2021 NCAA Division II Women’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 Women’s psych sheet
Day Three
Friday night’s final session will begin with the 500 free featuring a trio of Royals in the middle lanes: Queens’ Francesca Bains, Sophie Lange, and Giulia Grasso, trying to hold off Drury’s Allison Weber, Marina Amorim, and Bec Cross. Drury’s Laura Pareja is top seed in the 100 back final with the only sub-53 of the morning. Colorado Mesa’s Lily Borgenheimer, Savanna Best of Nova S’eastern, and Meghan Tolman of Biola lead in the 100 breast, while IUP’s Paige Mikesell, the 200 free champion and 100 fly runner-up, is top seed in the 200 fly.
Women’s 500 Yard Freestyle – Finals
- NCAA DII Record: 4:39.28– Patri Castro Ortega, Queens (NC) (2016)
- Meet Record: 4:39.28 – Patri Castro Ortega, Queens (NC) (2016)
Top 8:
- Giulia Grasso, Queens – 4:48.80
- Bec Cross, Drury – 4:48.83
- Sophie Lange, Queens – 4:49.97
- Allison Weber, Drury – 4:49.99
- Francesca Bains, Queens – 4:50.17
- Jana Hellenschmidt, Lindenwood – 4:52.46
- Kate Agger, Wingate – 4:53.85
- Marina Amorim, Drury – 4:54.25
In a thrilling start to Day 3, the women’s 500 free final came down to a photo finish. From start to finish, the middle four lanes –Giulia Grasso, Francesca Bains, and Sophie Lange of Queens and Allison Weber of Drury– led the pack, trading leads and flipping more or less in unison.
With about 200 yards left to go, Bec Cross from Drury snuck up to the leaders from lane 1. Queens sophomore Giulia Grasso had broken free of the pack and Cross tried to chase her down. In the end, Grasso got the touch by .03 over Cross, 4:48.80 to 4:48.83.
Lange touched out Weber for third place by .02, while Bains came in fifth, just .18 behind Weber.
Hannah Foster of Queens won the consolation final in 4:53.59.
Women – Top 10 Teams – Through Event 21
- Queens (Nc) 378.5
- Drury 278
- Lindenwood 213
- Indy 206
- Wingate 128
- Grand Valley 120
- Tampa 119
- Delta State 115
- Nova S’eastern 109
- West Florida 106
Women 100 Yard Backstroke – Finals
- NCAA DII Record: 52.07 – Polina Lapshina, Queens (NC) (2019)
- Meet Record: 52.07 – Polina Lapshina, Queens (NC) (2019)
Top 8:
- Laura Pareja, Drury – 52.98
- Rachel Massaro, Queens – 53.18
- Cassie Wright, Nova S’eastern – 53.73
- Katie McCoy, UIndy – 54.18
- Lexie Baker, Queens – 54.60
- Stephanie Marks, Lindenwood – 54.66
- Vladyslava Maznytska, Queens – 55.07
- Melina De Cort, Grand Valley – 55.72
Queens senior Rachel Massaro was first out of the gate, leading the field at the 50 wall with 25.48. Drury junior Laura Pareja came home .25 faster to beat Massaro to the wall, 52.98 to 53.18.
Nova S’eastern senior Cassie Wright dropped half a second to come in third with 53.73, getting her hand in there just before UIndy’s Katie McCoy, who dropped .3 (54.18).
Queens senior Lexie Baker (54.60) touched out Lindenwood’s Stephanie Marks (54.66) for fifth.
Queens junior Bobbie Gichard was the consolation final winner with 54.88.
Women – Top 10 Teams – Through Event 23
- Queens (Nc) 430.5
- Drury 298
- Lindenwood 226
- Indy 221
- Wingate 133
- Grand Valley 131
- Tampa 126
- Nova S’eastern 125
- Delta State 117
- West Florida 106
Women 100 Yard Breaststroke – Finals
- NCAA DII Record: 59.51 – Theresa Michalak, West Florida (2017)
- Meet Record: 59.51 – Theresa Michalak, West Florida (2017)
Top 8:
- Danielle Melilli, Queens – 1:01.32
- Kailee Morgan, Carson-Newman – 1:01.44
- Julia Augustsson, Tampa / Natalie Galluzzo, Truman State – 1:02.28 (tie)
- –
- Lily Borgenheimer, Colorado Mesa – 1:02.29
- Savanna Best, Nova S’eastern – 1:02.35
- Lexie Winnett, Lindenwood – 1:02.47
- Meghan Tolman, Biola – 1:03.22
Queens sophomore Danielle Melilli, seeded first coming into the meet but swimming in lane 7 in tonight’s final, took it out very quickly. She led from wire to wire and improved her PB by half a second to win in 1:01.32.
Carson Newman’s Kailee Morgan very nearly caught Melilli at the end, coming home in a 32.2 and going .3 faster than Melilli over the second half. Morgan ran out of pool though and had to settle for second place with her 1:01.44, a PB by .6.
Behind the leaders were Tampa’s Julia Augustsson and Truman State’s Natalie Galluzzo, swimming side by side in lanes 1 and 2. The pair stopped the clock at exactly the same time, tying for third place with 1:02.28.
Colorado Mesa junior Lily Borgenheimer, who had put up the fastest time of the morning, finished .01 behind Augustsson and Galluzzo to claim fifth place.
