2015 NAIA National Championships – Men’s Meet
- Dates: Wednesday, March 4 – Saturday, March 7, 2015; prelims 9:00 am, finals 5:00 pm
- Location: Oklahoma City Community College, Oklahoma City, OK (Central Time Zone)
- Defending Champions: Oklahoma Baptist University (results)
- Live Results: Available
- Live Video: Available
- Championship Central
The 2015 NAIA Men’s Swimming and Diving National Championship kicks off on Thursday, March 5 at Oklahoma City Community College. There will be 199 athletes from 19 schools competing in the men’s meet. Oklahoma Baptist University will be trying for its fourth consecutive team title. Led by 2014 Swimmer of the Year, Daniel Ramirez, OBU will be the heavy favorite again this year. In 2014 the Bison won 13 of 20 events and accounted for 52 finals swims and dives.
Ramirez will be joined by OBU national champion, Logan Lassley (50 free) and a deep bench of point-scorers from 2014. In addition, triple champion Joel Ax of SCAD will be back to defend his titles (200/500/1650 free), as will Jacob Anderson of Olivet Nazarene University (200 IM) and Ryan Searles of SCAD (200 back).
4-Day Schedule
Wednesday:
1-Meter Diving (women)
3-Meter Diving (men)
(postponed until March 7 due to inclement weather)
Thursday:
200 Medley Relay
500 Freestyle
200 Individual Medley
50 Freestyle
800 Freestyle Relay
Friday:
200 Freestyle Relay
400 Individual Medley
100 Butterfly
200 Freestyle
100 Breaststroke
100 Backstroke
3-Meter Diving
400 Medley Relay
Saturday:
1-Meter Diving
1650 Freestyle
200 Backstroke
100 Freestyle
200 Breaststroke
200 Butterfly
400 Freestyle Relay
Stars
Diving
Only Oklahoma Baptist and Biola have divers entered in the meet.
500 free
Defending champion Joel Ax of SCAD comes in with the top qualifying time. 2014 finalists Bradley Moore (Union College), Sam Borgman (ONU), and Laszlo Perlaky (Concordia) will look to improve on their positions, while new challengers will include Cameron Donaldson (Union), Matheus Montarroyos (WVU Tech), Dalton Baxter (Union), Joshua Bouma (ONU), Martino Cervera (Concordia), and Quentin Cooper (WVU Tech).
200 IM
2014 champion Jacob Anderson of ONU is back but the fastest seed time belongs to Marc Tahull of Cumberlands. Last year’s A finalists hoping to win the title this year are Karl Hegwein (SCAD), Jacob Lear (Concordia), and Kevin Reichel (Concordia). Other top qualifiers are Fernando Morillas (OBU), Manuel Serrano Laguna (WVU Tech), Ryan Frayne (St. Andrews), and Joe Brinkman (Cumberlands).
50 free
Returning champion Logan Lassley (OBU) will attempt to defend his title in the 50 free against David Lambert of St. Andrews, who has the second qualifying time behind Ramirez, Nathan Lethbridge (Union), Josiah Morales (Wayland Baptist), Marc Sambolin (OBU), and Simon Pheasant (ONU), amongst others. (N.B.: Ramirez is entered in six events so he will have to scratch three.)
400 IM
SCAD freshman Tyler Prescott has the top qualifying time in the 400 IM, but will be challenged by 2014 finalists Connor Wilson (who transferred to SCAD from OBU) and Jacob Lear (Concordia), as well as Alex Mundt (OBU), Joe Brinkman (Cumberlands), Ryan Frayne (St. Andrews), Fernando Morillas (OBU), and Christian Daniels (ONU).
100 fly
Although he had swum the 200 IM in 2013, this was the first event of the 2014 meet for OBU’s Daniel Ramirez. This year he is seeded at the top by nearly three seconds, with Nathan Lethbridge (Union), Igor Dozortsev (Cumberlands), Marc Sambolin (OBU), Sebastian Wegner (Lindenwood-Belleville), Gabriel Phillips (WBU), Frank Tapia (ONU) Thalys Caixeta (Cumberlands), and Josiah Morales (WBU) waiting in the wings to dethrone the reigning champion.
