The CSCAA Collegiate Classic presented by Speedo wrapped up on Wednesday at the Rockwall ISD Aquatic Center, with Grand Canyon winning the team races on both the women’s and men’s sides. (Complete final results available here.)
The Lopes led the field with 618 points in the women’s meet and 788.5 in the men’s, and head coach Steve Schaffer won both Women’s Coach of the Year and Men’s Coach of the Year honors. Hannah Kastigar was named Women’s Swimmer of the Year, while teammate Iegor Lytvenok took home Men’s Swimmer of the Year honors.
The final day of competition began with the 1650 free. Western Kentucky went 1-2 in the women’s race with junior Mollie McNeel finishing first with a new school record of 16:40.73, and senior Ashley Forsyth placing second with a season-best 16:53.48. McNeel’s time broke the meet record as well. Rice’s Anniina Ala-Seppala took third in 17:11.42. BYU freshman Luis Ventura won the men’s race in 15:30.34, edging defending champion and meet record-holder Connor Hennessey of Incarnate Word (15:47.87). UIW freshman Nathan Coppock was third in 16:04.83.
Sophomore Iryna Glavnyk of Grand Canyon swept the backstroke events with a decisive victory in the 200 to match Tuesday’s 100 back win. Glavnyk touched in 1:55.59, two body-lengths ahead of BYU’s Haley Bertoldo (1:58.19) and Columbia’s Salena Huang (1:58.96). After his 200 IM and 400 IM titles, the Lopes’ Lytvenok made it a hat trick with a win in the 200 back. The junior went 1:46.57, ahead of WKU’s Chris Goodman (1:47.79) and Grand Canyon freshman Trent Trump (1:51.07).
After a season-best swim in prelims of the 100 free, UIW’s Lana Nguyen (who had also won the 50 free on Day One) claimed the title but just missed improving on her time, going 50.75 for the win. Taylor Armstrong of Rice touched out Jade Howard of Grand Canyon, 51.35 to 51.59, for second. Grand Canyon junior Illya Glazunov successfully defending his title in the men’s 100 free, adding to the 50 free and 100 fly he had already won on the first two days. Glazunov’s 43.95 led a 1-2-3 Lopes sweep in the event, with sophomores Jacob Lambros (44.17) and Mazen El Kamash (44.27) just behind.
With a second in the 200 IM and a first in the 200 free, UIW freshman Alona Kyselova ended her meet with a win in the 200 breast. Outsplitting the field by a full second over the last 50, Kyselova clocked a 2:15.95 to pass runner-up Riley Buer of BYU (2:16.56) whom she had trailed at the 150. Third place went to the winner of the 100 breast, Grand Canyon freshman Vangelina Draganova, in 2:17.11. WKU senior TJ Brand scored his second win of the meet, adding a 200 breast title (1:55.91) to the 100 breast he had previously won. UIW sophomore David Moore came from behind to edge Youssef El Kamash of Grand Canyon, 2:00.51 to 2:00.83, for second.
Kastigar lowered her own meet record in the 200 fly with her winning time of 1:57.63. A whole slew of freshmen came to the wall after her, led by Kiley Beall of Rice in 2:00.83. Finishing one after another were Kaitlin Benjamin of Rice (2:03.11), Michelle Case of Campbell (2:03.59), and Vanessa Moffatt of BYU (2:03.67). After a pair of sixth-place finishes (in the 200 IM and 100 fly), Grand Canyon senior Stanislav Saiko ended his collegiate career with a best time and meet record of 1:46.89 in the 200 fly. Hayden Palmer of BYU was runner-up with 1:47.84, while WKU’s Ryan Burcham rounded out the podium in 1:48.89.
Grand Canyon notched a season-best 3:25.16 to win the women’s 400 free relay with Glavnyk (50.76), Celine Schoemans (52.14), Howard (51.42), and Kastigar (50.84). Rice (Jaecey Parham, Cora McKenzie, Benjamin, and Armstrong) came in at 3:27.07 for second, while Campbell (Sindija Silina, Kat Costin, Larissa Joassaint, and Case) placed third with a 3:28.55, a best time for the season.
The Lopes closed out the men’s meet with a victory in the 400 free relay, as well. Trump (45.46), Mazen El Kamash (43.87), Lambros (44.23), and Glazunov (43.71) combined for 2:57.27. BYU (Evan Berger, Levi Jensen, Ventura, and Palmer) came in second in 3:03.04, ahead of UIW (Mehdi El Hazzaz, Alex Brouwer, Oleskii Morgun, and Jorge Escarcega) at 3:04.40.
Final Results – Women
- Grand Canyon University 618
- Rice University 550
- Brigham Young University 440
- University of the Incarnate Word 398
- Campbell University 352
- Western Kentucky University 199
- Columbia University 16
Final Results – Men
- Grand Canyon University 788.5
- University of the Incarnate Word 559
- Western Kentucky University 413
- Brigham Young University 361.5