Denver Men, Women Win 6th Consecutive Summit League Championships

2019 Summit League – Men & Women

• Wednesday, February 20 – Saturday, February 23
• Midco Aquatic Center, Sioux Falls, SD (Central Time Zone)
• Defending Champion: Denver women (5x) & Denver men (5x) (results)
• Final results
• Championship Central

Day Four

For the sixth consecutive year the University of Denver Pioneers stood atop the podium of the Summit League Swimming and Diving Championships. The men won with 1074.5 team points while the women set a new Summit League record of 1183 points. Colin Gilbert won the Men’s Championship Swimming MVP, while David Mihalic earned Newcomer of the Championship award. Charlotte Simon was named Women’s Championship Swimming MVP and McKayla Sanchez took home Newcomer of the Championship.

South Dakota’s Isaac Morris and Sarah Schank won their respective Championship Diving MVP awards. Men’s Diving Coach of the Year went to Elyse Brouillette of South Dakota State; Women’s Diving Coach of the Year was Kris Jorgensen of South Dakota. Western Illinois’ Greg Naumann took home Men’s Swimming Coach of the Year honors, while Omaha’s Todd Samland won the same award for Women’s teams.

Men’s Recap

South Dakota State junior Mitch Raihle earned his first career Summit League diving title on Saturday, winning the 3-meter event with 328.6 points. He was joined on the podium by South Dakota freshman Hudson Wilkerson (323.80) and his teammate, junior Isaac Morris (314.80). Both Raihle and Morris earned NCAA Zone Diving qualifying marks in 3-meter diving.

Denver sophomore Cy Jager won his second consecutive 100 IM title with 49.94. He had set the meet record last year with 49.78. USD’s Jacob Leichner (50.96) and Western Illinois’ Chance McQuigg (51.64) took second and third. Denver junior Colin Gilbert was also a second-straight year event winner with his 15:15.48 in the 1650 free. Classmate Jesse Haraden (15:32.98) took second; South Dakota’s Mark Vanderzee (16:12.66) was third.

2018 runner-up Neil Wachtler of Denver won the 200 back in 1:46.03 ahead of freshman teammate Finn Kennard-Campbell (1:46.78) and Western Illinois sophomore Brennan Bladel (1:50.66), who was 6th in 2018.

Denver sophomore Cameron Auchinachie set a new Summit League meet record in the 100 free, clocking a 42.65 to lead a 1-2-3-4 Denver sweep in the event. Auchinachie finished 3rd in this event last year, when his Denver teammates Stephen Calkins set the meet record in prelims with 43.07 and Sid Farber lowered it to 42.78 in finals. This year, Auchinachie was followed to the wall by fellow Pioneers Hugo Sykes (43.98), Robin Kuebler (44.48), and Jackson Gainer (44.98) who tied with Western Illinois freshman Adam Peterson (44.98) for fourth.

Defending champion and meet record-holder Adriel Sanes of Denver avenged his second-place finish in the 100 breast on Friday with a win in the 200 breast, posting a 1:58.34, the only swimmer to break 2 minutes. South Dakota State’s Wyatt Rumrill (2:00.26) edged South Dakota’s James Ryan (2:00.77) for second place. Denver senior Kyle Ewoldt won the 200 fly for the third time in his career with a time of 1:47.72. He led a 1-2-3-4 Denver sweep of the event, with Graham Walker (1:48.11), Trent Panzera (1:49.91), and David Mihalic (1:50.18) coming to the wall behind him.

Denver wrapped up the meet with a win in the 400 free relay. Wachtler (44.42), Gilbert (44.59), Kuebler (44.30) and Sykes (43.47) combined for 2:56.78. Second place went to Eastern Illinois’ Griffin Lewis, Forrest Baumgartner, Scott House, and Nick Harkins (3:01.91), who just held off a charging South Dakota State (Trever Brenner, Alex Kraft, Ben Johnson, and Cody Watkins in 3:02.22).

Final Team Standings – Men

1. Denver – 1074.5
2. South Dakota – 686.5
3. South Dakota State – 513.5
4. Western Illinois – 415.5
5. Eastern Illinois – 360
6. Valparaiso – 213

Women’s Recap

Denver junior Kylie Cronin won her second straight 100 IM title, going 57.06 ahead of South Dakota State junior Ashley Theobald (58.10) and Western Illinois senior Erica Hagen (58.31). Junior Andi Johnston led a 1-2-3 Denver sweep in the women’s mile; she touched in 16:52.31 while freshmen Angie Lindsay (17:01.26) and Izzy Smith (17:21.46) finished 2nd and 3rd.

Denver senior Heidi Bradley won her first conference title in the 200 back, stopping the clock in 1:58.87. South Dakota junior Sabrina Sabadeanu earned her third straight silver medal in the event with a time of 2:00.69.

Denver swept the first four spots in a tight 100 free, with sophomore Aysia Leckie (50.07) leading the way ahead of Sarah Lingen (50.34), Lauren Moden (50.57), and Annelyse Tullier (50.99). The Pioneers showed even more depth in the 200 breast, where they took 1st through 6th. Sophomore Charlotte Simon got the win with 2:13.84, while freshmen Ally Yancy (2:17.43) and Brandi Vu (2:18.30) rounded out the podium.

Denver junior Josiane Valette won her second consecutive conference title in the 200 fly, going 1:58.21. She was joined on the podium by teammates Cronin (1:59.42) and Sanchez (2:01 94).

Denver closed out the meet with a 3:21.51 victory in the 400 free relay from Leckie (50.35), Lingen (50.27), Moden (51.00) and Valette (49.89). Omaha (Rachel Morrow, Madi Ewald, Anna Capoun, and Kirsten Kracke) touched second in 3:26.16, while South Dakota (Sabadeanu, Meghan Atwell, Cassie Ketterling, and Katie Coleman) took the bronze in 3:27.65.

Final Team Standings – Women

1. Denver – 1183
2. South Dakota – 676
3. Omaha – 615
4. South Dakota State – 451.5
5. Western Illinois – 274.5
6. Eastern Illinois – 198