2016 NCAA Division III Championships – Day 4 Finals Live Recap

Division III Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships

• March 16-19, 2016
• Greensboro Aquatic Center, Greensboro, North Carolina
• Prelims 10 AM, Finals 6 PM – U.S. Eastern Time Zone (GMT -4 currently)
• Event schedule
• Meet program
• Real-time results – diving
• Real-time results – swimming
• Video link
• Championship Central

Men’s 1, 650-yard Freestyle – Fastest Heat

• NCAA DIII Record: 15:01.24 3/21/2015 Arthur Conover, Kenyon

Johns Hopkins junior Andrew Greenhalgh jumped out to an early lead and was up by a body length at the 250. Kenyon junior Arthur Conover moved up and joined Greenhalgh at the lead by the 500, and was leading by the 700. The pair continued to trade stroke for stroke, building their lead on the rest of the field, including top-seeded Christian Baker of Emory; they were about a half a pool length ahead by the 1000.

Just when it looked like Conover was going to repeat his 2015 performance, Greenhalgh put his legs into it at the 1200. Next thing you knew he was up by a body length. Then by two. And by the 1500 he was a good four in front. Conover wasn’t done, though. He got his legs going and finished strong. In a reversal of last year’s results, Greenhalgh won gold in 15:06.97; Conover took silver with 15:11.25. MIT freshman Joshua Graves touched third with 15:20.83.

Carnegie Mellon freshman Mitchell Riek dropped 11.2 seconds to win the first morning heat with 15:37.71, which landed him in the top 8.

Top 8:

1. Andrew Greenhalgh, Johns Hopkins 15:06.97
2. Arthur Conover, Kenyon 15:11.25
3. Joshua Graves, MIT 15:20.83
4. Thomas Gordon, Emory 15:27.81
5. Christian Baker, Emory 15:29.55
6. Austin Palmer, NYU 15:30.66
7. Mitchell Riek, Carnegie Mellon 15:37.71
8. Luke Dobben, Wash U 15:43.85

Women’s 1, 650-yard Freestyle – Fastest Heat

• NCAA DIII Record: 16:21.44 3/21/2015 Sarah Thompson, Williams

Kenyon freshman Marysol Arce, who won the 500 free on Day One, earned her second national title with a wire-to-wire win in the 1650 going 16:33.29. For the second time today we saw an Emory distance swimmer make a huge challenge on the middle third or so of the race, only to fade away at the end. This time it was sophomore Rebecca Upton, who nonetheless finished second with 16:39.90. Upton swam a terrific 1550 but had nothing left for the final 100. Top-seeded Angela Newlon outsplit Upton by 6 seconds over the last 200 and nearly caught her; despite adding 13 seconds to her seed time Newlon finished third with 16:42.48.

Williams freshman Alison McNamara, who had the top time from the morning heats, came in seventh overall with 16:55.68.

Top 8:

1. Marysol Arce, Kenyon 16:33.29
2. Rebecca Upton, Emory 16:39.90
3. Angela Newlon, DePauw 16:42.48
4. Megan Pierce, Williams 16:50.94
5. Taylor Johns, Denison 16:52.53
6. Rebecca Meyers, Franklin & Marshall 16:54.61
7. Alison McNamara, Williams 16:55.68
8. Campbell Costley, Denison 16:57.39

Men’s 100-yard Freestyle – Finals

• NCAA DIII Record: 43.16 3/24/2012 Zach Turk, Kenyon

We knew this would be the battle of the Front Half versus the Back Half. In prelims, Washington & Lee sophomore Thomas Thetford had taken it out like nobody’s business, while Rowan junior Jesse Novak had come back better than anyone in the field. The two went at it in the middle lanes of the pool as anticipated, with Thetford up by over 8/10 at the 50 wall. Novak made up nearly 5/10 of the differential over the second half but it wasn’t enough, and Thetford claimed the victory, 43.41 to 43.78.

Keene State junior Ryan Boraski, who had anchored with an impressive 43.8 at the end of the 400 free relay in prelims, came in third with 44.24, just ahead of Buffalo State’s Connor Mergler (44.30).

Widener junior Ian Gaynor tied with Emory sophomore Oliver Smith for fifth; Tyler Dougherty of Gettysburg and Denison senior Ryan Fleming rounded out the final in 44.88 and 44.90, respectively.

Top 8:

1. Thomas Thetford, W&L 43.41
2. Jesse Novak, Rowan University 43.78
3. Ryan Boraski, Keene St. 44.24
4. Connor Mergler, Buffalo St. 44.30
5. T5 Ian Gaynor, Widener 44.78
6. T5 Oliver Smith, Emory 44.78
7. Tyler Dougherty, Gettysburg 44.88
8. Ryan Fleming, Denison 44.90

Women’s 100-yard Freestyle – Finals

• NCAA DIII Record: NCAA Record: 48.98 3/20/2010 Kendra Stern, Amherst

Kenyon senior Hannah Lobb came back from fifth at the 50 wall to touch out leader Fiona Muir of Emory, 49.90 to 50.02. Williams sophomore Emma Waddell very nearly ran down Muir as well, outsplitting her by a half second over the back half and finishing third in 50.06. Denison junior Carolyn Kane, runner-up in 2015, finished fourth with 50.13.

