2024 Ohio Athlete Conference Championships
- February 15-17, 2024
- Akron, Ohio
- SCY (25 yards)
- Full Results (PDF)
- Conference Release
Courtesy: JCU Sports
AKRON — Eight straight!
For an eighth year in a row, John Carroll Men’s Swimming & Diving reigns supreme atop the conference, winning the Ohio Athletic Conference Championships.
The traditional celebratory dive into the pool was made possible by a point total of 867.5.
“One of the big things we talked about is smiling. When I look back on the season, you’re always going to have ups and downs. But it’s so easy to smile. When you reflect on this group of student-athletes and the challenges we faced but the triumphs we’ve had, you can’t help but smile and that’s what makes it special.”
Forrest Campbell’s return to the top defined the meet for the Blue Streaks. The graduate student earned OAC Most Outstanding Swimmer, his second in career after taking it home in 2020. A Blue Streak has won the honor for six straight years.
As for Campbell, he’s just the fourth JCU men’s swimmer to win the crown twice.
“He was out of competitive swimming for a calendar year and then came back,” said Barton. “We had to be creative with his training plans because he’s teaching full-time, taking graduate level coursework, and taking care of his mom and dad and family. He comes in and wins his three individual events and is a huge asset to our relays. I could not be more proud of Forrest and his commitment to the team and has battled through all of his time demands.”
And a new standard has been set for coaching staff in the OAC. For a record sixth straight meet, the Blue Streaks captured Men’s Swimming Coaching Staff of the Year honors. (Note: the conference changed the award from coach of the year to staff of the year in 2007, but from 1990-2007, no coach won more than three times in a row).
Barton’s assistants are Lewis Fellinger, Ian Bishop, Larissa Czupik, Taylor Epstein, and Westin Fishel. The staff did a fantastic job this week and over the course of the season.
“As a coaching staff, we pride ourselves on having great people within the program,” said Barton. “It starts with the coaches, then the support staff, and then our student-athletes. I’m blessed to be around such great people who are selfless and work hard every day.”
The evening began with the 1650 Freestyle, and a double All-OAC finish for JCU. Sam Kmet made a great freshman impression with a time of 16:15:91, while Aidan Hulseman followed in third for his first career All-OAC honor with a time of 16:39:90. Aidan O’Neill tabbed seventh.
Luke Novak retained his crown in the 200 Backstroke for the second straight season. The junior touched the wall at 1:50:42 to snag first. Additionally, Jacob Clark nabbed seventh.
Campbell continued his phenomenal return to the big stage in the 100 Free. The graduate student roared for a time of 44.82, good enough for an NCAA B cut. It marked his third crown in the event of his career, his first since 2021. Daniel Argalious also got to stand on the podium with a fourth-place time of 46.51.
The Blue Streaks dominated the 200 Breaststroke. All three All-OAC honorees wore Blue & Gold. Joe Nadur defended his title, reigning with a time of 2:03.90. Freshman Bart Kubis made a formidable impression with a silver time of 2:07.14 and fellow frosh Patrick Branch completed the sweep with a mark of 2:08.07.
Two Streaks got to the podium in the 200 Butterfly. Kmet clipped fourth and Hulseman tabbed sixth, impressive after both competed in the mile earlier in the evening. The night ended with the 400 Free Relay. JCU’s four-year streak winning the event ended, but the Blue Streaks earned All-OAC honors with third. Patrick Branch, Owen Holm, Aidan O’Neill, and Dom Falcon clocked a time of 3:06.08.
And then, the awards were doled out and the celebration began.
“This is surreal being in this environment and being able to do this with my brothers and sisters is just amazing,” said senior Jacob Clark. “I’ll miss it a ton. It’s been one of the most amazing experiences of my entire life being a part of the John Carroll Swimming & Diving team.”
Next up for the Blue Streaks is hopefully a trip to Greensboro, North Carolina for the NCAA Championships from March 20-23, pending selections.
“The future of the program is very bright, almost as bright as my shirt,” Barton laughed.
Average swim meet in Ohio