2021 NCAA Division II Women’s Championships: Day 3 Prelims Live Recap

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

After two days of competition in Birmingham, Queens University of Charlotte leads the women’s team race by 82.5 points over second-place Drury. Today will feature the 500 free with Giulia Grasso and Francesca Bains of the Royals and Bec Cross, Marina Amorim, and Allison Weber of the Panthers in the 500 free. In the 100 back, Drury’s Laura Pareja had the fastest leadoff in the 400 medley relay last night and is seeded first in the individual event. Anne-Sofie Nissen of Wingate posted the fastest 100 breast split on the medley relay last night but seeded first in the individual event is Queens’ Danielle Melilli. 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 – Prelims

• NCAA DII Record: 4:39.28– Patri Castro Ortega, Queens (NC) (2016)
• Meet Record: 4:39.28 – Patri Castro Ortega, Queens (NC) (2016)

Top 16 qualifiers:

1. Francesca Bains, Queens – 4:51.80
2. Sophie Lange, Queens – 4:52.47
3. Giulia Grasso, Queens – 4:53.59
4. Allison Weber, Drury – 4:54.00
5. Marina Amorim, Drury – 4:54.10
6. Kate Agger, Wingate – 4:54.57
7. Bec Cross, Drury – 4:54.86
8. Jana Hellenschmidt, Lindenwood – 4:55.23
9. Hannah Foster, Queens – 4:55.67
10. Rebecca Dany, Queens – 4:56.80
11. Leticia Rodrigues, Lindenwood – 4:57.11
12. Emma Bliss, Grand Valley – 4:57.63
13. Net Shiff, Grand Valley – 4:58.20
14. Karianne Reinertsen, Drury – 4:58.26
15. Taylor Beagle, Augustana – 4:58.35
16. Mackenzie Harris, Drury – 4:59.20

Wingate junior Kate Agger led for much of the final heat but top-seeded Giulia Grasso of Queens made her move over the final 150 yards and got the win with 4:53.59. Drury sophomore Marina Amorim snuck in for second place with 4:54.10; Agger went 4:54.57 for third.

Queens senior Francesca Bains led heat 4 from start to finish, stopping the clock with 4:51.80. Junior Allison Weber from Drury was second in the heat with 4:54.00, while Queens junior Hannah Foster was third (4:55.67).

Queens freshman Sophie Lange shot out to an early lead and never let go of the lead, winning heat 3 in 4:52.47. Drury junior Bec Cross was second in 4:54.86, while freshman Rebecca Dany from Queens touched third in 4:56.80.

Tampa senior Jessie Tobin (4:59.69) won heat 2 by two body lengths, while McKendree junior Hallie Dixon (5:02.17), Drury freshman Morgan Gullette (5:02.37), and Colorado Mesa junior Kelsea Wright (5:02.38) came to the wall together behind her. Rachel Peden of Carson Newman won heat 1 in 5:02.86.

Women 100 Yard Backstroke – Prelims

• NCAA DII Record: 52.07 – Polina Lapshina, Queens (NC) (2019)
• Meet Record: 52.07 – Polina Lapshina, Queens (NC) (2019)

Top 16 qualifiers:

1. Laura Pareja, Drury – 52.93
2. Rachel Massaro, Queens – 53.44
3. Cassie Wright, Nova S’eastern – 54.24
4. Katie McCoy, UIndy – 54.46
5. Lexie Baker, Queens – 54.89
6. Vladyslava Maznytska, Queens – 54.94
7. Melina De Cort, Grand Valley – 55.15
8. Stephanie Marks, Lindenwood / Katelyn Thomas, Concordia Irvine – 55.20 (tie)
9. –
10. Bobbie Gichard, Queens – 55.54
11. Mady Barnes, Tampa – 55.59
12. Martina Rossetti, Delta State – 55.63
13. Lauren White, Colorado Mesa – 55.77
14. Elsa Huebsch, Colorado Mesa – 56.00
15. Anna Miram, Wingate – 56.04
16. Savannah Tice, Western Colorado – 56.15

Nova S’eastern senior Cassie Wright, who finished seventh in the 2019 final with 54.47, dropped .3 to win heat 1 by a body length with 54.24. Lindenwood sophomore Stephanie Marks was second in the heat with 55.20, just ahead of Tampa’s Mady Barnes (55.59).

Senior Rachel Massaro of Queens improved her seed time by .25 and won heat 2 with 53.44. She was faster than her finals time from 2019 (53.58) in which she placed second. Touching second in the heat was Katelyn Thomas from Concordia Irvine (55.20). Colorado Mesa freshman Elsa Huebsch was third in 56.00.

