2024 NCAA Division II Championships: Day 2 Prelims Live Recap

Maureen McGowan2024 NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships

• Dates: March 12-16, 2024
• Times: Prelims 10AM Eastern, Finals 5:30PM Eastern
• Location: SPIRE Institute Aquatics Center in Geneva, Ohio
• Defending Champions:
  • Nova S’eastern women (1x)
  • Indianapolis men (1x)
• Psych Sheets:
  • Women’s Psych Sheet
  • Men’s Psych Sheet
• Live Results
• Live Video (NCAA.com)

Day 2

Nova S’eastern got off to a strong start in the women’s meet with an NCAA Division II and championship meet record in the 800 free relay, while Tampa earned gold in the men’s meet.

We’ll see our first individual events of the 2024 NCAA Division II Women’s and Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships on Wednesday morning, with prelims of the women’s and men’s 200 IM and 50 free, the slower heats of the women’s and men’s 1000 free, and prelims of men’s 1-meter diving.

Colorado Mesa’s Benedict Nagy, Mellie Wijk of Drury, and Emilia Ronningdal, the defending champion from Nova S’eastern, all come in with sub-2:00 seed times in the 200 IM. Colorado Mesa’s Benjamin Sampson is seeded 1st in the men’s race with 1:42.04, 2.3 seconds faster than his winning time from 2023. Drury’s Ivan Adamchuk is the lone sub-1:45, while Connor Bischel from Missouri S&T, JT Amrein from Oklahoma Christian, and Wayne State’s Clayton Kinnard all come in with sub 1:46s.

The top 6 women in the 50 free have all been under 23 seconds this season; Henderson State’s Kiara Pozvai leads the pack with 22.33. Henderson State also brings us the top 2 seeds in the men’s race: Lamar Taylor (19.12) and Jack Armstrong (19.20). The pair finished 1-2 in last year’s final.

Women’s 200 Yard Individual Medley – Prelims

• NCAA DII: 1:55.63 – Patri Castro Ortega, Queens Charlotte (2016)
• Meet: 1:55.63 – Patri Castro Ortega, Queens Charlotte (2016

Top 16 Qualifiers:

1. Celina Schmidt, Indy – 2:00.30
2. Claire Conover, Drury – 2:00.32
3. Mellie Wijk, Drury – 2:00.42
4. Emilia Ronningdal, Nova S’eastern – 2:00.71
5. (tie) Madysen Barnes, Tampa / Benedict Nagy, Colorado Mesa – 2:01.00
6. –
7. May Lowy, Nova S’eastern – 2:01.05
8. Aurora Duncan, Drury – 2:01.66
9. Emily Mears–Bentley, Findlay – 2:01.69
10. Shannah Dillman, West Florida – 2:02.06
11. Maria Fe Munoz, Drury – 2:02.25
12. Sidni Meister, Tampa – 2:02.56
13. Mckenzie Hemingway, WCU – 2:02.58
14. Luisa Machado, Drury – 2:03.08
15. Sophia Bains, Colorado Mesa – 2:03.15
16. Sierra Gillan, Tampa – 2:03.29

Indy’s Celina Schmidt dropped .7 to win the second circle-seeded heat with 2:00.30, posting the top time of the morning ahead of Drury teammates Claire Conover (2:00.32) and Mellie Wijk (2:00.42). The Panthers earned a third spot in the A final with Aurora Duncan, who dropped 1.3 seconds to qualify in 2:01.66. Duncan was runner-up a year ago. Conover and Wijk were also A finalists, while Schmidt placed 11th.

Defending champion Emilia Ronningdal from Nova S’eastern went 2:00.71 to qualify fourth for tonight’s final. Tampa’s Madysen Barnes, 16th in 2023, improved her seed time by .9 to tie with Colorado Mesa’s Benedict Nagy, the top seed coming into the meet, for fifth place with 2:01.00.

May Lowy from Nova S’eastern also qualified for the A final with 2:01.05; she was 7th a year ago.

