Kenyon Women and Denison Men Win 2022 NCAC Team Titles

2022 NCAC (North Coast Athletic Conference) Championships 

• Wednesday, February 9 2022-Saturday, February 13, 2022
• Trumbull Aquatics Center, Denison University, Granville, Ohio
• Defending champions
  • Men- Kenyon
  • Women- Denison
• Live results
• Live video
• Championship central

The final night of the 2022 NCAC Championships featured the men’s and women’s 1,650 freestyle, 100 IM, 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, 400 freestyle relay. and the women’s 3-meter diving. 

The Denison men won all six events of the evening, which closed the gap to win their 13th league title.

Denison’s Patrick Daly was named the men’s NCAC Newcomer of the Year after winning the 400 freestyle relay and having top-eight finishes in the 800 freestyle relay, 200 IM, 100 breaststroke, and 100 IM. Kenyon’s Bryan Fitzgerald won Swimmer of the Year after winning two individual titles (500 freestyle, 400 IM) and one relay title (800 freestyle relay). Israel Zavaleta won Diver of the Year after sweeping both boards. 

The Kenyon women brought back the NCAC title after finishing 2nd to Denison in 2020. This is Kenyon’s 27th league title. 

Crile Hart of Kenyon was named Swimmer of the Year. The Kenyon senior finished her final NCAC meet winning all seven events that she competed in (800 freestyle relay, 200 freestyle relay, 200 IM, 400 medley relay, 100 butterfly, 200 backstroke, 400 freestyle relay). Kenyon’s Jennah Fadely won NCAC Newcomer of the Year winning the 100 IM, 100 breaststroke, 400 medley relay and 200 medley relay. 

Wittenberg’s Emma Hellman was named Diver of the Meet after she swept both boards and set an NCAC record in the 3-meter event on the final day of competition. 

Men’s Recap

1,650 Freestyle

1. Luke Landis, Denison (15:27.94)
2. Fitzgerald, Kenyon (15:28.56)
3. Sam Myaard, Denison (15:35.64)

This was a lifetime best for Landis by seven-seconds. He and Fitzgerald swam nearly identical splits throughout the race. At the 1,000, Landis was 9:26.49 and Fitzgerald was 9:26.06.

100 IM

1. Richie Kurlich, Denison (50.19)
2. Marcus Hong, Kenyon (50.42)
3. Patrick Daly, Denison (50.77)

Kurlich broke the pool and NCAC record en-route to winning this race and edging 2020 champion Hong for the win tonight. 

200 Backstroke

1. Spencer Pruett, Kenyon (1:45.41)
2. Yurii Kosian, Kenyon (1:45.61)
3. Liam Picozzi, Denison (1:47.59)

Pruett won the race in a meet and pool record time. The previous pool record was 1:45.47, which was set in 2018 by Denison swimmer Bebe Weng. The NCAC record was 1:45.61, set in 2015 by Harrison Curley of Kenyon. Pruett was 2nd behind Picozzi in the 100 backstroke earlier in the meet. Kosain was out the quickest in the field (50.67/54.94), but Pruett had the fastest back-half of the race out of anyone in the field (51.27/54.14).

100 Freestyle

1. Kyle Verstandig, Denison (44.64)
2. Caleb McCarty, Wabash (44.67)
3. Marko Krtinic, Kenyon (44.81)

At the NCAC Championships in 2020, Verstandig posted a 46.52 in the 100 freestyle. Defending champion Trey Ike of Denison was 4th (44.82), just .01 second off the podium. McCarty of Wabash broke the Kenyon/Denison podium sweeps after winning the B-final (46.04) in 2020. 

200 Breaststroke 

1. Kurlich, Denison (1:58.73)
2. Luis Weekes, Kenyon (2:00.56)
3. Elijah Venos, Denison (2:01.55)

Kurlich won his 2nd event of the evening, after taking the top-spot in the 100 IM. In 2020, Weekes won the 200 breaststroke inNCAC and pool record time (1:58.50), with Kurlich placing 2nd (1:59.80). 

200 Butterfly

1. Eric Chimes, Denison (1:47.74)
2. Noah Housekeeper, Denison (1:48.32)
3. Noah Hargrove, Kenyon (1:48.83)

Chimes was 5th in this event as a freshman in 2020 (1:50.02). Ethan Bevill, who finished 4th (1:49.82) was 6th in this event in 2020 (1:50.29). Denison had 4 swimmers in the A-final of this event finishing 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 7th. 

