2021 NCAA Division II Men’s Championships: Day 1 Finals Live Recap

2021 NCAA Division II Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships

• Wednesday, March 17 – Saturday, March 20, 2021
• Birmingham CrossPlex / Birmingham, AL (Eastern Time Zone)
• Defending champion: Queens (5x) – 2019 results
• Streaming
• Championship Central
• Live Results
• 2021 NCAA Division II Men’s psych sheet

Day One

Men’s 1000 Yard Freestyle – Fastest Heat

• NCAA DII Record: 8:56.76 – Alex Kunert, Queens (NC) (2019)
• Meet Record: 8:57.06 – Mitch Snyder, Drury (2009)

Top 8:

1. Fabio Dalu, McKendree – 8:54.10
2. Ondrej Zach, Northern Michigan – 9:04.88
3. Jonas Soerensen, Wingate – 9:08.13
4. Matthew Daniel – St. Leo – 9:11.21
5. Eric Hieber, Grand Valley – 9:11.69
6. Christian Hedeen, UIndy – 9:11.86
7. Vincent Jaworski – 9:13.33
8. John Stewart, Delta State – 9:14.66

There was no question that defending champion Fabio Dalu, a sophomore at McKendree, would win his second national title in the 1000 free in as many years; it was only a question of how fast he would go. In 2020, Dalu became McKendree’s first-ever national champion in the 1000. This year, seeded first and swimming in lane 4, Dalu dominated the field from the outset. He jumped to a quick lead and continued to build with each turn. By about the halfway point he was at least 15 meters ahead of the field. Dalu ended up with a new NCAA Division II and NCAA Division II Meet record of 8:54.10, crushing the old records set by Alex Kunert of Queens and Mitch Snyder of Drury, respectively.

The top three finishers from the slower heats on Wednesday afternoon, Matthew Daniel of St. Leo, Vincent Jaworski from Lindenwood, and Delta State’s John Stewart, finished among the top eight overall.

Men – Top 10 Teams – Through Event 4

1. McKendree 52
2. Drury 49
3. Queens (Nc) 48
4. Indy 48
5. Lindenwood 42
6. Delta State 39
7. Nmu 27
8. Grand Valley 27
9. Wingate 24 / Wayne State 24
10. –

Men’s 200 Yard Individual Medley – Finals

• NCAA DII Record: 1:41.61 – Marius Kusch, Queens (NC)  (2018)
• Meet Record: 1:41.94 – Matthew Josa, Queens (NC) (2015)

Top 8:

1. Emanuel Fava, Delta State – 1:43.92
2. Alex Kunert, Queens – 1:44.16
3. Matheo Mateos-Mongelo, Lindenwood – 1:46.16
4. James Brown, Drury – 1:46.46
5. Patryk Winiatowski, Lindenwood – 1:46.72
6. Balazs Berecz, Queens – 1:47.13
7. Andrew Rodriguez, Drury – 1:47.17
8. Stephen Jones, Henderson State – 1:49.15

Queens junior Alex Kunert, seeded first after prelims, and Delta State junior Emanuel Fava, the defending champion swimming in lane 5, got off to a strong start matching 22.2 butterfly legs to pull away from the field over the first 50 yards. Fava took over the lead on the backstroke with a 25.1 split that left Kunert a body length back heading into the breaststroke leg. Fava’s 30.2 breast gave him a little more clear water heading into the final 50, which turned out to be a good thing because Kunert outsplit him on the freestyle, 24.8 to 26.4. Fava held Kunert off and successfully defended his 2020 title with a 1:43.92 to Kunert’s 1:44.16.

Fava and Kunert finished 1-2 in 2020, as well.

Lindenwood freshman Matheo Mateos-Mongelo crushed his final 50 to overcome Drury junior James Brown for third place. Patryk Winiatowski of Lindenwood had the fastest freestyle leg in the field, and although he wasn’t quite able to catch Brown, he did, however, come from eighth place on the breast-to-free wall to move past Queens senior Balazs Berecz, Drury junior Andrew Rodriguez, and Stephen Jones of Henderson State and finish fifth.