Tampa’s Sidni Meister took 2.7 seconds off her entry time to moved from 39th seed to B-finalist with 2:02.56. West Chester’s Mckenzie Hemingway also had a big drop, going from 19th seed to 13th qualifier with 2:02.58, a 1-second drop.

Men’s 200 Yard Individual Medley – Prelims

• NCAA DII: 1:41.61 – Marius Kusch, Queens Charlotte (2016)
• Meet: 1:41.61 – Marius Kusch, Queens Charlotte (2016)

Top 16 Qualifiers:

1. Benjamin Sampson, Colorado Mesa – 1:44.11
2. Davi Mourao, Drury – 1:45.12
3. Joao Nogueira, Drury – 1:45.75
4. Alejandro Villarejo, Drury – 1:46.21
5. Santiago Corredor, Tampa – 1:46.27
6. Connor Bischel, Missouri S & T – 1:46.37
7. Marcus Mak, Simon Fraser – 1:46.46
8. Parker Knollman, Tampa – 1:46.70
9. Ivan Adamchuk, Drury – 1:46.79
10. William Slowey, Rollins – 1:46.92
11. JT Amrein, Oklahoma Christi – 1:46.98
12. Clayton Kinnard, Wayne State – 1:47.00
13. Silas Buessing, Indy – 1:47.27
14. Wyatt Dickman, NMU – 1:47.35
15. Kolos Nagy, WCU – 1:47.47
16. Conley Savage, UMSL – 1:47.66

Drury’s IMers were on fire this morning, with Davi Mourao (1:45.12), Joao Nogueira (1:45.75), and Alejandro Villarejo (1:46.21) posting the 2-3-4 times of the morning, respectively. Mourao, who placed 15th in 2023, took 2.4 seconds off his seed time and was 2.6 seconds faster than he’d been in prelims last year. Nogueira improved his entry time by 2.3 seconds, while Villarejo, who was first alternate for finals last year, dropped 1.5 seconds.

Tampa’s Santiago Corredor took 2.2 seconds off his seed time to qualify fifth for the final with 1:46.27. That’s a full second faster than his prelims performance in 2023; he placed third in the final. Teammate Parker Knollman dropped .8 to make it into the A final by .09 with 1:46.70.

Missouri S&T’s Connor Bischel went 1:46.37 to earn his spot in the top-8 tonight; a year ago he was 36th in prelims. Marcus Mak of Simon Fraser went 1:46.46, a personal best by 1 second, to qualify 7th overall.

Top-seeded Benjamin Sampson of Colorado Mesa was 2 seconds off his entry time but still posted the number 1 time of the morning (1:44.11) and will be in lane 4 for tonight’s final. He won this event with 1:44.33 in 2023 (he’d been seeded with 1:43.76). This season his best time is 1:42.04.

Conley Savage of Missouri-St Louis swam an impressive 1:47.66, beating his entry time by 1.5 seconds, to snag the 16th spot for finals. Akog Hajagos from Florida Tech (1:47.70) and Zsombor Bujdoso from Ouachita Baptist (1:47.91) were 17th and 18th after drops of 1.8 and 1.1 seconds, respectively.

Women’s 50 Yard Freestyle – Prelims

• NCAA DII: NCAA DII: 22.10 – Johanna Buys, Indy (2023)
• Meet: 22.10 – Johanna Buys, Indy (2023)

Top 16 Qualifiers:

1. Kirabo Namutebi, Indy – 22.36
2. Kiara Pozvai, Henderson St. – 22.64
3. Laura Dekoninck, Lynn – 22.81
4. Bryn Greenwaldt, Augustana (W) – 22.90
5. Ashlyn Moore, Drury – 22.97
6. Isabelle Sering, Tampa – 23.04
7. Elli Williams, Colorado Mesa – 23.13
8. Daniella Solkow, Delta State – 23.18
9. Emily Traube, Truman St. – 23.21
10. (tie) Josephine Bushell, Drury / Tehani Kong, CSU East Bay / Lauren White, Colorado Mesa – 23.26
11. –
12. –
13. Alyssa Whitmore, Simon Fraser – 23.29
14. Agata Naskret, Colorado Mesa – 23.30
15. Sydney Lewis, West Florida – 23.33
16. Troie Grubbs, Findlay – 23.34

