2024 NCAA Division II Championships: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

2024 NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships

• Dates: March 12-16, 2024
• Times: Prelims 10AM Eastern, Finals 5:30PM Eastern
• Location: SPIRE Institute Aquatics Center in Geneva, Ohio
• Defending Champions:
  • Nova S’eastern women (1x)
  • Indianapolis men (1x)
• Psych Sheets:
  • Women’s Psych Sheet
  • Men’s Psych Sheet
• Live Results
• Live Video (NCAA.com)

Day 2

Women’s 1000 Yard Freestyle – Fastest Heat

• NCAA DII: 9:43.25 – Emily Trieschmann, Nova S’eastern (2023)
• Meet: 9:43.25 – Emily Trieschmann, Nova S’eastern (2023)

Podium:

1. Emily Trieschmann, Nova S’eastern – 9:39.98 *NCAA DII RECORD*
2. Hailey Williams, Nova S’eastern – 9:50.07
3. Andrea Gomez Espinosa, Indy – 9:51.24
4. Tori Meklensek, Simon Fraser – 9:52.06
5. Estelle Bauer, Nova S’eastern – 9:58.97
6. Jordan Fox, Wayne State – 10:01.00
7. Olivia Hansson, Colorado Mesa – 10:01.11
8. Montana White, Azusa Pacific – 10:03.76

It was a wire-to-wire victory for Nova S’eastern’s Emily Trieschmann. The defending champion and NCAA Division II record-holder established an early lead and, with no one within several body lengths, she swam through clear water against the clock for the entire second half of the race. Trieschmann split consistent 29-mids to 29-highs and finished with a new NCAA Division II national record of 9:39.98. She destroyed her old mark, taking it down by 3.27 seconds.

Teammate Hailey Williams trailed Trieschmann in second place from start to finish. Tori Meklensek of Simon Fraser was third until the 850 mark, when Andrea Gomes Espinosa from Indy moved past her and finished .8 ahead to claim the bronze.

2023 runner-up Jordan Fox from Wayne State and Azusa Pacific’s Montana White, the two fastest finishers from the earlier heats, finished on the podium.

Men’s 1000 Yard Freestyle – Slower Heats

• NCAA DII: 8:54.10 – Fabio Dalu, McKendree (2021)
• Meet: 8:54.10 – Fabio Dalu, McKendree (2021)

Podium:

1. Cedric Buessing, Indy – 8:54.51
2. Khalil Ben Ajmia, Wayne State – 8:54.58
3. Jacob Hamlin, Tampa – 8:58.32
4. Luca Alessandrini, Nova S’eastern – 9:00.46
5. Victor Rosado, Oklahoma Christian – 9:05.40
6. Paul Demesy, WCU – 9:07.13
7. Eric Hieber, Grand Valley – 9:07.23
8. Keith Peristeridis, Nova S’eastern – 9:08.16

Cedric Buessing, the defending champion from Indy, Khalil Ben Ajmia from Wayne State, and Nova S’eastern’s Luca Alessandrini were bunched together through the 200, when Alessandrini took over the lead. He stayed out front through the 400, when they turned nearly together once again.

At the 500, Ben Ajmia took off, and got out to a half a body-length lead over Buessing and Alessandrini by the 550. He increased his lead to a full body at the 600 turn. Ben Ajmia increased his advantage over the next 100 yards.

But at the 750, Buessing added some intensity to his stroke and began to close in on the leader. At the 800 it was still Ben Ajmia, followed by Buessing and Alessandrini, but his lead was shrinking. Meanwhile, out in lane 1, Jacob Hamlin of Tampa was beginning to make his move. He got past Alessandrini at the 800 but was still more than a body length behind Buessing.

By the 900, there was left than a body length separating Ben Ajmia and Buessing. Then half a body at the 950. The two sprinted home over the final 50 yards, and it was Buessing with the final touch. He won by .07 with 8:54.51, barely missing the NCAA Division II and championships meet record.