Calvin sophomore Abby VanHarn (50.43), Kenyon junior Jenner McLeod (50.76), Trinity sophomore Lindsay Hagmann (50.79), and Emory junior Marissa Bergh (51.53) made up the rest of the championship final.

Top 8:

1. Hannah Lobb, Kenyon 49.90
2. Fiona Muir, Emory 50.02
3. Emma Waddell, Williams 50.06
4. Carolyn Kane, Denison 50.13
5. Abby VanHarn, Calvin 50.43
6. Jenner McLeod, Kenyon 50.76
7. Lindsay Hagmann, Trinity U. 50.79
8. Marissa Bergh, Emory 51.53

Men’s 200-yard Backstroke – Finals

• NCAA DIII Record: NCAA Record: 1:43.49 3/21/2015 Harrison Curley, Kenyon

Denison junior Jackson Lindell completed his meet hat trick, winning the 200 back for his third national title of the weekend. Lindell clocked a 1:46.10 to finish 1/100 ahead of CMS junior and 100 back champion Matthew Williams. Williams outsplit Lindell by.51 over the back half and just missed the touch, earning the silver medal instead with 1:46.11. Kenyon’s Oscar Anderson moved up two spots from prelims to take bronze with 1:47.47. Anderson was out first by half a body length already at the 50, and held a narrow lead at the 100 before getting passed by the two leaders over the second 100.

Freshmen Kingsley Bowen of Tufts and Christopher Szymczak of Wheaton were fourth and fifth, hitting the wall in 1:47.69 and 1:47.73, respectively. Stevens senior Ravi Sun (1:47.79) and Tufts senior Michael Winget (1:47.98) were just behind in sixth and seventh. Denison sophomore Jason Wesseling went 1:51.57 to complete the final.

Top 8:

1. Jackson Lindell, Denison 1:46.10
2. Matthew Williams, CMS 1:46.11
3. Oscar Anderson, Kenyon 1:47.47
4. Kingsley Bowen, Tufts 1:47.69
5. Christopher Szymczak, Wheaton IL 1:47.73
6. Ravi Sun, Stevens 1:47.79
7. Michael Winget, Tufts 1:47.98
8. Jason Wesseling, Denison 1:51.57

Women’s 200-yard Backstroke – Finals

• NCAA DIII Record: NCAA Record: 1:56.23 3/15/2008 Brittany Sasser, Amherst

Emma Paulson also completed her hat trick on the final night of competition. After winning the 50 free and 100 back earlier in the meet, the St. Thomas junior clocked a 1:56.33 to win the 200 back by a body length and come within 1/10 of the NCAA Division III record. Williams teammates Olivia Jackson (1:57.44) and Katherine Bennett (1:57.83), who went 1-2 last year, were second and third, respectively. Eleanore Hong of Rose-Hulman moved up from eighth in 2016 to fourth this time with 1:58.77.

The rest of the A final consisted of Washington & Lee junior Emily Rollo, Wash U sophomore Nicole Zanolli, MIT junior Veronika Jedryka, Chicago junior Allison Wall.

Top 8:

1. Emma Paulson, St. Thomas 1:56.33
2. Olivia Jackson, Williams 1:57.44
3. Katherine Bennett, Williams 1:57.83
4. Eleanore Hong, Rose-Hulman 1:58.77
5. Emily Rollo, W&L 1:59.21
6. Nicole Zanolli, Wash U. MO 2:00.03
7. Veronika Jedryka, MIT 2:00.71
8. Alison Wall, Chicago 2:01.49

Men’s 200-yard Breaststroke – Finals

• NCAA DIII Record: 1:52.97 3/21/2015 Andrew Wilson, Emory

Kenyon junior Ian Reardon took the 200 breast with a massive back half, overcoming a .7 deficit at the 100 to win by .3. Reardon found another gear for his fourth 50 and shut down the field touching in 1:57.78. Johns Hopkins junior Evan Holder had led for the entire race but ran out of steam over the final 50; he placed second in 1:58.11.

Wash U junior Michael Lagieski dropped another second from prelims, making it a total of 1.6 for the day, and finished third with 1:58.82. TCNJ senior James Shangle went 1:59.18 for fourth.

Wabash senior Zechariah Banks edged Wheaton senior Elliot Penson, who in turn touched out York senior Kyle Walthall by 1/100. Their respective times were 2:00.12, 2:00.18, and 2:00.19. Nebraska Wesleyan sophomore Garrett Cadotte placed eighth with 2:02.55.

