The Michigan State women’s and men’s team each came away with victories this weekend. The women topped Cincinnati (169-130) and Bowling Green State (155.5-143.5). The men also beat out Cincinnati (160.5-137.5). Also on the women’s side, Bowling Green State picked up a victory of their own against Cincinnati (162-137).
Michigan State:
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State men and women’s swimming & diving teams both captured wins Friday at the Charles McCaffree Pool. The women’s team defeated Cincinnati (169.00-130.00) and Bowling Green (155.50-143.50). The men’s squad defeated Cincinnati (160.50-137.50).
The women have now won three-straight meets, while the men had one of their strongest showings of the year. In a close meet, the final relays were critical for both teams. The women won the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 3.27.73 to seal both wins. Sophomore Racheal Bukowski, senior Emily Parsons, freshman Courtney Aycock and junior Sarah Love had a Spartan season best in the 400 free relay.
The men also had a season-best performance in the 400 free relay. The squad of sophomore Lachlan McLeish, sophomore Nick Leshok, junior Adam Marsh and senior Jacob Moore won with a time of 3:04.84.
“Usually this weekend we don’t race particularly well, so I was pretty encouraged. I thought the kids, physically, are still a little bit behind, but I thought we raced good and this meet is what college swimming is all about. It came down to the last relay, and it’s kind of fun,” MSU head coach Matt Gianiodis said. “The team is looking great. Our women are way ahead of where they were a year ago, and our men are getting there.”
Michigan State started the meet with a pair of wins in the 200-yard medley relay. The women’s team of sophomore Madison Nowak, junior Kennedy Cutler, Love and Bukowski won the race with a time of 1:43.58. The men’s team of sophomore Alex Trompke, junior Alec Kandt, senior Nathaniel Weeks and Leshok touched the wall first with a 1:31.51
Nowak won the first individual race of the day for the Spartans, taking the 100 backstroke with a time of 57.38, while her teammate freshman Cathryn Armstrong touched the wall with a time of 58.06, which was good for third.
Love won her second event of the meet, capturing the 100 butterfly with a time of 56.10. Her time was the fastest of any Spartan this season, topping her season best of 56.35 on Oct. 16 at Iowa.
Michigan State’s divers continue their strong season, finishing 1-2 in 3-meter event. Junior Madeline Sewell finished first with a score of 347.95, while freshman Morgan Wellenzohn was second with a scored of 285.70.
In 1-meter, the Spartans took the top three spots with a trio of NCAA Zone Qualifying scores. Once again Sewell was first with a score of 298.50, followed by freshman Julia Oppedisano who finished with a score of 294.20. Wellenzohn was third with a score of 277.45.
On the men’s side, Kandt captured a season-high in the 100 backstroke, touching the wall with a 56.50. His previous high this season was a 57.06 against Northern Iowa on Oct. 16.
Junior Brennan LaBar finished first in the men’s 1-meter diving with a score of 305.50, which was a season high. Charlie Maurer was second with a score of 288.75.
In the men’s 100 free, Leshok was first for MSU with a time of 46.18, which is a season high and the fastest time for a Spartan this season.
Michigan State captured a pair of wins in the 200-yard distance. Trompke earned his first individual win of the night in the 200 backstroke with a time of 1:51.03. In the 200 breaststroke, Kandt was the victor with a season-best time of 2:05.55, which was also the fastest time of a Spartan this season. Kandt ended the night winning three races. Michigan State is back in action at the Northwestern Invite Nov. 20-22.
Bowling Green State:
EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Bowling Green State University swimming and diving program split Friday’s dual meet in East Lansing, Mich., defeating the University of Cincinnati while falling to the host Michigan State University. The split makes the Falcons 3-1 during the early portion of the dual-meet season. The final score against the Bearcats was 162.00-137.00, while the Falcons lost to the Spartans 155.50-143.50.
Swimming against two strong programs, the meet came down to the 400 free relay, the meet’s final event. Despite the Falcons recording five season-best individual swims in the race, the Orange and Brown wasn’t able to come through to win against Michigan State in the final relay, but hung on for a victory against Matt Ense‘s former team, Cincinnati.
“Tonight was a really close meet that came down to the final relay against two strong programs,” Ense said after the meet. “We were able to beat a very good Cincinnati program and also take Michigan State – a strong Big Ten program – down to the final relay. I am proud of the way that our team competed on the road. We will always find ways to continue improving as the season goes on, but tonight’s meet gave us good experience that we can use moving forward.”