West Chester’s Paul Demesy, the top finisher of the morning by nearly 3 seconds with 9:07.13, finished sixth overall.

Women’s 200 Yard Individual Medley – Finals

• NCAA DII: 1:55.63 – Patri Castro Ortega, Queens Charlotte (2016)
• Meet: 1:55.63 – Patri Castro Ortega, Queens Charlotte (2016)

Podium:

1. Benedict Nagy, Colorado Mesa – 1:58.63
2. Celina Schmidt, Indy – 1:59.68
3. Emilia Ronningdal, Nova S’eastern – 1:59.70
4. Mellie Wijk, Drury – 1:59.79
5. May Lowy, Nova S’eastern – 2:00.53
6. Claire Conover, Drury – 2:00.82
7. Aurora Duncan, Drury – 2:01.38
8. Madysen Barnes, Tampa – 2:01.73

Mellie Wijk of Drury was the early leader, taking the butterfly out in 25.48. Tampa’s Madysen Barnes followed in second place with 25.99 from lane 7. Benedict Nagy of Colorado Mesa, the top seed coming into the meet, took over on backstroke, splitting 29.04. She was 55.06 at the halfway mark, followed by Nova S’eastern’s Emilia Ronningdal (29.29 backstroke) and Drury’s Aurora Duncan (29.62 back).

The breaststrokers came roaring back on the third 50, with Indy’s Celina Schmidt notching a speedy 33.75. She moved from 7th at the 100 to 3rd behind Nagy and Ronningdal at the 150.

Nagy came home with 28.49 to post a final time of 1:58.63. Schmidt passed Ronningdal on the freestyle, outsplitting her 29.17 to 29.42, but was still nearly a body length behind Nagy with 1:59.68. Ronningdal finished .02 behind Schmidt but .09 ahead of Wijk.

May Lowy of Nova S’eastern was fifth, ahead of Drury teammates Claire Conover (2:00.82) and Duncan (2:01.38). Barnes was eighth with 2:01.73.

Men’s 200 Yard Individual Medley – Finals

• NCAA DII: 1:41.61 – Marius Kusch, Queens Charlotte (2016)
• Meet: 1:41.61 – Marius Kusch, Queens Charlotte (2016)

Podium:

1. Benjamin Sampson, Colorado Mesa – 1:41.92
2. Joao Nogueira, Drury – 1:43.78
3. Santiago Corredor, Tampa – 1:43.97
4. Marcus Mak, Simon Fraser – 1:44.23
5. Alejandro Villarejo, Drury – 1:44.76
6. Davi Mourao, Drury – 1:45.61
7. Connor Bichsel, Missouri S & T – 1:46.42
8. Parker Knollman, Tampa – 1:46.64

Defending champion Benjamin Sampson of Colorado Mesa was first out of the chute, getting to the 50 wall with a 22.34 butterfly. Simon Fraser’s Marcus Mak was next, .14 back with 22.48.

Sampson pulled further ahead with a 24.91 backstroke split. He turned at the halfway point in 47.25. In second place, with a 25.22 backstroke, was Tampa’s Parker Knollman. He was followed by his teammate Santiago Corredor, .9 behind with 48.89.

The deck shuffled again on breaststroke. Sampson maintained his lead (29.58 split) but Joao Nogueira from Drury and Mak moved into second and third places with 29.57 and 30.04.

Sampson split 24.91 on the freestyle for a final time of 1:41.92. He was 2.4 seconds faster than his winning time from 2023.

Nogueira held off Corredor for second place, 1:43.78 to 1:43.97. Mak took fourth with 1:44.23.

