2022 NCAA Division II Women’s Championships – Day 1 Finals Live Recap

2022 NCAA Division II Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships

• Dates: Wednesday, March 9 – Saturday, March 12, 2022
• Location: Greensboro Aquatic Center, Greensboro, NC (Eastern Time Zone)
• Times: Prelims 10:00 AM / Finals 6:00 PM
• Defending Champs: Queens women (6x) & Queens men (6x) – (Results)
• Live Stream
• Live Results
• Psych Sheet – Women
• SwimSwam Fan Guide – Women
• Day 1 Finals Heat Sheets

Day One will begin with timed finals of the 200 medley relay and end with timed finals of the 200 free relay. The women’s individual events include the 1000 free, 200 IM, and 50 free.

Women’s 200 Medley Relay – Timed Finals

• NCAA DII Record: 1:38.49 – Queens (NC) (2018)
• Meet Record: 1:38.58 – Queens (NC) (2019)
• 2021 Champion: Queens – 1:40.13

Podium:

1. Nova S’eastern – 1:38.83
2. Drury – 1:39.36
3. Queens (NC) – 1:39.47
4. Indy – 1:39.69
5. Carson-Newman – 1:40.91
6. West Chester – 1:41.37
7. Delta State – 1:42.08
8. MSU-Mankato – 1:42.12

It was an exciting start to Day One Finals as Nova S’eastern won the women’s 200 medley relay, upsetting Queens and denying the Royals of a fifth-straight victory. Drury also came to the wall ahead of Queens, who was relegated to third place for the first time since 2016.

Celina Marquez (24.72), Savanna Best (27.67), Aleksandra Maslova (24.21), and Cassie Wright (22.23) combined to give Nova S’eastern a 1:38.83 victory in the final heat.

Drury’s quartet of Laura Pareja (24.49), Alexis Basler (28.30), Mackenzie Wieberg (24.01), and Yasmin Preusse (22.56) came to the wall in 1:39.36, just getting past Queens over the final 50 yards.

Queens’ Vladyslava Maznytska (25.24), Danielle Melilli (27.26), Cece Mayer (23.80), and Natalie Van Noy (23.17) had led at the 150 but lost ground on the freestyle leg, with Wright and Preusse both swimming 22s to Van Noy’s 23.1.

Tampa, seeded with no time, won the first heat of 200 medley relays in 1:42.32 over McKendree (1:43.41).

Both Colorado Mesa and Lindenwood were disqualified for early take-offs.

Women’s 1000 Freestyle – Fastest Heat

• NCAA DII Record: 9:43.70 – Georgia Wright, West Chester (2020)
• Meet Record: 9:43.70 – Georgia Wright, West Chester (2020)
• 2021 Champion: Allison Weber, Drury – 9:53.12

Podium:

1. Sophie Lange, Queens – 9:53.05
2. Allison Weber, Drury – 9:55.10
3. Kate Agger, Wingate – 9:58.52
4. Taylor Beagle, Augustana – 10:02.25
5. Savannah Brennan, Florida Tech – 10:04.04
6. Megan Goldthorpe, Tampa – 10:10.40
7. Marina Amorin, Drury – 10:10.74
8. Amber Rydzewski, Queens – 10:11.83

In a reversal of last year’s final, Sophie Lange of Queens came in first and Drury’s Allison Weber, the defending champion, placed second. Lange led from the start. She was about half a body ahead by the 200, but Weber closed the distance between them at the 450. The two swam stroke-for-stroke from the 550 to the 850, when Lange took off and left Weber in her wake. Lange’s winning time of 9:53.05 was 2.5 seconds faster than her runner-up time last year. Weber went 9:55.10 for second, while Wingate’s Kate Agger picked up the bronze medal with 9:58.52.

The three top finishers from the morning session, Tampa’s Megan Goldthorpe, Drury’s Marina Amorin, and Amber Rydzewski of Queens, slipped into the top-8

Women’s 200 Individual Medley – Finals

• NCAA DII Record: 1:55.63 – Patri Castro Ortega, Queens (NC) (2016)
• Meet Record: 1:55.63 – Patri Castro Ortega, Queens (NC) (2016)
• 2021 Champion: Marizel Van Jaarsveld, Indy – 1:57.84

Podium:

1. Marizel Van Jaarsveld, Indy – 1:58.91
2. Celina Marquez, Nova S’eastern – 1:59.46
3. Katie McCoy, Indy – 2:00.82
4. Kennedy Loewen, Simon Fraser – 2:00.93
5. Lily Borgenheimer, Colorado Mesa – 2:01.17
6. Tova Andersson, Queens – 2:01.49
7. Aleksandra Maslova – Nova S’eastern – 2:02.13

Nova S’eastern’s Aleksandra Maslova was out first on the fly leg (25.40), followed by teammate Celina Marquez (25.67) and Indy’s Katie McCoy (25.74). Marquez and McCoy passed Maslova on the backstroke with 28.7 and 28.9, nearly 2 seconds faster than Maslova.