The Falcons turned in seven first-place swims, including six wins in the 14 swimming events. Perhaps the most impressive race of the day by a Falcon swimmer came from Griffin, a junior, who defeated Jackie Keire from Cincinnati in the 100 free with a season-best time of 50.46. Keire, an NCAA participant in the 100, 200, and 500 free, just edged out Griffin in the 200 free. Despite Griffin taking home just one victory, her time of 1:49.86 in the 200 free was also a season best.
Two Falcons – Daniela Carrillo and Franziska Wohlert – won two events in the meet to help lift the Orange and Brown to a split. Victoria Griffin and Jordan Bullock also took home victories on Friday night. In the meet, Natalie Criswell also swam a season-best in the 500 free, finishing with a time of 5:08.62 to finish second.
Carrillo took home the first win of the night for BGSU in the meet’s fifth event, swimming the 100 breast in a time of 1:04.16. Bowling Green also took home second in the event, as Kristin Filby finished with a time of 1:04.63. Carrillo and Filby also took home first and second, respectively, in the 200 breast. Carrillo won with a time of 2:19.33.
Following the win in the 100 breast to get the Falcons into the victory column, Bullock followed that up with a win in the 200 fly – the meet’s next event. Bullock finished with a season-best time of 2:03.46 to win the 200 fly. She also finished second in the 100 fly with a time of 57.21.
Wohlert had a strong meet with two wins, taking home first place in both the 200 back and 200 IM. Her 200 back time of 2:01.66 was a season-best. Maria Galic finished second in the event to add to the Falcons’ point total. Wohlert’s first-place time in the 200 IM was 2:06.56.
Nicole Hranchook took home a win in the 400 IM event which was swam in exhibition on Friday night. Hranchook, a senior captain for the Falcons, won the event with a time of 4:30.12.
The Falcons will continue the season next weekend when they travel to Pittsburgh, Pa. for the Pittsburgh Invitational. After the Pittsburgh Invitational, which goes from Friday (Nov. 20) through Sunday (Nov. 22), the Falcons will conclude the semester at USA Swimming LCM National Championships and the Zippy Invitational the weekend of Dec. 3-6.
Cincinnati:
EAST LANSING, Mich. — The University of Cincinnati swimming and diving teams collected 11 individual victories against Michigan State and Bowling Green on Friday evening in East Lansing, Michigan.
The Bearcats were swept by Michigan State and defeated by the Bowling Green women.
// KEIRE WINS TWO, SEES STREAK SNAPPED
Junior Jacqueline Keire (Burlington, Ont./Nelson) entered the meet having won her last 10 individual events. She ran that streak to 12, but saw it snapped in her third event of the day with a second-place finish in the 100 freestyle. Keire won the 200 free with a time of 1:48.58 and the 50 free in 23.33. In the 100 free, Keire clocked in at 50.52, just .06 behind BGSU’s Victoria Griffin.
// DEPIETRO & BREADY FOR TWO PAIR
Sophomore Ryan DePietro (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) won both of his individual events. He collected a victory in the 200 butterfly thanks to a mark of 1:51.42, while he clocked in at 1:53.18 to win the 200 individual medley.
Classmate Chris Bready (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield) replicated the two victories. He won the 1,000 freestyle, touching the wall in 9:16.22, while also taking the 500 freestyle in 4:31.07.
// OTHER FIRST-PLACE FINISHERS
Cincinnati collected first-place points in five other events.
| Sara Wanasek (Burlington, Wis./Burlington) | 1,000 Free | 10:20.84 |
| Eitan Holder (Caracas, Venezuela) | 200 Free | 1:41.39 |
| Dmytro Turkin (Krivoy Rog, Ukraine) | 100 Back | 50.90 |
| Alex Hutchinson (Harrison, Ohio/Harrison) | 50 Free | 21.16 |
| Taylor Myszka (Dayton, Ohio/Centerville) | 500 Free | 5:06.23 |
// BEARCATS ON THE BOARD
Ellen Posch (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights) led the women’s diving squad on both the one-meter and three-meter thanks to scores of 261.60 and 236.20, respectively. Louis Hunt (Lakeside Park, Ky./Covington Catholic) led the men at both heights, recording a mark of 271.00 on the one-meter and 302.15 on the three-meter. His three-meter score was good for second place.
// UP NEXT
The Bearcats make their annual trip to Oxford, Ohio, for the Miami (Ohio) Invitational. This year’s meet runs Friday, Dec. 4, through Sunday, Dec. 6.
Swimming news courtesy of Bowling Green State, Michigan State, and Cincinnati Swimming & Diving.