Women’s 50 Yard Freestyle – Finals

• NCAA DII: NCAA DII: 22.10 – Johanna Buys, Indy (2023)
• Meet: 22.10 – Johanna Buys, Indy (2023)

Podium:

1. Kirabo Namutebi, Indy – 22.08
2. Bryn Greenwaldt, Augustana – 22.49
3. Kiara Pozvai, Henderson St. – 22.55
4. Laura Dekoninck, Lynn – 22.59
5. Daniella Solkow, Delta State – 22.95
6. (tie) Elli Williams, Colorado Mesa / Ashlyn Moore, Drury – 23.01
7. –
8. Isabelle Sering, Tampa – 23.09

Indy freshman Kirabo Namutebi broke the NCAA Division II and championship meet record, taking .02 off the mark set by Indy’s Johanna Buys last year, with a blazing 22.08. Namutebi flipped in 10.73 at the 25 wall and came home with 11.35 to get the win by .41.

Bryn Greenwaldt from Augustana touched second from lane 6, going 22.49 to take .41 off her prelims time. Henderson State’s Kiara Pozvai, the top seed coming into the meet, finished third with 22.55.

Men’s 50 Yard Freestyle – Finals

• NCAA DII: 18.88 – Matej Dusa, Queens Charlotte (2022)
• Meet: 18.88 – Matej Dusa, Queens Charlotte (2022)

Podium:

1. Kyle Micallef, Florida Southern – 19.28
2. Jack Armstrong, Henderson St. – 19.33
3. Ian Cooper, Tampa – 19.43
4. Blake Moran, Tampa – 19.58
5. Marcel Snitko, Nova S’eastern – 19.60
6. Tibor Tistan, Tampa – 19.61
7. Ahmed Ismail, Lewis – 20.07

Lamar Taylor, Henderson St. – DQ

Defending champion Lamar Taylor from Henderson State, who had gone 19.03 in prelims to lead the qualifiers, had an issue off the blocks and ended up not swimming the race. He started with the seven other swimmers but didn’t break the surface with them. Taylor eventually swam the 50 on his back but was disqualified, nonetheless. We are awaiting updates on his condition.

Meanwhile, it was Florida Southern’s Kyle Micallef who touched out Henderson State’s Jack Armstrong for the national title. Micallef tied for 6th place a year ago with 19.43. The FSC senior cracked the 19.3 barrier in his last collegiate at-bat to win from lane 6.

Armstrong went 19.33 to take second place, just ahead of Tampa’s Ian Cooper (19.43) and Blake Moran (19.58). Nova S’eastern’s Marcel Snitko nipped Tampa’s Tibor Tistan, 19.60 to 19.61, for 5th.

Men’s 1-Meter Diving – Finals

• NCAA DII: 618.70 – Dario DiFazio, Oakland (1994)
• Meet: 618.70 – Dario DiFazio, Oakland (1994)

Podium:

1. Julio Osuna Kelly, Indy – 602.50
2. Zachary Schering, Clarion – 521.00
3. Santiago Santodomingo, Delta State – 517.05
4. Cole Earl, Drury – 511.25
5. Isaiah Cheeks, Colorado Mesa – 496.40
6. Michael Flamm, Clarion – 443.40
7. Matthew Blommel, Grand Valley – 440.80
8. James Nord, St Cloud State – 403.35

Defending champion Julio Osuna Kelly repeated his 1-meter title, but this time he cleared the 600-point barrier for the first time. The junior scored 602.50 on 11 dives, averaging 67.08 points per round. He opened with a reverse 1-1/2 somersault 2-1/2 twist free that earned him 70.50 points. He also picked up 70.50 points on his fifth dive, a reverse 2 1/2 somersault tuck. Zachary Schering from Clarion, 6th in 2023, was runner-up with 521.00 points.

