2024 Horizon League Championships: Oakland Cracks Pair of Championship Records on Day 2

2024 HORIZON LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Wednesday, February 14 – Saturday, February 17, 2024
• IU Natatorium (IUPUI), Indianapolis, IN
• Defending Champions:
  • Women: Oakland (10x)
  • Men: Oakland (10x)
• Live Results (MeetMobile)
• Live Video (ESPN+)
• Championship Central
• Fan Guide
• Psych Sheet
• Day 1 Results|Day 1 Recap
• Day 2 Results

TEAM SCORES (THRU DAY 2)

MEN

1. IUPUI – 279
2. Oakland – 267
3. Cleveland State – 202
4. Milwaukee – 166
5. Youngstown State – 152
6. UW Green Bay – 95

WOMEN

1. Oakland – 325
2. Milwaukee – 243
3. IUPUI – 199
4. Youngstown State University – 178
5. Cleveland State University – 162
6. UW Green Bay – 83

With night 2 of the 2024 Horizon League Championships in the books, we’re seeing the men’s meet develop just as expected. IUPUI, thanks in large part to a dominant performance in men’s 1-meter diving, has jumped out to a lead in the men’s team standings. They lead Oakland 13 points heading into the pivotal day 3, in which there will be a much broader array of swimming events. Meanwhile, the Oakland women have solidified their lead, making it through the first 2 days of the meet about as well as they could have hoped for.

There was a pair of Horizon League Championship records that went down tonight, as Oakland senior Jack Wike threw down a 1:44.66 to win the men’s 200 IM. It was a huge personal best for Wike, also good enough for him to win the race by 2 seconds. The previous HL Championship record was set by former Golden Grizzly Marko Khotynetskyi last year at 1:45.39.

The other championship record came in the men’s 200 free relay at the very end of the session. Oakland won the race in 1:18.49, seeing Micah Scheffer (20.12), Wike (19.73), Charlie Brown (19.61), and Christian Bart (19.03) team up to get it done. They blew away the previous championship record of 1:19.16, which IUPUI set at last year’s meet. IUPUI’s Kevin Burke was excellent on his relay as well, anchoring in 19.04, the 2nd-fastest split in the event.

As she has been each of the past 2 years, IUPUI junior Emmaleigh Zietlow was excellent in the women’s 500 free. Zietlow won the event in 4:47.24, finishing first by nearly 7 seconds. She was just off her own Horizon League Championship record of 4:47.09, which she set at last year’s meet. This marks the 3rd year in a row that Zietlow has won the 500 free at the Horizon League Championships.

Oakland’s Jonas Cantrell, also a junior, won the men’s 500 free for the 2nd year in a row. Cantrell took the race in 4:20.07 tonight, which is faster than the 4:22.87 he swam to win last year. While it was a good race for Cantrell, it wasn’t a season best, as he blasted a 4:18.47 in the event at mid season.

Yet another junior, Oakland’s Jordyn Shipps, won the women’s 200 IM with a 2:00.53. It was a switch up in events for Shipps, as last year she won the 50 free on this day of the meet. Tonight, she led a 1-2-3 charge by the Golden Grizzlies, which saw Clarissa Bezuidenhout come in 2nd with a 2:02.74, and Mia Englender take 3rd with a 2:04.09.

Grace Chelf, a Cleveland State sophomore, was the first non Oakland or IUPUI athlete to win an event at the meet, taking the women’s 50 free in 23.17. It was an incredibly tight race (as 50 frees tend to be), seeing Milwaukee junior Janelle Schulz come in 2nd with a 23.22, while Oakland’s Ronja Riihinen and Sam Thiessen tied for 3rd at 23.31.

IUPUI senior Spencer Jyawook won the men’s 50 free tonight with a 19.66. That was a personal best for Jyawook, coming in under his previous best of 19.74, which he swam at last year’s Horizon League Championship.

In men’s 1-meter diving, IUPUI’s Sebastian Otero, a sophomore, won convincingly with a final score of 376.85. It was a 1-2 punch for the Jags, as Adam Schmehl took 2nd with a score of 334.15. Blake Vanderjeugdt picked up a 4th-place finish for IUPUI as well, finishing with a score of 304.50.

Jordyn Shipps (23.00), Sam Thiessen (23.32), Mia Keranen (23.19), and Ronja Riihinen (22.80) combined to win the women’s 200 free relay for Oakland in a time of 1:32.31. The Golden Grizzlies won the race convincingly, touching 1st by well over a second.