2017 NAIA Nationals: Women’s Meet Day 3 Up/Down Report

2017 NAIA National Championships – Women’s Meet

• Dates: Wednesday, March 1 – Saturday, March 4, 2017; prelims 9 am, finals 5 pm
• Location: Columbus Aquatic Center, Columbus, Georgia (Eastern Time Zone)
• Defending Champions: Savannah College of Art and Design (W) / Olivet Nazarene (M) (results)
• Psych Sheet
• Women’s Fan Guide / Men’s Fan Guide
• Live Results: Available here
• Live Video: Available here
• Championship Central

Day Three

Olivet Nazarene continued to outperform the psych sheet during the morning session of Day Three at the 2017 NAIA National Championships, picking up approximately 55 points and closing the gap on SCAD Savannah. SCAD added 18.5 and still holds a very narrow margin, but there’s a lot of swimming left to go. Biola, The College of Idaho, and Loyola New Orleans also had strong morning performances.

200 Medley Relay – Prelims

• Meet Record: * 1:41.40 2012      Fresno Pacific, Fresno Pacific

Biola’s Rachel Stinchcomb (27.78), Emily Silzel (30.57), Lisa Tixier (24.16), and Rebecca Brandt (24.58) combined for 1:47.09, edging SCAD (1:47.23) and ONU (1:47.34) for the fastest swim of the morning session. The fastest leadoff backstroke belonged to SCAD’s Julie Woody (26.22), while Lindsey Wilson’s Ronni Borders posted the top breast split (29.13). Tixier was the top butterflyer, and SCAD’s Sara Lacusky anchored with the fastest 50 free (23.98).

The rest of the championship final will consist of Lindsey Wilson, Brenau, St. Andrew’s, The College of Idaho, and Lindenwood-Belleville. Thomas, SOKA, and Union all had big drops and made the B final.

1. Biola 1:47.09
2. SCAD Savannah 1:47.23
3. Olivet Nazarene 1:47.34

400 Individual Medley – Prelims

• Meet Record: * 4:24.03 1993      Laurette Hakansson, Drury

As was the case a year ago, Tiffany Ray of ONU, who won the 200 IM final on Thursday night as she had done in 2016, posted the morning’s top time in the 400 IM with 4:29.04, a 13-second improvement from her seed time. 2016 bronze medal winner SCAD junior Rebecca Justus was the second-fastest of the morning with 4:30.45. Cumberlands sophomore Christina Klouda, who was sixth last year, went 4:32.41 to take the third spot for tonight’s championship final.

ONU senior Hayley Ronci dropped nearly 14 to place fourth out of heats, while defending champion Courtney Hayward of Brenau qualified fifth. Also in the championship final will be Biola junior Sophia Dammann, College of Idaho senior Mckayla Stevens, and SCAD freshman Erika Roller. Stevens and Roller both knocked 6 seconds off their seed times.

1. Tiffany Ray, ONU 4:29.04
2. Rebecca Justus, SCAD 4:30.45
3. Christina Klouda, Cumberlands 4:32.41

100 Butterfly – Prelims

• Meet Record: * 54.25 3/6/2015  Christine Tixier, BIOLA

Top seed and defending champion Lisa Tixier, a junior at Biola, went 55.05 to lead the field in the women’s 100 fly. That’ .24 faster than her winning time last year, and just .80 off her sister’s meet record. 2016 runner-up, junior Amanda Moran of ONU, was second with 56.95. A pair of SCAD Bees, freshman Lydia Reinhardt (57.25) and junior Cadie Crow (57.90) followed.

College of Idaho sophomore Madison Kelly, who finished fifth in the 50 free last night, qualified fifth with 58.52. Biola junior Dammann (58.61) will be in back-to-back finals tonight, having made it back sixth in the fly. ONU junior Kara DeLong (58.61) and Asbury sophomore Claire Goodrum (58.67) will round out the A final.

Notable drops came from Lindenwood-Belleville’s McKenna Rafferty (-1.3) and Biola’s Rebecca Brant (-.8) and Liliana Barrett (-.95), all of whom qualified for the B final. More outstanding morning performances came from Thomas’ Dashley Reyes (-1.7), Biola’s Baylee Lenzkes (-1.2), and ONU’s Madeline Miller (-2.2).

