Davenport Announces 14 Newcomers for 2022-23; Many with Program Record Times

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Justin Vasquez, head coach of the women’s and men’s swimming and diving teams at Davenport University, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has announced the five women and nine men who will join the Panthers for the 2022-23 school year. It will be the fifth season for the women and the third for the men.

Davenport, which competes in Division II’s Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, brought Vasquez in for the women’s inaugural season of 2018-19 after he had spent six years as associate head coach at Grand Valley State University, a GLIAC rival. The women placed fifth out of six teams at their first conference championships, moving up to fourth in 2020. Since then, Davenport has added a men’s team (2020-21) and the swimmers continue to break school records every year.

The 14 swimmers who will suit up for the Panthers in the fall should make a big impact next fall. They will continue to diversify the roster, which has been made up of a majority of Michiganders since the beginning of the program. Only one of the five women comes from Michigan (Olivia Helms); the others hail from Poland (Julia Mizik), Republic of South Africa (Catherine Royden-Turner), Alaska (Asyia Shank), and Missouri (Abby Wampler).

On the men’s side, there will be a larger in-state contingent (Blake Assink, Koy Grams, Kevin Austin Mills, Gage Pompileo, and Grant Sandstedt). The international members of the men’s team will include Marco Cabrera (Guatemala) and Jakub Karpinski, Michal Niedzialek, and David Szczygiel (all from Poland).

Incoming times that are already faster than the current Davenport records are bolded. Those that are close are marked with an asterisk*.

Women

Olivia Helms – Holland, MI

• 100back – 1:02.95

Julia Mizik – Warszawa, POL

• SCM 50free – 26.52 (23.89)
• SCM 100free – 57.89 (52.15)
• SCM 200free – 2:05.25 (1:52.83)
• SCM 400free – 4:23.34 (5:00.95)*

Catherine Royden-Turner (transfer) – Pietermaritzburg, RSA

• 50free – 24.75
• 50back – 25.73
• 100back – 55.99
• 200back – 2:05.27
• 200IM – 2:10.19

Asyia Shank – Fairbanks, AK

• 100back – 1:00.58
• 200back – 2:12.95
• 100fly – 58.51
• 200fly – 2:13.27

Abby Wampler – Fenton, MO

• 100back – 1:00.97
• 200back – 2:10.58
• 100breast – 1:07.75
• 200breast – 2:27.03
• 200IM – 2:09.69
• 400IM – 4:31.96

Men

Blake Assink – Holland, MI

• 50free – 21.51
• 100free – 46.84
• 200free – 1:42.18
• 100fly – 51.26*

Marco Cabrera (transfer) – Guatemala City, GUA

• 100back – 50.99
• 200back – 1:50.13
• 100fly – 51.23*
• 200IM – 1:54.29

Koy Grams – Saint Johns, MI

• 100breast – 1:02.69

Jakub Karpinski – Swierklaniec, POL

• SCM 50free – 23.29 (20.98)*
• SCM 100free – 50.62 (45.60)*
• SCM 200free – 1:50.43 (1:39.48)*
• SCM 400free – 4:01.50 (4:36.00)

Kevin Austin Mills (transfer) – Zeeland, MI

• 50free – 19.99
• 100free – 44.97
• 200free – 1:42.53
• 100back – 50.23

Michal Niedzialek – Olsztyn, POL

• SCM 200free – 1:56.77 (1:45.19)
• SCM 400free – 4:03.84 (4:38.67)*
• SCM 800free – 8:26.74 (9:39.19)
• SCM 1500free – 15:50.08 (15:44.41)

Gage Pompileo – Ostego, MI

• 50free – 22.55
• 100free – 49.43

Grant Sandstedt – Holland, MI

• 50free – 21.71
• 100free – 48.31
• 200free – 1:45.81
• 100back – 52.07
• 200back – 1:55.34
• 200IM – 1:55.34

David Szczygiel – Oswiecim, POL

• SCM 200free – 1:53.51 (1:42.26)
• SCM 100fly – 55.64 (50.12)
• SCM 200fly – 1:59.81 (1:47.93)
• SCM 200IM – 2:03.55 (1:51.30)
• SCM 400IM – 4:23.13 (3:57.05)

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