Indian River Men and Women Earn 48th & 41st Consecutive NJCAA Team Titles

2022 NJCAA Swimming & Diving National Championships

• March 2-5, 2022
• Anne Wilder Aquatic Complex, Fort Pierce, FL
• SCY (25 yards)
• Championship Central

FULL MEET RESULTS

Final Team Standings 

Women

1. Indian River State College – 1413.5
2. Southwestern Oregon CC – 651
3. Iowa Central Community College – 558
4. Barton Community College – 543.5
5. Jamestown Community College – 258
6. Genesee Community College – 214
7. Monroe CC Tribunes – 161
8. Iowa Lakes Community College – 94
9. Erie Community College – 35
10.  The College of the Florida Keys – 14

Men

1. Indian River State College – 1406
2. Southwestern Oregon CC – 772.5
3. Barton Community College – 591.5
4. Iowa Central Community College – 549
5. Iowa Lakes Community College – 228
6. South Georgia State College – 202
7. Monroe CC Tribunes – 160
8. Genesee Community College – 135
9. Jamestown Community College – 118
10. The College of the Florida Keys – 6
11. Erie Community College – 5

Indian River has won their 41st-straight women’s NJCAA title and their 48th-straight men’s title, racking up 1400 points with both teams. We had one more NJCAA record fall on the final day of the meet, completing the sweep so that at least one record fell on every day of the meet.

This record fell at the hands of Southwestern Oregon’s Alex Metzler, who dominated the men’s 1650 free with a 15:02.71. Metzler’s swim crushed the previous NJCAA record of 15:06.09. He swam an incredibly consistent race, getting on 27-point 50 splits after the first few laps, and holding that pace all the way through, until he sped up at the very end.

Esther Rydbeck (IRSC) won the women’s 1650, swimming a 17:07.22 to touch first by 30 seconds. Through the first 550 yards of the race, Rydbeck was swimming at 16:47 pace, but she fell off her initial pace, letting her splits gradually float up through the end of the race.

Indian River posted a 1-2 finish in the women’s 100 free, with Olivia Ciancimino touching first in 51.90 and Carla Meikle taking 2nd with a 51.93. Southwestern Oregon picked up another men’s win, this time in the 100 free, where Canek Bracho clocked a 44.96.

After finishing 2nd in both the 50 and 100 back earlier in the meet, IRSC’s Kaylin de Almeida grabbed a win in the women’s 200 back. She got her hand on the wall just ahead of teammate Gina Miller, who won the women’s 200 free, 500 free, and 1000 free earlier in the meet. De Almeida edged just slightly ahead of Miller thanks to a great 3rd 50, and was able to edge Miller out at the touch. She finished in 2:03.06, with Miller right behind in 2:03.14.

Indian River’s William Beckstead-Holman completed his sweep of the men’s backstroke events, taking the 200 back in 1:47.27. He led a 1-2-3-4 finish by IRSC, with John Zeiger (1:47.90) taking 2nd, Connor Jones (1:51.24) 3rd, and Aaron Malecki (1:53.38) 4th.

In a 1-2-3 finish in the women’s 200 breast, Indian River’s Cornelia Almqvist finished 1st, posting a 2:19.09. Rylee Woelk took 2nd with a 2:19.98 and Masha Prima was 3rd with a 2:20.10.

Michael Deans led a 1-2-3 charge in the men’s 200 breast for IRSC. Deans finished in 1:57.65, leading teammate Aramis Rivera (1:58.89) into the finish. IRSC 19-year-old Riley Thomas finished 3rd with a 2:01.71.

In the women’s 400 free relay, Masha Prima (51.99), Carla Meikle (51.35), Olivia Ciancimino (51.92), and Gina Miller (52.03) teamed up to give Indian River the win in 3:27.29. IRSC also won the men’s 400 free relay, where William Beckstead-Holman (45.44), Luke Altmann (44.50), Caleb Brandon (44.45), and John Zeiger (44.41) combined for a 2:58.80.