200 free
Joel Ax of SCAD won the 200 free in record-breaking time last year and is seeded first coming into the meet. Three freshmen sit right at his heels: Lucas Dengler-Harles of Lindenwood, Cameron Donaldson (Union), and Vlad Khoroletc (Cumberlands). Other challengers will include Simon Pheasant (ONU), Matheus Montarroyos (WVU Tech), Javier Sossa (OBU), and Josh Gaastra (Soka).
100 breast
With many of the top finalists from 2014 graduated, the field is wide open in the breaststroke events this year. Fernando Morillas of OBU has the top qualifying time, but only by a smidgeon over Connor Wilson (SCAD) and Bjoern Globke (WBU). Also in the mix will be Calvin Price (ONU), Ryan Frayne (St. Andrews), Christian Temporiti (SCAD), Marc Tahull (Cumberlands), and Manuel Serrano Laguna (WVU Tech).
100 back
Defending champion and NAIA record-holder Daniel Ramirez of OBU is entered with the second-fastest seed time behind Georgi Krastev of St. Andrews, runner-up in last year’s race. Other 2014 finalists entered in the event are Jacob Anderson (ONU), Ryan Searles (SCAD), and Nico Brun (OBU). Karl Hegwein (SCAD), JP Goyetche (OBU), and Eddie Campana (Biola) also have their eye on the prize.
1650 free
SCAD’s Joel Ax, who dominated the distance free events last year, is the top seed in the mile. This was a strong event for Union, ONU, and Concordia last year. This time around, Ax’s challengers are last year’s finalists Cameron Donaldson (Union), Dalton Baxter (Union), Bradley Moore (Union), Laszlo Perlaky (Concordia), and Sam Borgamn (ONU). In addition, Matheus Montarroyos (WVU Tech) and Charles Bennett (ONU) are seeded in the top eight.
200 back
Three-time champion and NAIA record-holder Searles is entered in the 200 back but the fastest qualifying time comes from his SCAD teammate Tyler Prescott. 2014 runner-up Georgi Krastev (St. Andrews) is next, then Jacob Anderson (ONU), Vlad Khoroletc (Cumberlands), Karl Hegwein (SCAD), Nico Brun (OBU), Bradley Moore (Union), and Joe Brinkman (Cumberlands) make up the eight fastest challengers.
100 free
Meet record-holder Daniel Ramirez of OBU leads the field with the fastest seed time. He will get competition from David Lambert (St. Andrews), Simon Pheasant (ONU), Marc Sambolin (OBU), Nathan Lethbridge (Union), Joshua Lercel (ONU), Nolan Stimple (Concordia), and Cole Malin (Morningside College).
200 breast
A few of last year’s championship finalists are back to contend for the title, such as Jack Cavanagh of WVU Tech, Styrbjorn Torell of SCAD, and Bjoern Globke of WBU, but most of the names are new. Fernando Morillas of OBU leads the field, followed by Manuel Serrano Laguna (WVU Tech), Christian Daniels (ONU), Marc Tahull (Cumberlands), Ryan Frayne and Elliot Boon (St. Andrews), and Christian Temporiti (SCAD).
200 fly
Like the 200 breast, graduations have left the 200 fly field open and as a consequence we see new contenders for the title. Frank Tapia of ONU is the leading qualifier, after Daniel Ramirez of OBU, with Igor Dozortsev (Cumberlands), Geoffroy Gauneau (WVU Tech), Javier Sossa (OBU), Juan Cuellar (OBU), Laszlo Perlaky (Concordia), Andrew Fischer (ONU), and Andrew Gurley (St. Andrews) posting top times.
Standings
Oklahoma Baptist is the heavy favorite to repeat their team title, but exciting battles should shape up for second/third, for fourth-through-sixth. Here are our picks for the top ten:
Men
- Oklahoma Baptist
- Olivet Nazarene University
- SCAD Savannah
- Concordia University
- Saint Andrews University
- Union College
- Brenau University
- West Virginia University Institute of Technology
- University of the Cumberlands
- Wayland Baptist University
“The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is a governing body of small athletics programs that are dedicated to character-driven intercollegiate athletics.
In 2000, the NAIA reaffirmed its purpose to enhance the character building aspects of sport. Through Champions of Character, the NAIA seeks to create an environment in which every student-athlete, coach, official and spectator is committed to the true spirit of competition through five core values.”