400 Freestyle Relay

1. Denison, 2:56.23
2. Kenyon, 2:57.47
3. Wabash, 3:03.57

Denison defended its conference title in the 400 freestyle relay en-route to breaking the pool record (2:56.45), which was set by Denison in 2020. Picozzi and Ike returned to the winning relay this year.

Men’s Team Final Scores

1. Denison, 1978.5
2. Kenyon, 1973.5
3. Wabash, 1117
4. DePauw, 994
5. Wooster, 973.5
6. Oberlin 695.5
7. Allegheny, 616
8. Hiram, 366
9. Wittenberg, 361

Women’s Recap

1,650 Freestyle

1. Alix O’Brien, Denison (16:48.22)
2. Tara Witowski, Denison (16:48.89)
3. Kira Bowling, Kenyon (17:03.03)

Teammates O’Brien and Witowski finished 1-2 in the 500 freestyle, but in the opposite order earlier in the meet. Like the men’s race, the top-two finishers were together the whole race, clocking in at the 1,000 mark at 10:13.69 and 10:13.24, respectively. 

100 IM

1. Fadely, Kenyon (57.19)
2. Esme Wright, Denison (57.63)
3. Sydney Buchman, Kenyon (59.05)

After placing 2nd in the 200 IM and winning the 100 breaststroke earlier in the meet, Fadely used her breaststroke speed to come from behind and touch just before Wright. 

200 Backstroke

1. Hart, Kenyon (1:57.95)
2. Olivia Smith, Kenyon (2:00.41)
3. Jordan Herrera, Kenyon (2:04.55)

Hart defended her 200 backstroke crown from 2020 when she set the meet and NCAC record (1:56.85). She also owns the NCAA record in this event (1:55.67), which she set at the NCAA Championships in 2018. Hart led a Kenyon 1-4 sweep in the 200 backstroke. Touching 4th was Caleigh Wukitch (2:05.11).

100 Freestyle

1. Emmie Mirus, Kenyon (50.29)
2. Alexandra White, Kenyon (50.97)
3. Annalise Cheshire, Denison (51.01)

Mirius was just off of the NCAC record (50.12) en-route to winning her 2nd individual conference title after touching 1st in the 50 free earlier in the meet. Mirus was 6th in this event in 2020 (51.36). 

200 Breaststroke

1. Gabby Wei, Kenyon (2:15.09)
2. Devin Javens, Denison (2:20.31)
3. CC Crane, Denison (2:20.40)

Wei was 2nd in the 200 breaststroke earlier in the meet (1:02.83). In the longer breaststroke event, Wei split the race (1:03.62/1:11.47), and finished five-second ahead of the field. 

200 Butterfly

1. Ania Axas, Kenyon (2:02.51)
2. Emma Pritchett, Denison (2:02.75)
3. Ollie Bream, College of Wooster (2:03.74)

Axas was out fast (57.73/1:04.78) and Pritchett nearly closed on her (59.09/1:03.66). Pritchett was 2nd in the 100 butterfly earlier in the meet. Axas was 2nd in this event as a freshman in 2020 (2:02.83). 

3-Meter Diving

1. Hellmann, Wittenberg (503.50)
2. Kerstyn Johnson, Denison (475.50)
3. Maggie Seftenberg, Denison (457.85)

Hellmann completed the sweep on both boards after winning the 1-meter earlier in the meet en-route to breaking the pool and NCAC record. The previous record stood at 494.15 points, which was set in 2016 by Maria Zarka of Kenyon College. The top three on the 3-meter finished in the exact same order on the 1-meter board. 

400 Freestyle Relay

1. Kenyon, 3:21.65
2. Denison, 3:23.39
3. DePauw, 3:31.55

Hart of Kenyon was the only swimmer in the field to split sub-50:00, leading off in 49.49. 

Women’s Team Final Scores

1. Kenyon, 1958
2. Denison, 1749
3. DePauw, 1225
4. Wooster, 1092
5. Oberlin, 827
6. Ohio Wesleyan, 658
7. Allegheny, 616
8. Hiram, 366
9. Wittenberg, 361