Top 8:

1. Ian Reardon, Kenyon 1:57.78
2. Evan Holder, Johns Hopkins 1:58.11
3. Michael Lagieski, Wash U. MO 1:58.82
4. James Shangle, TCNJ 1:59.18
5. Zechariah Banks, Wabash 2:00.12
6. Elliot Penson, Wheaton IL 2:00.18
7. Kyle Walthall, York 2:00.19
8. Garrett Cadotte, Neb Wesleyan 2:02.55

Women’s 200-yard Breaststroke – Finals

• NCAA DIII Record: 2:12.20 2/20/2016 Sam Senczyszyn, UW Eau Claire
• Meet Record: 2:12.83 3/11/2006 Lindsay Payne, Williams

2015 bronze medalist Emily Hyde of Amherst won the 2016 crown with a new meet record of 2:12.30. She fell .10 short of the NCAA Division III record, set by UW-Eau Claire freshman Samantha Senczyszyn in February. Senczyszyn led through the first half of the race but Hyde had the stronger final 100. Third place went to Kenyon sophomore Julia Wilson in 2:13.48.

Top 8:

1. Emily Hyde, Amherst 2:12.30
2. Samantha Senczyszyn, U W-Eau Claire 2:13.47
3. Julia Wilson, Kenyon 2:13.48
4. Elizabeth Aronoff, Emory 2:15.75
5. Annelise Kowalsky, Emory 2:16.57
6. Emily Medeiros, Springfield 2:16.66
7. Marissa Bednarek, Denison 2:17.29
8. Katie Kaestner, Kenyon 2:18.17

Women’s 3-meter Diving – Finals

• NCAA DIII Record: 517.10 3/20/2010 Hayley Emerick, Trinity

Hope senior Sarah Sheridan avenged her 2015 second-place finish to Wellesley sophomore Maura Sticco-Ivins with a 478.40-to-470.55 victory in 2016. SUNY Fredonia junior Meghan Bartlett, who finished sixth last year, moved up to third with a total score of 454.45.

Top 8:

1. Sarah Sheridan, SR Hope 478.40
2. Maura Sticco-Ivins, SO Wellesley 470.55
3. Meghan Bartlett, JR SUNY Fredonia 454.45
4. Anna Belson, SO Ithaca 448.45
5. Maria Zarka, SR Kenyon 444.60
6. Ariana Ross, JR Williams 426.75
7. Sarah Mrkonich, SO Trinity U. 410.75
8. Maddie Miller, SR RPI 396.65

Men’s 400-yard Freestyle Relay – Finals

• NCAA DIII Record: NCAA Record: 2:53.59 3/24/2012, Kenyon (Somers, Turk, Ramsey, Richardson)

Emory finished the meet with a strong showing in the 400 free relay, winning by 1.2 seconds in 2:57.44. Alex Hardwick opened with 44.95; he was followed by freshman Mathias Kolleck (44.50) and junior Hayes Burdette-Sapp (44.45) before sophomore Oliver Smith unleashed a 43.54 that made the Eagles impossible to catch. MIT (Jeremy Bogle, Joshua Tomazin, Douglas Kogut, and Daryl Neubieser) came away with second in 2:58.64, while College of New Jersey (Joseph Dunn, Ryan Gajdzisz, Scott Vitabile and Jason Ivins) took third in 2:59.10.

Top 8:

1. Emory 2:57.44
2. MIT 2:58.64
3. TCNJ 2:59.10
4. Denison 2:59.65
5. Keene St. 2:59.76
6. Williams 3:00.04
7. NYU 3:00.89
8. Wash U. MO 3:01.66

Women’s 400-yard Freestyle Relay – Finals

• NCAA DIII Record: NCAA Record: 3:21.28 3/22/2013, Emory (Rosenkranz, Larson, Wobler, Dobben)

Emory swept all five relays at the 2016 NCAA Championship, the 400 free relay being the last feather in their cap. Fiona Muir (50.31), Marcela Sanchez-Aizcorbe (50.43), Megan Taylor (50.13), and Marissa Bergh (50.50) combined for a winning 3:21.37 ahead of Denison (Carolyn Kane, Ashley Yearwood, Kate Wright, and Mary Van Leuven). Third place went to Kenyon’s Hannah Orbach-Mandel, Abby Wilson, Hannah Lobb, and Jenner McLeod in 3:23.17.

Top 8:

1. Emory 3:21.37
2. Denison 3:21.90
3. Kenyon 3:23.17
4. Williams 3:24.29
5. NYU 3:24.69
6. Johns Hopkins 3:26.20
7. Wash U. MO 3:27.00
8. MIT 3:28.00

Final Top 10 Standings – Women

1. Emory University, 560
2. Kenyon College, 476
3. Williams College, 386
4. Denison University, 329
5. Johns Hopkins University, 188
6. Amherst College, 158
7. Washington University (Missouri) 146
8. New York University, 132
9. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 131
10. Wheaton College (Illinois), 124

Final Top 10 Standings – Men

1. Denison University, 455.5
2. Kenyon College, 418.5
3. Emory University, 340.5
4. Johns Hopkins University, 263
5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 241.5
6. Williams College, 205.5
7. The College of New Jersey, 179
8. Washington University (Missouri), 161
9. New York University, 126
10. Claremont McKenna-Harvey Mudd-Scripps Colleges, 121.5