Women’s 200 Yard Medley Relay – Timed Finals

• NCAA DII: 1:38.49 – Queens Charlotte (DaCruz, Dobson, Massaro, Prayson, 2018)
• Meet: 1:38.58 – Queens Charlotte (Massaro, Prayson, Dacruz, Dobson, 2019)

Podium:

1. Lynn – 1:40.14
2. Nova S’eastern – 1:40.37
3. Colorado Mesa – 1:40.51
4. Findlay – 1:40.53
5. Augustana – 1:41.10
6. (tie) Drury / Northern Michigan – 1:41.35
7. –
8. MSU Mankato – 1:41.38

Laura Kekoninck (25.27), Malaika Schneider (28.16), Luna Mertins (23.57), and Alexa Lundell (23.14) stunned top-seeded Nova S’eastern with a win in the 200 medley relay out of lane 5. Lynn was running even with NSU until the butterfly, when Mertins out-split Rafaela Raurich by .64. Nova S’eastern charged home with a 22.56 anchor from Maya Esparza, but it wasn’t enough to catch Lundell.

Men’s 200 Yard Medley Relay – Timed Finals

• NCAA DII: 1:24.69 – Drury (N Bighetti, D Nowodworski, D Karacic, A Bowen, 2021)
• Meet: 1:24.69 – Drury (N Bighetti, D Nowodworski, D Karacic, A Bowen, 2021)

Podium:

1. Indy – 1:24.46
2. McKendree – 1:24.96
3. Findlay – 1:25.58
4. Henderson State – 1:25.60
5. Drury – 1:25.69
6. Florida Southern – 1:25.73
7. Lewis – 1:25.92
8. Tampa – 1:26.11

Indy’s Jeron Thompson (21.32), Brayden Cole (23.59), Oskar Sawicki (20.24), and Aqeel Joseph (19.31) combined to clock a new meet and Division II record of 1:24.46, just touching out McKendree (1:24.96) for the title.

Henderson State’s Lamar Taylor, thankfully recovered from his 50 free disqualifying episode, led the backstrokers in the heat with 21.28. Thompson (21.32) and Patryk Rozenek of McKendree (21.32) were just behind.

Indy moved to the front of the pack on Cole’s 23.59 breaststroke. The Greyhounds never lost the lead, following with Sawicki’s 20.24 fly and Joseph’s 19.31 anchor.

McKendree (Rozenek, Filipe Pinheiro, Jackson Lustig, and Mario Perez) came in second with 1:24.96.

Findlay (1:25.58) led the next wave of finishers, all with 1:25s: Henderson State (1:25.60), Drury (1:25.69) and Florida Southern (1:25.73). Micallef split 19.00 on the Florida Southern anchor, while Ian Cooper went 19.00 for Tampa.

Lewis, who won the previous heat with 1:25.92, placed 7th overall.

Women’s Team Scores After Day 2

1. Nova S’Eastern – 155
2. (tie) Drury / Colorado Mesa – 124.5
3. –
4. Indy – 105
5. Lynn – 55
6. West Florida – 53
7. Findlay – 48.5
8. Tampa – 48
9. Augustana – 45
10. Simon Fraser – 44.5
11. Wingate – 36
12. Wayne State – 35
13. WCU – 34
14. NMU – 29
15. Delta State – 24
16. MSU Mankato – 22
17. Henderson St. – 16
18. (tie) Carson-Newman / Oklahoma Christian – 14
19. –
20. Grand Valley – 12
21. Azusa Pacific – 11
22. (tie) Truman St. / McKendree – 8
23. –
24. CSU East Bay – 7
25. UMSL – 6
26. Lewis – 4

Men’s Team Scores After Day 2

1. Tampa – 158
2. Drury – 135
3. Indy – 122
4. McKendree – 81
5. Colorado Mesa – 76
6. Nova S’Eastern – 72
7. Grand Valley – 68
8. Florida Southern – 55
9. Missouri S & T – 52
10. Henderson St. – 49
11. Wayne State – 48
12. Oklahoma Christi – 41
13. Lewis – 40
14. Findlay – 39
15. Clarion – 30
16. NMU– 25
17. Delta State – 22
18. (tie) Wingate / Simon Fraser – 21
19. –
20. (tie) WCU/ St. Cloud St .– 17
21. –
22. (tie) Carson-Newman / Saginaw Valley – 12
23. –
24. UT of the Permian Basin – 9
25. Rollins – 4
26. Montevallo – 2
27. UMSL – 1