Defending champion, Marizel Van Jaarsveld of Indy, in sixth place at the back-to-breast wall, split a 33.8 breaststroke to vault into second place behind Marquez. Van Jaarsveld came home in 28.6 to beat Marquez by half a body length, 1:58.91 to 1:58.46. McCoy took third (2:00.82), just holding off Kennedy Loewen of Simon Fraser (2:00.93).

Bec Cross of Drury was disqualified.

Nova S’eastern went 1-2 in the B final with Savanna Best (2:01.70) coming to the wall ahead of teammate May Lowy (2:02.62).

Drury’s Bec Cross was disqualified in the A final.

Nova S’eastern went 1-2 in the B final with Savanna Best (2:01.70) coming to the wall ahead of teammate May Lowy (2:02.62).

Women’s 50 Freestyle – Finals

• NCAA DII Record: 20 – Bailee Nunn, Drury (2017)
• Meet Record: 20 – Bailee Nunn, Drury (2017)
• 2021 Champion: Danielle Melilli, Queens (NC) – 22.57

Podium:

1. Danielle Melilli, Queens – 22.15
2. Monica Gumina, Queens – 22.73
3. Johanna Buys, Indy – 22.75
4. Elizaveta Bazarova, Tampa – 22.76
5. Ester Rizzetto, West Florida – 22.81
6. Luna Mertins, Lynn – 22.84
7. Yasmin Preusse, Drury – 22.94
8. Kate Flynn, MSU Mankato – 23.19

Danielle Melilli of Queens successfully defended her NCAA national title in the 50 free but this time she took a .05 bite out of the Division II record. Melilli clocked a 22.15 to become the fastest 50 freestyle in the Division.

Melilli was out with the field and flipped third at the 25 wall (10.8), but it was her acceleration over the final 25 yards that set her apart. She threw it into another gear altogether about halfway home, splitting 11.3 and winning by half a body length.

The next wave came to the wall virtually together, but Monica Gumina made it a 1-2 sweep for the Royals with a 22.73 second-place finish ahead of Indy’s Johanna Buys (22.75) and Tampa’s Elizaveta Bazarova (22.76).

Ester Rizzetto of West Florida touched out Lynn’s Luna Mertins, 22.81 to 22.84, for fifth, while Drury’s Yasmin Preusse edged MSU Mankato’s Kate Flynn for seventh.

Nova S’eastern’s Cassie Wright won the B final with 23.03.

Women’s 200 Freestyle Relay – Timed Finals

• NCAA DII Record: 1:30.05 – Queens (NC) (2018)
• Meet Record: 1:30.05 – Queens (NC) (2018)
• 2021 Champion: UIndy – 1: 1:30.92

Podium:

1. UIndy – 1:31.08
2. Lindenwood – 1:32.16
3. Drury – 1:32.45
4. Queens – 1:32.51
5. Nova S’eastern – 1:32.63
6. Wingate – 1:32.90
7. West Florida – 1:33.41
8. Northern Michigan – 1:33.55

UIndy stunned defending champions, Queens University of Charlotte, to win the 2022 title in the 200 free relay. Johanna Buys, who placed third in the individual 50 free earlier in the night, led off in 22.90. She was followed by Leticia Vaselli (22.89), Andrea Paaske (22.79), and Krystal Caylor (22.50) for a final time of 1:31.08.

Lindenwood nearly ran the Greyhounds down on the third leg, but they settled for second place with 1:32.16 from Stephanie Marks (23.81), McKayla Siemiller (22.87), Joselle Mensah (22.48), and Lexie Winnett (23.00).

Drury edged Queens for third place, 1:32.45 to 1:32.51. The Panthers’ quartet consisted of Yasmin Preusse (23.09), Mackenzie Wieberg (22.95), Alexis Basler (23.12), and Josie Bushell (23.29).

Women’s Team Standings – Day 1

1. Queens (NC) – 157
2. Nova S’Eastern – 129
3. Indy – 126
4. Drury – 111
5. Carson-Newman – 53
6. Wingate – 52
7. Lindenwood – 47
8. Tampa – 44
9. West Chester – 43
10. Northern Michigan – 40
11. MSU Mankato – 39
12. (tie) Delta State / West Florida – 38
13. –
14. Simon Fraser – 27
15. Colorado Mesa – 24
16. Lynn – 21
17. McKendree – 18
18. Augustana – 15
19. (tie) Wayne State / Florida Tech – 14
20. –
21. Florida Southern – 7
22. (tie) Henderson St. / Mines – 5
23. –
24. IUP – 3
25. (tie) St. Cloud State / Missouri-St. Louis – 2
26. –