Andy Huffman of Missouri S&T won the consolation final with 1:47.47.

Men – Top 10 Teams – Through Event 6

1. Queens (Nc) 91
2. Drury 76
3. Lindenwood 72
4. Delta State 59
5. McKendree 52
6. Indy 48
7. Grand Valley 31
8. Nmu 28
9. Missouri S & T / Wayne State 27 (tie)
10. –

Men’s 50 Yard Freestyle – Finals

• NCAA DII Record: 19.08 – Karol Ostrowski, Drury (2020)
• Meet Record: 19.18 – Serghei Golban, Lindenwood (2016)

Top 8:

1. Karol Ostrowski, Drury – 19.12
2. Alex Bowen, Drury – 19.40
3. Matej Dusa, Queens – 19.42
4. Giulio Brugnoni, Delta State – 19.64
5. Skyler Cook-Weeks, Queens – 19.66
6. Viacheslav Ohnov, Wingate – 19.70
7. Kham Glass, Drury – 19.84
8. Michael Wolsek, Wayne State – 19.94

Drury freshman Karol Ostrowski, who broke the NCAA Division II record earlier this season, came within .04 of his best time to take down the meet record with his winning 19.12. Ostrowski held a slight lead over the first 25 and flipped first at 9.2, but it was his underwater that put him well ahead of the field. He powered home in 9.89 and for the fastest second half.

Drury junior Alex Bowen was second in 19.40, touching .02 ahead of Queens freshman Matej Dusa (19.42).

Delta State senior Giulio Brugnoni, who came in third in 2020 with 19.73 in the final, clocked a 19.64 to place fourth, .02 ahead of Queens junior Skyler Cook-Weeks.

Wingate junior Viacheslav Ohnov (19.70), Drury junior Kham Glass (19.84), and Wayne State freshman Michael Wolsek (19.94) rounded out the A final.

McKendree junior Gregg Lichinsky won the consolation final in 19.50 from lane 7.

Men – Top 10 Teams – Through Event 8

1. Drury 125
2. Queens (Nc) 121
3. Lindenwood 77
4. Delta State 74
5. McKendree 61
6. Indy 51
7. Wayne State 44
8. Wingate 37
9. Grand Valley 31
10. Nova S’Eastern 29

Men’s 200 Yard Medley Relay

• NCAA DII Record: 1:24.83 – Pijulet, Arakelian, Kusch, Sydorchenko, Queens (NC) (2018)
• Meet Record: 1:25.89 – Bunner, Fedyna, Pijulet, Mayes, Queens (NC) (2017)

Top 8:

1. Drury – 1:24.69
2. Indy – 1:25.03
3. McKendree – 1:25.67
4. Queens – 1:25.90
5. Delta State – 1:26.51
6. Lindenwood – 1:26.75
7. Wayne State – 1:27.31
8. Nova S’eastern – 1:27.68

Juniors Nathan Bighetti (21.74 back) and Dawid Nowodworski (23.67 breast), sophomore Dominik Karacic (20.59 fly), and junior Alex Bowen (18.69 free) took down the NCAA Division II and Meet Records with 1:24.69 in the final heat.

McKendree sophomore DaVanté Carey put the Bearcats in the lead on the backstroke with a leadoff split of 21.54. Senior Henrik Dahrendorff (24.67) and junior Gregg Lichinsky (20.23) held the lead on the breast and fly, but senior Xander Skinner (19.23) couldn’t hold off Drury’s Bowen.

Queens (Howard Finn, Balazs Berecz, Matej Dusa, and Skyler Cook-Weeks) finished third in the heat and fourth overall.

UIndy won their heat with the second-fastest time overall (1:25.03) with splits from sophomore Jeron Thompson (21.33 back), senior Jan Zuchowicz (23.56 breast), junior Kael Yorke (20.98 fly), and sophomore Diego Mas (19.16 free).