2017 NCAA Division II Women: Day 3 Finals Live Recap

Division II Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships

• March 8-11, 2017
• Birmingham CrossPlex, Birmingham, Alabama
• Prelims 10:30 AM, Finals 6 PM – U.S. Central Time Zone (GMT -6 currently)
• Event schedule
• Real-time results – diving
• Real-time results – swimming
• Video link (expected to be available when meet starts)
• Championship Central

Women’s 500 Yard Freestyle – Final

• Division II: 4:39.28  3/11/2016   Patri Castro Ortega, Queens (NC)

1. Leonie Van Noort, Grand Valley 4:46.62
2. Emma Wahlstrom, Nova S’eastern 4:46.87
3. Caroline Jouisse, Delta State 4:49.63
4. Theresa Hayward, West Chester 4:50.13
5. Erica Dahlgren, Drury 4:50.58
6. Annagrazia Bonsanti, Bridgeport 4:53.25
7. Georgia Wright, West Chester 4:53.77
8. Christina Halverston, Cal Baptist 4:56.63

It was a tight race early on, with West Chester senior Theresa Hayward getting out to an early lead and Nova S’Eastern senior Emma Wahlstrom going with her. Grand Valley senior Leonie Van Noort, runner-up in 2016, started to move up after the 200. Wahlstrom, meanwhile, took over the lead at the 250.

Van Noort began to increase her tempo and cut into Wahlstrom’s lead with 100 left to go. Wahlstrom took the challenge and put her legs into it. She was ahead by just a tick as they turned at the 475 wall. Wahlstrom and Van Noort then sprinted for the wall, with the crowd cheering them on. Van Noort just out-touched Wahlstrom flags to wall, winning with 4:46.62 to Wahlstrom’s 4:46.87.

Caroline Jouisse of Delta State dropped over 5 seconds from her morning swim and placed third with 4:49.60, just ahead of Hayward (4:50.13) and Drury freshman Erica Dahlgren (4:50.58).

Women’s 100 Yard Backstroke – Final

• NCAA DII: 52.45 3/14/2014 Mary Hanson, Cal Baptist

1. Rachel Helm, NMU 53.79
2. Yekaterina Rudenko, Drury 53.83
3. Hannah Peiffer, Queens (NC) 53.91
4. Brenna Gabrielson, Wayne State 54.36
5. Anastasia Klyarovskay, Delta State 54.41
6. Cecilia Hake, MSU Mankato 54.48
7. Viktoriya Arkhipova, Wingate 54.52
8. Meri Cizmar, Findlay 54.85

In an unbelievable finish, that saw the top three coming into the wall simultaneously, Northern Michigan freshman Rachel Helm edged Drury junior Yekaterina Rudenko and defending champion, Queens senior Hannah Peiffer. The trio appeared to hit the wall at exactly the same time, but when the waves settled the scoreboard had Helm with 53.79 to Rudenko’s 53.83 and Peiffer’s 53.91.

Nova S’eastern’s Wahlstrom pulled off an impressive double, jumping back into the pool after her 500 free. She nearly won the consolation final, getting touched out just at the end.

Women’s 100 Yard Breaststroke – Final

• NCAA DII: 1:00.54 3/10/2017 Bailee Nunn, Drury

1. Theresa Michalak, West Florida 59.51R
2. Bailee Nunn, Drury 59.69
3. Malin Westman, Nova S’eastern 1:00.94
4. Zuzanna Chwadeczko, Drury 1:00.97
5. Manuela Ferreira, Wayne State 1:02.01
6. Emily Heitchue, Wayne State 1:02.16
7. Michelle Prayson, Queens (NC) 1:02.25
8. Jaimie Bryan, UCSD 1:02.29

West Florida senior Theresa Michalak, who set the NCAA Division II record winning the 100 fly on Thursday night, picked up her third national title of the meet and set her second meet record by just out-touching Drury freshman Bailee Nunn. Michalak and Nunn have been going back and forth all weekend, out-touching each other and breaking NCAA records. In the breaststroke, Nunn had lowered the meet mark in prelims to 1:00.54.

