2024 NAIA National Championships: Day 2 Prelims Recap

2024 NAIA Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving National Championships

• Dates: March 6-9, 2024
• Times: Prelims 9AM Eastern, Finals 5PM Eastern
• Location: Columbus Aquatics Center in Columbus, Georgia
• Defending Champions:
  • Keiser women (2x)
  • Keiser men (5x)
• Psych Sheets:
  • Men’s Psych Sheet
  • Women’s Psych Sheet
• Live Results
• Live Video

Day 2

Women’s 500 Yard Freestyle – Prelims

• Meet Record: 4:52.24 – Alex Peters, Concordia Irvine (2011)

Top 16 qualifiers:

1. Riley Renaud, Milligan – 5:03.19
2. Kylee Sears, Master’s – 5:03.87
3. Haley Vanbuskirk, SCAD – 5:07.24
4. Rachel Bradley, Keiser – 5:07.29
5. Sky Marjamaa, SCAD – 5:07.89
6. Rylee Woelk, St Thomas – 5:08.04
7. Sophie Urias, St Thomas – 5:09.14
8. Bea Moron Alonso, St Thomas – 5:11.04
9. Katelyn Inman, ONU – 5:11.38
10. Giulia Mantuan, Keiser – 5:11.54
11. Bryn Kiley, St Ambrose – 5:11.65
12. Gabby MacPherson, Milligan – 5:11.66
13. Grace Barnhart, ONU – 5:12.10
14. Michelle Weiss, Cumberlands – 5:12.37
15. Josefina Gonzalez, Bethel (IN) – 5:12.89
16. Belen Castro, St Thomas – 5:14.40

SCAD sophomore Sky Marjamaa won the first circle-seeded heat in 5:07.89, beating out St Thomas senior Rylee Woelk (5:08.04) who came into the meet seeded 3rd. Milligan senior Riley Renaud won the next heat, battling fiercely with Kylee Sears of Master’s. Renaud dropped 1.3 seconds from her seed time to take the heat from lane 5 with 5:03.19. Sears touched .68 behind with 5:03.87.

The final heat went to SCAD junior Haley Vanbuskirk in 5:07.24. Top-seeded Rachel Bradley, a sophomore from Keiser who won this event last year, touched .05 behind with 5:07.29.

Men’s 500 Yard Freestyle – Prelims

• Meet Record: 4:20.35 – Joel Thatcher, SCAD (2017)

Top 16 qualifiers:

1. Fabio Martin Rojo, Lindsey Wilson – 4:30.37
2. Daniel Laureyssens, St Thomas – 4:33.19
3. Wyatt Smith, SCAD – 4:34.81
4. Jonas Friess, St Ambrose – 4:34.87
5. Zoltan Tompos, SCAD – 4:35.09
6. Carlos Trinidad Sancho, Keiser – 4:36.21
7. Mate Dort, Life – 4:36.58
8. Matt Mizell, St Thomas – 4:36.86
9. Mason Beall, ONU – 4:37.81
10. JD Torres, Master’s – 4:38.11
11. Peter Gilbert, Milligan – 4:38.52
12. Eli Pelzer, Ave Maria – 4:39.50
13. Tyler LeDet, Master’s – 4:39.57
14. Nestor Montero, St Thomas – 4:39.90
15. Ethan Butler, Lindsey Wilson – 4:40.63
16. Jacob Miller, Milligan – 4:40.82

Lindsey Wilson junior Fabio Martin Rojo, the #3 seed, knocked 2.8 seconds off his seed time to win his heat with 4:30.37. That’s 1.8 seconds faster than he went in the A final last year. St Ambrose freshman Jonas Friess finished in second place with 4:34.87, over two bodies ahead of third-place Peter Gilbert of Milligan (4:38.52).

SCAD went 1-2 in the following heat with junior Wyatt Smith clocking in at 4:34.81, just .28 ahead of freshman teammate Zoltan Tompos (4:35.09).

St Thomas sophomore Daniel Laureyssens, the top seed coming into the meet, took the final heat in 4:33.19. He finished 4th in this event a year ago. Life freshman Mate Dort came to the wall next in 4:36.58, beating ONU senior Mason Beall by just over 1 second (4:37.81).

Women’s 200 Yard Individual Medley – Prelims

• Meet Record: 2:02.70 – Camryn Hudson, Keiser (2023)

Top 16 qualifiers:

1. Stella Warborn, St Thomas – 2:06.96
2. Halle Briner, ONU – 2:07.08
3. Nikoline Biltoft-Jensen, Keiser – 2:07.68
4. Valentina Zapata, Cumberlands – 2:08.14
5. Leyre Antonanzas Fernandez, St Ambrose – 2:08.30
6. Emma Phillips, Union – 2:08.37
7. Mary Grace Bitting, Milligan – 2:08.41
8. Romy Itzkovich, Cumberlands – 2:08.86
9. Alessia Claessen, St Thomas – 2:09.47
10. Leah Givens, SCAD – 2:0953
11. Dori Jozsa, Union – 2:10.33
12. Nikki Hahn, SCAD – 2:10.38
13. Lorie Seranski, Keiser – 2:10.77
14. Ellie Ricken, IWU – 2:11.06
15. Ashley Schoenlein, Cumberlands – 2:11.37
16. Alicja Sedlak, Cumberlands – 2:11.39

Keiser junior Nikoline Biltoft-Jensen used a strong breaststroke leg to pass Cumberlands sophomore Valentina Zapata, then held on as Zapata came roaring back on the freestyle, to win the first circle-seeded heat with 2:07.68. Zapata went 2:08.14 to touch second, passing Union freshman Emma Phillips (2:08.37) over the final 50 yards.