1. Lisa Tixier, Biola 55.05
2. Amanda Moran, ONU 56.95
3. Lydia Reinhardt, SCAD Savannah 57.25

200 Freestyle – Prelims

• Meet Record: * 1:49.58 2011      Alex Peters, Concordia

Defending champion, SCAD sophomore Abigail Richey, and her classmate Julie Henninger, led the field with 1:52.79 and 1:53.38, respectively. Keiser freshman Rachel Munschauer had the third-fastest time of the morning with 1:54.07.

Morningside junior Suzanna Gonzalez (1:54.57), Lindsey Wilson freshman Jessica Macdonald (1:54.66), ONU junior Deirdre Gerke (1:54.75), SOKA senior Taylor Karnilaw (1:55.16), and Cumberlands junior Brittany Litke (1:55.30) make up the rest of the A final qualifiers.

Biola freshman Silzel dropped over 2 seconds and just missed the A final, but will be in lane 4 of the B final tonight. Lindenwood-Belleville sophomore Rafferty, one event after doing so in the fly, had another big drop in the 200 free (-2.5), allowing her to make the consolation. Union senior Lara Kaufmann dropped 2, and ONU senior Meredith Lee dropped 5 to make the B final.

Columbia College’s Da’Nelle Williams improved her seed time by 4 seconds.

1. Abigail Richey, SCAD, 1:52.79
2. Julie Henninger, SCAD Savannah 1:53.38
3. Rachel Munschauer, Keiser 1:54.07

100 Breaststroke – Prelims

• Meet Record: * 1:02.09 2012      Catherine Duquet, SCAD

SCAD sophomore Lacusky dropped just over a half-second to post the top qualifying time in the women’s 100 breast with 1:04.07. Defending champion, sophomore Borders of Lindsey Wilson, went 1:04.66 for the right to swim in lane 5 tonight. ONU sophomore Vega, whom Borders edged in an exciting final last year, qualified third in 1:05.84.

SCAD freshman Emily Rozar (1:06.37) and junior Alle Ragland (1:06.86) were fourth and fifth out of heats; Ragland dropped 1.2 seconds to make the A final. WVU Tech junior Kendra Monnin, fourth in this event last year, qualified next, followed by another SCAD freshman, Emilia Rittenbach, and Biola freshman Silzel, who will compete in back-to-back finals tonight.

The College of Idaho’s Abigail Schwarte had a strong prelims performance; she dropped 3.1 seconds and missed the B final by .18. West Virginia Tech’s Mariara Loueiro (-2.5), and Thomas’ Marien Rincon (-1.3) also had big swims.

1. Sara Lacusky, SCAD Savannah 1:04.07
2. Ronni Borders, Lindsey Wilson 1:04.66
3. Andrea Vega, ONU 1:05.84

100 Backstroke – Prelims

• Meet Record: * 52.76 2012      Cheyenne Coffman, Fresno Pacific

SCAD senior Woody set the pace in the women’s 100 back, qualifying for finals with 55.64 ahead of defending champion Moran of ONU (55.94) and St. Andrews senior Xiomara Getrouw (57.77). Getrouw Getrouw went 1.3 seconds faster than her seed time to make the championship final.

Joining them tonight will be SCAD sophomore Henninger (57.96), Columbia College senior Megan Monahan (58.08, a drop of 1.5), Brenau sophomore Lindsay Dowling (58.16), Columbia senior Cydney Donnelly (58.59), and Loyola New Orleans freshman Nina Mantich (58.65).

College of Idaho freshman Hannah Roberts (-1), Biola freshman Kaylyn Schull (-1.3), and SCAD sophomore Annie Weber Callahan (-2.1) all dropped to make the B final. More strong morning swims came from Lindenwood-Belleville’s Hristina Krasteva (-1.6), Tabor’s Mariana Nassuno Alves (-1.2), Morningside’s Aggie Mullen (-.9), and Cumberlands’ Nicole Ceausu (-.7).

1. Julie Woody, SCAD Savannah 55.64
2. Amanda Moran, ONU 55.94
3. Xiomara Getrouw, St. Andrews 57.77

Ups/Downs – Day Three

Top Ten Predictions

Tonight’s finals session begins at 5 PM Eastern time.

“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.”