2022 NCAA Division II Women’s Championships – Day 3 Finals Live Recap

2022 NCAA Division II Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships

• Dates: Wednesday, March 9 – Saturday, March 12, 2022
• Location: Greensboro Aquatic Center, Greensboro, NC (Eastern Time Zone)
• Times: Prelims 10:00 AM / Finals 6:00 PM
• Defending Champs: Queens women (6x) & Queens men (6x) – (Results)
• Live Stream
• Live Results
• Psych Sheet – Women
• SwimSwam Fan Guide – Women
• Friday night finals heat sheets

Day Three’s finals session will feature the women’s 500 free, 100 back, 100 breast, and 200 fly. Kate Agger of Wingate posted the top time of the morning in the 500 free; she will be flanked by top-seeded Monica Gumina of Queens, who won the 200 free on Thursday, and her teammate Sophie Lange, who won the 1000 free on Wednesday.

Nova S’eastern’s Cassie Wright and Celina Marquez will be in the middle lanes of the 100 back, having produced the morning’s top two times of 53.11 and 53.18, respectively. Drury’s Laura Pareja will be in lane 3 from where she will try to defend her 2021 title in the event.

Defending champion Danielle Melilli of Queens topped the field in the 100 breast this morning with her first sub-1:01. Indy’s Marizel Van Jaarsveld, who swept the two IM events on Wednesday and Thursday nights, and Savanna Best are seeded second and third.

Expect another exciting butterfly battle between West Chester’s Ann Carozza and Lynn’s Luna Mertins. Carozza broke the Division II record in the 100 fly in prelims, but Mertins eked out the win in the final. The two are seeded first and second in tonight’s 200 final.

Women’s 500 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)
• 2021 Champion: Giulia Grasso, Queens (NC) – 4:48.80

Podium:

1. Kate Agger, Wingate – 4:48.02
2. Sophie Lange, Queens – 4:48.10
3. Monica Gumina, Queens – 4:51.07
4. Marina Amorim, Drury – 4:52.83
5. Jordan Fox, Wayne State – 4:53.70
6. Allison Weber, Drury – 4:55.12
7. Megan Goldthorpe, Tampa – 4:56.03
8. Katarina Matoskova, Colorado Mesa – 4:56.18

It was a thrilling way to begin Friday night’s finals session. Monica Gumina of Queens, who had come into the meet with the number one time of the year, took off early from lane 3 and found clear water. She led at the 50, 100, 200, and 300, while Kate Agger of Wingate, in lane 4, and Sophie Lange of Queens, in lane 5, traded stroke-for-stroke just behind her. Lange and Agger began to close the gap on the third 100. At the 350, they both made their move. Lange caught her teammate Gumina and surged to the lead. Agger pulled even with Gumina too, and looked like she would finish comfortably in second place.

But she had other ideas in mind. When the bell sounded, Agger motored home, kicking furiously past Lange to win by .08, 4:48.02 to 4:48.10. Gumina held on for third.

Women’s 100 Backstroke – Finals

• NCAA DII Record: 52.07 – Polina Lapshina, Queens (NC) (2019)
• Meet Record: 52.07 – Polina Lapshina, Queens (NC) (2019)
• 2021 Champion: Laura Pareja, Drury – 52.98

Podium:

1. Cassie Wright, Nova S’eastern – 52.48
2. (tie) Celina Marquez, Nova S’eastern / Laura Pareja, Drury – 53.05
3. –
4. Lauren White, Colorado Mesa – 53.90
5. Katie McCoy, Indy – 54.15
6. Vladyslava Maznytska, Queens – 54.74
7. Stephanie Marks, Lindenwood – 54.92
8. Anett Daka, Saint Leo – 55.67

The eyes were on the middle of the pool as lanes 3, 4, 5, and 6 all flipped together at the 50 wall. Laura Pareja, the defending champion from Drury, led, followed by Katie McCoy, and then Nova S’eastern’s Cassie Wright and Celina Marquez.

Wright and Marquez buckled down over the second half of the race and moved just in front of Pareja and McCoy. Wright surged over the final 25 yards and won with 52.48. Marquez caught Pareja, and the two of them hit the wall at exactly the same time: 53.05. Lauren White of Colorado Mesa moved past McCoy to finish fourth with 53.90.

Women’s 100 Breaststroke – Finals

• NCAA DII Record: 59.51 – Theresa Michalak, West Florida (2017)
• Meet Record: 59.51 – Theresa Michalak, West Florida (2017)
• 2021 Champion: Danielle Melilli, Queens (NC) – 1:01.32

Podium:

1. Danielle Melilli, Queens – 1:00.11
2. Marizel Van Jaarsveld, Indy – 1:00.32
3. Savanna Best, Nova S’eastern – 1:00.96
4. Kailee Morgan, Carson-Newman – 1:01.14
5. Claire Mikesell, IUP – 1:01.30
6. Isabelle Roth, Simon Fraser – 1:01.74
7. Zara Konstapel, Missouri-St. Louis – 1:01.91
8. Lily Borgenheimer, Colorado Mesa – 1:02.18

Defending champion Danielle Melilli of Queens controlled the race from start to finish, but she wasn’t without company. Marizel Van Jaarsveld from UIndy matched her nearly stroke for stroke over the second half of the race, coming from a nearly half-second deficit at the 50. Melilli held her rhythm, though, and got her hands to the wall just .21 ahead of Van Jaarsveld (1:00.32) to win her second consecutive national title in the event. This year, she was 1.2 seconds faster with 1:00.11.