IUP senior Claire Mikesell won the consolation final with 1:02.32.
Women – Top 10 Teams – Through Event 25
- Queens (Nc) 450.5
- Drury 298
- Lindenwood 241
- Indy 221
- Wingate 144
- Tampa 142.5
- Nova S’eastern 138
- Grand Valley 137
- Delta State 117
- Carson-Newman 116
Women 200 Yard Butterfly – Finals
- NCAA DII Record: 1:56.89 –Mckenzie Stevens, Queens (NC) (2018)
- Meet Record: 1:56.89 –Mckenzie Stevens, Queens (NC) (2018)
Top 8:
- Celeste Turner, Delta State – 1:58.29
- Paige Mikesell, IUP – 1:58.92
- Marizel Van Jaarsveld, UIndy – 1:58.97
- Cecilie Jensen, Carson-Newman – 2:00.56
- Sophie Lange, Queens – 2:00.89
- Kayla Tennant, Queens – 2:01.38
- Courtney Sherwood, Tampa – 2:02.36
- Lucia Mertelli, Delta State – 2:03.02
Delta State junior Celeste Turner didn’t leave anything to chance in the 200 fly final, getting out in front of the field early to set the pace. She led at the 50, 100, and 150 walls. Behind her, IUP junior Paige Mikesell and Indy senior Indy senior Marizel Van Jaarsveld, a top-8 finisher in 2019, were giving chase. Turner lost a little ground over the final 50 but her lead was sufficient. She got to the wall with .63 to spare, winning in 1:58.29. Mikesell touched in 1:58.92, just .05 ahead of Van Jaarsveld.
Carson-Newman senior Cecilie Jensen led the next wave of finishers, clocking a 2:00.56 for fourth place. Queens freshman Sophie Lange touched out her teammate Kayla Tennant for fifth.
Aleksandra Maslova of Nova S’eastern won the consolation final in 2:01.87, while Cami Di Santo of Drury was DQd in that heat for a stroke infraction.
Women – Top 10 Teams – Through Event 27
- Queens (Nc) 477.5
- Drury 303
- Lindenwood 241
- Indy 237
- Tampa 163.5
- Delta State 148
- Nova S’eastern 147
- Wingate 144
- Grand Valley 141
- Carson-Newman 131
Women’s 3-Meter Diving – Finals
- NCAA DII Record: 555.70 – Elizabeth Rawlings, Wayne State (2015)
- Meet Record: 555.70 – Elizabeth Rawlings, Wayne State (2015
Top 8:
- Gracyn Segard, Grand Valley – 487.15
- Madison Brinkman, St. Cloud State – 485.50
- Kelsey DeJesus, West Florida – 470.70
- Nicole Taormina, Grand Valley – 468.05
- Mandy Baird, Northern Michigan – 458.40
- Mikaela Starr, UIndy – 444.40
- Katie Werkema, Lindenwood – 422.00
- Alyssa Doherty, St. Cloud State – 421.50
Grand Valley State sophomore Gracyn Segard, the 2021 GLIAC Diver of the Meet, completed her sweep of the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events with 487.15 points on the 3-meter board on Friday. Coming into her final dive in second place, Segard nailed the inward 1.5 pike to claim the title, thus becoming the first GVSU diver to win both the the 1-meter and 3-meter titles in the same year.
St. Cloud State’s Madison Brinkman, who placed 11th in 1-meter diving, had a strong performance on the 3-meter board to finish in second place. West Florida’s Kelsey DeJesus, fifth in 1-meter, was third today.
Women – Top 10 Teams – Through Event 29
- Queens (Nc) 477.5
- Drury 303
- Lindenwood 260
- Indy 250
- Grand Valley 179
- Tampa 163.5
- Delta State 148
- Nova S’eastern 147
- Wingate 144
- Carson-Newman 131
Women 800 Yard Freestyle Relay – Timed Finals
- NCAA DII Record: 7:12.96 – Castro Ortega, Arakelian, Lorda, Stevens, Queens (NC) (2016)
- Meet Record: 7:14.69 – Castro Ortega, Gordy, Stevens, Arakelian, Queens (NC) (2015)
Top 8:
- Queens – 7:16.98
- UIndy – 7:21.54
- Lindenwood – 7:25.83
- Drury – 7:26.21
- Colorado Mesa – 7:28.40
- Carson-Newman – 7:28.64
- Grand Valley – 7:29.70
- Wingate – 7:30.62
Queens women won the 800 free relay for their seventh consecutive time. This year, Giulia Grasso led off in 1:48.10, which would have won the 200 free title on Thursday. Hannah Foster followed with 1:49.38. Junior Anna De Boer swam third with 1:50.87, handing it off to senior Francesca Bains who finished with 1:48.63.
Indy was second in the heat; Drury came in third.
Lindenwood won their heat by about three body lengths with 7:25.83. Carson-Newman blew out the field in heat 1 with 7:28.64.
Women – Top 10 Teams – Through Event 30
- Queens (Nc) 517.5
- Drury 333
- Lindenwood 292
- Indy 284
- Grand Valley 203
- Tampa 181.5
- Wingate 166
- Delta State 162
- Carson-Newman 157
- Nova S’eastern 147