Indy freshman Kirabo Namutebi and Tampa senior Isabelle Sering both had big morning swims, dropping .2 and .37 respectively, to make the A final. Namutebi went 22.36 to lead all qualifiers by .28, while Sering clocked a 23.04 to beat her personal best from the 2022 NCAA national championships, when she was a member of the now defunct St. Leo swimming and diving.

Top-seeded Kiara Pozvai added .3 but qualified second with 22.64. Second seed Laura Dekoninck from Lynn also added .3; she was third this morning with 22.81. Other top-8 seeds to make the A final include Bryn Greenwaldt of Augstana (4th, 22.90), Daniella Solkow from Delta State (8th, 23.18), Drury’s Ashlyn Moore (5th, 22.97),

Colorado Mesa’s Elli Williams added just a tick to her entry time but moved from 9th seed to 7th qualifier with 23.13.

Other notable morning swims included Truman State’s Emily Traube (23.21, -.17); Colorado Mesa’s Lauren White (23.23, -.26); and Simon Fraser’s Alyssa Whitmore (23.29, -.2).

Men’s 50 Yard Freestyle – Prelims

• NCAA DII: 18.88 – Matej Dusa, Queens Charlotte (2022)
• Meet: 18.88 – Matej Dusa, Queens Charlotte (2022)

Top 16 Qualifiers:

1. Lamar Taylor, Henderson St. – 19.03
2. Jack Armstrong, Henderson St. – 19.48
3. Ian Cooper, Tampa – 19.51
4. Kyle Micallef, Florida Southern – 19.57
5. Tibor Tistan, Tampa – 19.66
6. Blake Moran, Tampa – 19.70
7. Ahmed Ismail, Lewis – 19.76
8. Marcel Snitko, Nova S’eastern – 19.78
9. (tie) Cami Marrugo Montano, Findlay / Leo Nolles, NMU / Brandon Wilson, Florida Southern – 19.81
10. –
11. –
12. Mario Perez, McKendree – 19.82
13. Timothy Stollings, Findlay – 19.83
14. Caleb Brandon, Tampa – 19.90
15. Joao Silva, Indy – 19.91
16. Yuri Cabral, Drury – 19.92

Henderson State’s Lamar Taylor and Jack Armstrong led the morning qualifiers for the 50 free final, as expected, but Taylor posted a 19.03 in heats, beating his PB – the 19.04 he swam to win this event in 2023 – by .01. Armstrong went 19.48 and will occupy lane 5 in tonight’s final.

Tampa’s Ian Cooper improved his seed time by .17 to land a 19.51 and qualify third overall. Teammates Tibor Tistan and Blake Moran also made the A final. Tistan went from 16th seed to fifth qualifier, dropping .23 to post a 19.66. Moran was .01 faster than his entry time with 19.70.

Lewis freshman Ahmed Ismail improved his entry time by .18 to leapfrog from 19th seed to A finalist. Ismail’s 19.76 put him seventh overall, just .02 ahead of Nova S’eastern’s Marcel Snitko (19.78), who came into the meet seeded 12th.

Kyle Micallef from Florida Southern, the number 3 seed who tied for sixth place in last year’s final, went 19.57 to claim the fourth spot tonight.