It was crowded at the finish behind Melilli and Van Jaarsveld. Nova S’eastern’s Savanna Best just touched out Kailee Morgan of Carson-Newman, 1:00.96 to 1:01.14. IUP’s Claire Mikesell, last year’s B-final winner, came in fifth with 1:01.30.

Women’s 200 Butterfly – Finals

• NCAA DII Record: 1:56.89 – Mckenzie Stevens, Queens (NC) (2018)
• Meet Record: 1:56.89 – Mckenzie Stevens, Queens (NC) (2018)
• 2021 Champion: Celeste Turner, Delta State – 1:58.29

Podium:

1. Ann Carozza, West Chester – 1:55.98
2. Luna Mertins, Lynn – 1:57.79
3. Rafaela Raurich, Drury – 1:58.98
4. Celeste Turner, Delta State – 1:59.26
5. Aleksandra Maslova, Nova S’eastern – 1:59.45
6. Cecilie Jensen, Carson-Newman – 1:59.93
7. Paige Mikesell, IUP – 2:00.61
8. Courtney Sherwood, Tampa – 2:01.59

Ann Carozza from West Chester broke her second NCAA Division II record of the meet with a personal-best time of 1:55.98 to win the 200 fly by almost two body lengths. Aleksandra Maslova of Nova S’eastern jumped out to the early lead at the 50, with Luna Mertins of Lynn -who won the 100 fly on Thursday- and Carozza just behind. Mertins took over the lead at the 100 wall, while Carozza moved past Maslova into second place.

Carozza exploded over the third 50 and blew past Mertins with a 29.9 that put her half a body in front at the 150 wall. She came home in 30.8 to take nine-tenths off the previous national record of 1:56.89, set by Mckenzie Stevens of Queens in 2018.

Mertins finished second, 1.8 seconds back with 1:57.79. Rafaela Raurich of Drury (1:58.98) and defending champion Celeste Turner of Delta State (1:59.26) moved past Maslova over the final 50 yards and wound up third and fourth. Maslova finished with 1:59.45 for fifth.

Women’s 800 Freestyle Relay – Timed Finals

• NCAA DII Record: 7:12.96 – Queens (NC) (2016)
• Meet Record: 7:12.96 – Queens (NC) (2016)
• 2021 Champion: Queens – 7:16.98

Podium:

1. Queens – 7:18.68
2. West Chester – 7:20.07
3. Colorado Mesa – 7:21.12
4. Simon Fraser – 7:22.35
5. Lindenwood – 7:23.44
6. Drury – 7:23.49
7. Indy – 7:24.31
8. Northern Michigan – 7:26.37

After going 1-2-9-12 in Thursday night’s 200 free final, it was no surprise to find the Royals out front in the final heat of 800 relays. National 200 free champion Monica Gumina led off in 1:48.07, about 1.3 seconds off her individual time. She was followed by Tova Andersson (1:49.98), Giulia Grasso (1:49.84), and Caroline Lawrence (1:50.79). Gumina’s lead on the first leg gave Queens a significant advantage that allowed them to remain in front throughout the entire race.

West Chester took second, with impressive lead-off and anchor legs from Ann Carozza (1:48.58) and Keeley Durkin (1:48.79), respectively.

Colorado Mesa placed third, about a body length shy of West Chester.

Simon Fraser, who won heat 2 with a 6.7-second drop from their seed time, came in fourth place overall.

Team Standings – Day Three

  1. Queens (Nc)                     405.5   2. Indy                              312
  3. Nova S'Eastern                  298.5   4. Drury                           261.5
  5. Colorado Mesa                     168   6. West Chester                      164
  7. Lindenwood                        149   8. Simon Fraser                      133
  9. Carson-Newman                     114  10. Tampa                             111
 11. Wingate                            96  12. West Florida                       83
 13. Nmu                                82  14. Lynn                               80
 15. Delta State                        75  16. Wayne State                        57
 17. Msu Mankato                        54  18. Iup                                50
 19. Saint Leo                          37  20. McKendree                          32
 21. Florida Tech                       30  22. St Cloud St                        22
 23. Azusa Pacific                      18  24. Florida Southern                   17
 25. Rollins                          16.5  26. Grand Valley                       15
 26. Augustana                          15  28. Umsl                               14
 29. Mines                               5  29. Henderson St.                       5
 29. Saginaw Valley State Univ           5  32. Clarion University                  4
 33. Umary                               3  34. Gannon                              1
 34. Sioux Falls                         1