her teammate Taylor Madison has now finished with the silver medal six times, too. She performed much better in the final than she had this morning, adding a total of 19.05 points to finish with 207.35. That put her just ahead of Cumberlands freshman Abby Miller whose 206.60 in the final was just off her 220.30 in prelims.
Courtney Simpson of The Masters University came in 4th with 192.80. Maddy Christenson from Lincoln scored 192.10 for 5th, and Teagon Albert of Olivet Nazarene placed 6th with 181.20.
Women’s Team Scores – Day 3
- SCAD Savannah 511.5
- Keiser University 418
- University of the Cumberlands 267
- Olivet Nazarene University 205
- Life University 166
- Indiana Wesleyan University 163
- Brenau University 144
- Loyola University New Orleans 121
- Ambrose University 101
- Asbury University 99
- The College of Idaho 78
- Bethel University (IN) 53
- Lindsey Wilson College 45
- Soka University 40
- College of Saint Mary / The Master’s University (tie) 38
- –
- Lincoln College 37.5
- Arizona Christian University 33
- Midland University 28
- Milligan College 27
- Westmont College 20
- Thomas University 15
- Thomas Moore University 14
- Union College 5
- Sterling College 3