Women’s 1000 Yard Freestyle – Slower Heats

• NCAA DII: 9:43.25 – Emily Trieschmann, Nova S’eastern (2023)
• Meet: 9:43.25 – Emily Trieschmann, Nova S’eastern (2023)

Top 8:

1. Jordan Fox, Wayne State – 10:01.00
2. Montana White, Azusa Pacific – 10:03.76
3. Brynhildur Traustadottir, Indy – 10:03.87
4. Riley MacVane, West Florida – 10:03.94
5. Danielle Stewart, WCU – 10:07.41
6. Keeley Durkin, WCU – 10:08.52
7. Sofija Kendzior, West Florida – 10:08.75
8. Meg Heveroh, Truman St. – 10:09.47

2023 runner-up Jordan Fox from Wayne State, who came into the meet seeded 14th, went 10:01.00 to lead the morning heats of 1000 freestyle. All but the first 8 seeds have swum, so if Fox beats any of tonight’s finalist, she will be on the podium.

Azusa Pacific’s Montana White, who swam the 50 free instead of the 1000 on Day 2 last year, improved her seed time by 6.2 seconds to finish with 10:03.76, just ahead of Brynhildur Traustadottir of Indy (10:03.87). Traustadottir was 5.8 seconds faster than she was a year ago, when she dropped over 9 seconds to place 13th. Riley MacVane from West Florida clocked a PB of 10:03.94 to come in fourth.

Also guaranteed to score in the top 16 are West Chester’s Danielle Stewart (10:07.41, -6.2) and Kelley Durkin (10:08.52, -1); West Florida’s Sojija Kendzior (10:08.75); and Truman State’s Meg Haveroh (10:09.47).

Men’s 1000 Yard Freestyle – Slower Heats

• NCAA DII: 8:54.10 – Fabio Dalu, McKendree (2021)
• Meet: 8:54.10 – Fabio Dalu, McKendree (2021)

Top 8:

1. Paul Demesy, WCU – 9:07.13
2. Miguel Marcos, Wingate – 9:10.06
3. Barnabas Fluck, Tampa – 9:10.60
4. Jon Kantzenbach, Grand Valley – 9:10.86
5. Benjamin Wainman, Saginaw Valley – 9:13.02
6. Stanislaw Chalat, Indy – 9:13.05
7. Matteo Vissotto, Drury – 9:13.50
8. Seth Basinger, Rollins – 9:14.53

West Chester’s Paul Demesy was the top finisher of the morning by nearly 3 seconds. He clocked a 9:07.13, beating his performance of 2023 by 2.8 seconds. Seeded 9th coming into the meet, he is guaranteed at least that spot in the final rankings; he’ll make top 8 if he beats anyone from tonight’s final heat.

Wingate’s Miguel Marcos dropped 6.2 seconds to finish second with 9:10.06. He placed 8th in 2023 with 9:07.94. Tampa’s Barnabus Fluck was 8.7 seconds faster than his entry time, while Grand Valley’s Jon Kantzenbach (9:10.86) was 7.4 seconds faster than his. Fluck was 7th a year ago; Katzenbach was 6th.

Benjamin Wainman from Saginaw Valley State (9:13.02), Indy’s Stanislaw Chalat (9:13.05), Drury’s Matteo Vissotto (9:13.50), and Seth Basinger of Rollins (9:14.53) will also score in the top 16.

Men’s 1-Meter Diving – Prelims

• NCAA DII: 618.70 – Dario DiFazio, Oakland (1994)
• Meet: 618.70 – Dario DiFazio, Oakland (1994)

Top 16 Qualifiers:

1. Julio Osuna Kelly, Indy – 546.00
2. Charles Earl, Drury – 495.15
3. Santiago Santodomingo, Delta State – 495.00
4. Zachary Schering, Clarion – 481.30
5. Isaiah Cheeks, Colorado Mesa – 45
6. James Nord, St Cloud State – 10
7. Michael Flamm, Clarion – 427.15
8. Matthew Blommel, Grand Valley – 424.80
9. Matthew Lenzo, Texas-Permian Basin – 422.70
10. Max Wasiniak, Wayne State – 422.40
11. John Martin, Wayne State – 419.80
12. Tobias Stiles, NMU – 414.95
13. Braden Moore, Delta State – 411.85
14. Jason Lenzo, Indy – 406.25
15. Jackson Rodriguez, Grand Valley – 400.30
16. Ryan Whaley, Delta State – 392.45