Drury junior Laura Pareja blasted a 52.93 to win heat 3 by nearly two bodies, coming to the wall ahead of UIndy’s Katie McCoy (54.46) and Queens senior Lexie Baker (54.89). Pareja was eighth in the final of the 100 back in 2019 (54.89).

In the swimoff for eighth place, Lindenwood’s Marks bettered her time to 55.13, while Concordia’s Thomas was off by 1.9 seconds with 57.10.

Women 100 Yard Breaststroke – Prelims

• NCAA DII Record: 59.51 – Theresa Michalak, West Florida (2017)
• Meet Record: 59.51 – Theresa Michalak, West Florida (2017)

Top 16 qualifiers:

1. Lily Borgenheimer, Colorado Mesa – 1:01.97
2. Savanna Best, Nova S’eastern – 1:02.14
3. Meghan Tolman, Biola – 1:02.18
4. Kailee Morgan, Carson-Newman – 1:02.25
5. Natalie Galluzzo, Truman State – 1:02.27
6. Danielle Melilli, Queens – 1:02.31
7. Julia Augustsson, Tampa – 1:02.58
8. Lexie Winnett, Lindenwood – 1:02.62
9. Claire Mikesell, IUP – 1:02.71
10. Sara Aringsmann, Wingate – 1:02.72
11. Maike Hoener, Wingate – 1:02.75
12. Elizaveta Bazarova, Tampa – 1:02.87
13. Anne-Sofie Nissen, Wingate – 1:02.92
14. Beata Maruszczyk, Lindenwood – 1:03.10
15. Rachel Johnson, IUP – 1:03.12
16. Delaney Wihebrink, Grand Valley – 1:03.36

Carson Newman sophomore Kailee Morgan won a tight opening heat of women’s 100 breaststroke in 1:02.25. Lindenwood senior Lexie Winnett (1:02.62) edged Wingate’s Maike Hoener (1:02.75) and Anne-Sofie Nissen (1:02.92) for second.

Colorado Mesa junior Lily Borgenheimer cracked a 1:01.97 to eke out a win in heat 2. In 2019, the last time this event was swum in the national championship, she won the consolation final with 1:02.13. Nova S’eastern junior Savanna Best edged Biola freshman Meghan Tolman, 1:02.14 to 1:02.18, for second place.

Truman State Natalie Galluzzo upset top-seeded Danielle Melilli of Queens in the final heat, coming to the wall in 1:02.27. Milelli stopped the clock at 1:02.31, just ahead of Tampa’s Julia Augustsson (1:02.58) and Elizaveta Bazarova (1:02.87) and Wingate senior Sara Aringsmann (1:02.72).

Women 200 Yard Butterfly – Prelims

• NCAA DII Record: 1:56.89 –Mckenzie Stevens, Queens (NC) (2018)
• Meet Record: 1:56.89 –Mckenzie Stevens, Queens (NC) (2018)

Top 16 qualifiers:

1. Paige Mikesell, IUP – 1:59.13
2. Marizel Van Jaarsveld, UIndy – 2:00.10
3. Sophie Lange, Queens – 2:00.78
4. Celeste Turner, Delta State – 2:01.01
5. Kayla Tennant, Queens – 2:01.05
6. Courtney Sherwood, Tampa – 2:01.44
7. Lucia Mertelli, Delta State – 2:01.59
8. Cecilie Jensen, Carson-Newman – 2:01.79
9. Mackenzie Harris, Drury – 2:02.72
10. Lindsey Grater, Tampa – 2:02.77
11. Aleksandra Maslova, Nova S’eastern – 2:03.00
12. Natalie Hayes, Emmanuel – 2:03.27
13. Katie Horan, Tampa – 2:05.37
14. Bianca Licari, Grand Valley – 2:05.54
15. Abbey Zajdzinski, Mary – 2:05.89
16. Cami Di Santo, Drury – 2:06.05

Queens freshman Sophie Lange touched out Delta State junior Celeste Turner, 2:00.78 to 2:01.01, to win the opening heat. Senior Cecilie Jensen of Carson-Newman dropped .6 to come in third in the heat with 2:01.79.

Indy senior Marizel Van Jaarsveld, a top-8 finisher in 2019, clocked a 2:00.10 to win heat 2 by a body length over Queens junior Kayla Tennant (2:01.05). Drury junior Mackenzie Harris (2:02.72) beat Nova S’eastern junior Aleksandra Maslova (2:03.00) to the wall for third in the heat.

IUP junior Paige Mikesell improved her seed time by half a second to win the final heat in 1:59.13. As a freshman at the 2019 NCAA Championships, she went 2:06.26 to finish 25th in prelims. Tampa junior Courtney Sherwood lopped 1.2 seconds off her seed time to placed second in the heat with 2:01.44. Delta State senior Lucia Martelli (2:01.59, PBx.6) and Tampa’s Lindsey Grater (2:02.77) followed.