St Thomas freshman Stella Warborn won the next heat with 2:06.96, just off her entry time as the #2 seed overall. Behind Warborn, Milligan sophomore Mary Grace Bitting improved her time by 1.5 seconds to finish second with 2:08.41.

Top-seeded Halle Briner of Olivet Nazarene took the final heat in 2:07.08. St Ambrose junior Leyre Antonanzas Fernandez (2:08.30) and Cumberlands sophomore Romy Itzkovich (2:08.86) touched second and third, respectively.

Men’s 200 Yard Individual Medley – Prelims

• Meet Record: 1:47.55 – David Hibberd, Simon Fraser (2011)

Top 16 qualifiers:

1. Fynn Kunze, Keiser – 1:48.56
2. Alex Kusik, Keiser – 1:49.43
3. Adam Conrad, St Thomas – 1:50.49
4. Stephen Gilbert, Milligan – 1:50.73
5. Mikhi Hassim, St Ambrose – 1:51.13
6. Jack Fries, ONU – 1:51.31
7. Jokubas Jankauskas, Cumberlands – 1:51.48
8. Freddie Cole, Master’s – 1:52.15
9. Emil Schildhauer, Thomas – 1:52.42
10. Andre Bazzana, Milligan – 1:52.70
11. Finlay Saunders, SCAD – 1:53.09
12. Dario Rukavina, SCAD – 1:53.14
13. Marat Usov, St Ambrose – 1:53.39
14. Marcelo Rojas Ariza, Cumberlands – 1:53.46
15. Jofre Mataro, Thomas – 1:53.57
16. David Kugler, Master’s – 1:53.93

St Thomas sophomore Adam Conrad clipped Milligan senior Stephen Gilbert, 1:50.49 to 1:50.73, to open the circle-seeded heats with a PB by .6. Master’s junior Freddie Cole was a distant third with 1:52.15.

Defending champion, junior Fynn Kunze of Keiser, won heat 4 with 1:49.43. Coming to the wall second was Thomas freshman Emil Schildhauer (1:52.42), who finished a second ahead of his classmate Jofre Mataro (1:53.57).

Keiser junior Alex Kusik, last year’s runner-up but this year’s top seed, won the last heat with 1:49.43. St. Ambrose junior Mikhi Hassim edged Olivet Nazarene sophomore Jack Fries, 1:51.13 to 1:51.31, for second place in the heat.

Women’s 50 Yard Freestyle – Prelims

• Meet Record: 22.29 – Cheyenne Coffman, Fresno Pacific (2012)

Top 16 qualifiers:

1. Maaike Broersma, Lindsey Wilson – 23.47
2. Hanne te Velthuis, Milligan – 23.59
3. (tie) Ines Laurent, Keiser / Natalia Gorska, Lindsey Wilson – 23.81
4. –
5. Julie Vega, ONU – 23.92
6. Danai Sofoulis, Keiser – 24.03
7. Regan Garcia, St Thomas – 24.10
8. Aubrey Bach, Keiser – 24.16
9. Nathalia Bento, Life – 24.18
10. Jaylyn Harrison, Bethel (IN) – 24.24
11. Zselyke Papp, Keiser – 24.27
12. Catherine Streeter, Loyola New Orleans – 24.30
13. Ana Sales, St Thomas – 24.31
14. Timea Aspegren, Keiser – 24.35
15. Ellie Alexander, SCAD – 24.38
16. Mya Nemechek, Midland – 24.47

Lindsey Wilson senior Maaike Broersma took .25 off her seed time to post the morning’s leading swim of 23.47, moving from 6th seed to 1st qualifier. Milligan’s Hanne te Velthuis, who won the consolation final last year, improved her entry time by .15 and qualified second overall. Keiser senior Ines Laurent, who came in with the top time in the NAIA, tied with Lindsey Wilson freshman Natalia Gorska for third overall with 23.71.

Men’s 50 Yard Freestyle – Prelims

• Meet Record: 19.71 – Logan H Lassley, Oklahoma Baptist (2014) and Marcel Nagy, Keiser (2020)

Top 16 qualifiers:

1. Noel de Geus, Keiser – 19.89
2. Alex Marrero, St Thomas – 20.11
3. Hanno Boeckmann, Keiser – 20.14
4. William Birkett, St Thomas – 20.17
5. Samuel Page, SCAD – 20.34
6. Steven Aimable, St Thomas – 20.36
7. Robbie Garden, St Thomas – 20.41
8. Paxton Smith, Milligan – 20.44
9. Matheus Queiroz, Keiser – 20.50
10. Angel Margaritov, Keiser – 20.51
11. Caleb Fry, Milligan – 20.52
12. Tim Brown – Thomas – 50.56
13. Tate Bladon, Loyola New Orleans – 20.58
14. Jan Gastal, SCAD – 20.69
15. Dylan Crane, Master’s – 20.79
16. Cory Werrett, St Ambrose – 20.95

Defending champion, Keiser sophomore Noel de Geus, added .3 but was the top qualifier in the 50 free with a large margin. He put up a 19.89 to win his heat ahead of St Thomas junior Alex Marrero (20.11). Keiser freshman Hanno Boeckmann, the #2 seed, qualified third overall with 20.14.

St Thomas junior William Birkett edged Samuel Page of SCAD, last year’s runner-up, by .17 to win his heat with 20.17 and qualify fourth overall.

Women’s 3-Meter Diving – Prelims

• Meet Record: 444.81 – Cynthia Miller (1987)

Finals qualifiers:

1. Macy Schmidtgall, IWU – 216.85
2. Megan Carroll, IWU – 145.05

With only two divers entered in the meet, Indiana Wesleyan is assured 37 points in 3-meter diving. Freshman Macy Schmidtgall scored 216.85 points, while senior Megan Carroll tallied 145.05.