There was much excitement to see what would happen in finals when these two competitors really went for it. Michalak was aggressive on the first 50, although Nunn was just .07 behind her at the 50 wall. Turning with them was Drury junior Zuzanna Chwadeczko. Michalak was just 1/10 faster over the second 50 and that’s all it took for the title. Both Michalak and Nunn crushed the previous meet record, however, going 59.51 and 59.69, respectively. Nova S’eastern junior Malin Westman moved past Chwadeczko into third, stopping the clock at 1:00.94, .03 ahead of Chwadeczko.

Women’s 200 Yard Butterfly – Final

• Division II: 1:57.94 3/11/2016 Sofia Petrenko, Wingate

1. Hannah Kastigar, Northern State 1:58.36
2. Oksana Marchuk, Bridgeport 1:59.17
3. Mckenzie Stevens, Queens (NC) 1:59.31
4. Jessie Gibson, Simon Fraser 1:59.63
5. Josephina Lorda, Queens (NC) 2:00.51
6. Charlotte Knippenberg, Wingate 2:02.18
7. Hannah Vinyard, Lindenwood 2:02.40
8. Lexy Raybon, Carson-Newman 2:03.09

It looked like we might have another upset, as Bridgeport freshman Oksana Marchuk took it out quickly and established the early lead. Northern State junior Hannah Kastigar took her time, though, and methodically worked through her back half. Marchuk still held a very slight lead at the 150, but she ran out of gas over the final two laps and only barely held off fast-charging Mckenzie Stevens of Queens and Simon Fraser freshman Jessie Gibson, who finished third and fourth and also came in under 2:00. Kastigar won with 1:58.36, finishing a half body length in front of the next wave: Marchuk (1:59.17), Stevens (1:59.31), and Gibson (1:59.63).

Women’s 800 Yard Freestyle Relay – Fastest Heat

• NCAA DII: 7:14.69 3/13/2015 Queens (NC)

1. Wingate 7:16.37
2. Queens (NC) 7:18.75
3. Nova S’eastern 7:22.72
4. Bridgeport 7:24.59
5. Grand Valley 7:24.75
6. Delta State 7:24.97
7. Lindenwood 7:25.11
8. UCSD 7:25.67

UC San Diego had established the time to beat during the earlier heats, posting the fastest morning time with 7:25.67. The heat that swam in finals was essentially a two-team contest, between two squads who know each other well: Bluegrass Mountain Conference foes Queens and Wingate. Swimming in lanes 5 and 4, respectively, the Royals and the Bulldogs jumped out to a body-length lead by the first changeover. Stevens’ leadoff of 1:49.28 gave Queens a slight lead that Lorda extended to about 1 second at the halfway point. Wingate’s third leg, Maria Madsen, outsplit Queens’ DaCruz by 1.6 seconds, so that the anchors (Wingate’s Divelbiss and Queens’ Linda Baron) took off together. By the time Divelbiss broke the surface after her incredible underwater off the start, she was already more than a body length ahead of Baron. Divelbiss sealed the victory with a 1:47.9 anchor. Wingate won in 7:16.37 to Queens’ 7:18.75. The winning relay consisted of sophomore Hanna Van Horen (1:49.61), freshman Abby Kosic (1:49.11), sophomore Madsen (1:49.75), and junior Divelbiss (1:47.90).

Team Standings Day Three

1. Queens (Nc) 349
2. Drury 305
3. Wingate 253
4. Nova S’Eastern 182
5. Lindenwood 179
6. Wayne State 154
7. West Chester 153
8. Fresno Pacific 126
9. West Florida 122
10. Grand Valley 121
11. Delta State 110
11. Bridgeport 110
13. Msu Mankato 88
14. Cal Baptist 84
15. Csu East Bay 69
16. Northern State 68
17. Ucsd 67
18. Carson-Newman 63
19. Saint Leo 45
20. Simon Fraser 35
21. Nmu 34
22. Clarion 29
23. Henderson St. 25
24. Findlay 23
25. Jewell 21
25. Saginaw Valley 21
27. Indy 17
27. Colorado Mesa 17
29. Mines 14
29. Truman St. 14
31. Tampa 12
32. Liu Post 7
33. Lynn 6
33. Florida Southern 6
35. Azusa Pacific 5
35. Tiffin University 5
37. Calu-Pa 2
37. St. Michael’s 2