2019 NAIA Women’s Nationals – SCAD Bees Extend Lead on Day 2

2019 NAIA National Championships – Women’s Meet

• Dates: Wednesday, February 27 – Saturday, March 2; prelims 9 am, finals 5 pm
• Location: Columbus Aquatic Center, Columbus, Georgia (Eastern Time Zone)
• Defending Champions: SCAD Savannah (results)
• Psych Sheets: Available here
• Fan Guides: Available here
• Live Results: Available here
• Live Video: Available here
• Championship Central

Women’s 200 Yard Freestyle Relay – Finals

• Meet Record – 1:32.15: 3/7/2014, Oklahoma Baptist University (Galarza, Forbes-Milne, MacManus, Antonissen)

1. SCAD – 1:35.78
2. Olivet Nazarene – 1:36.09
3. Keiser – 1:36.52
4. Cumberlands – 1:36.54
5. College of Idaho – 1:38.02
6. Loyola – 1:39.28
7. Lindsey Wilson – 1:39.30
8. Ambrose – 1:40.18

Top-seeded SCAD swapped 3 of their 4 prelims swimmers in finals and eked out a win over defending champion Olivet Nazarene, 1:35.78 to 1:36.09. Freshman Spencer Sheridan kicked it off with 23.94. She was followed by freshmen classmates Kaylen Hou (24.23 and Anne Kate McGinty (23.88) and senior Sara Lacusky (23.71).

Defending champs ONU touched in 1:36.09 with legs from senior Andrea Vega (23.74), freshman Helina Reyes (25.08), sophomore Jordan Enders (24.28), and junior Leanne Latocha 22.99).

Keiser (Emma Augustsson, Kamryn Gallowich, Annamaria Zombai, and Stefania Sofouli) came to the wall .02 ahead of Cumberlands (Mendy De Rooi, Katy Smeltzer, Becca Loftus, and Houston Burgoon) for 3rd.

Women’s 500 Yard Freestyle – Finals

• Meet Record – 4:52.24: 2011, Alex Peters, Concordia

1. Mendy De Rooi, Cumberlands– 4:58.82
2. Karla Islas, Olivet Nazarene – 4:59.32
3. Sarah Dostie, SCAD – 5:04.94
4. April O’Gorman, SCAD – 5:05.86
5. Shayna Salzman, SCAD – 5:06.92
6. Abigail Tankersely, SCAD – 5:07.24
7. Hope Clark, Asbury – 5:09.49
8. Paige Carter, Loyola – 5:10.29

Top-seeded Mendy De Rooi of Cumberlands won the 500 free in 4:58.82, holding off a hard-charging Karla Islas of Olivet Nazarene over the last 150 yards. De Rooi was out first in 57.65-1:58.08-2:58.78, while Islas, the defending champion in this event, logged a 58.03-1:59.43-3:00.48. Islas’ last 200 (1:00.73-58.11) was about 1.2 seconds faster than that of De Rooi (1:01.12-58.92) but it wasn’t enough to make up for the differential for the first 300 yards.

The next 4 finishers were all from SCAD: senior Sarah Dostie (5:04.94), sophomore April O’Gorman (5:05.86), senior Shayna Salzman (5:06.92), and freshman Abigail Tankersely (5:07.24).

Women’s 200 Yard Individual Medley – Finals

• Meet Record – 2:02.75: 3/5/2015, Christine Tixier, Biola

1. Andrea Vega, Olivet Nazarene – 2:05.06
2. Christina Klouda, Cumberlands – 2:06.76
3. Jessica Macdonald, Lindsey Wilson – 2:07.65
4. Annamaria Zombai, Keiser – 2:07.68
5. Kaylen Hou, SCAD – 2:08.27
6. Sydney Darnell, Indiana Wesleyan – 2:08.32
7. Sara Lacusky, SCAD – 2:10.11
8. Kiana Molina, Thomas – 2:10.94

ONU senior Andrea Vega, who placed 4th in this event last year, pulled off a well-earned victory this time. Vega was 2.7 seconds faster than last year, stopping the clock at 2:05.06. Second place went to Cumberland senior Christina Klouda, who placed 3rd last year. Klouda’s 2:07.65 was 7/10 faster than her time last year.

Jessica Macdonald from Lindsey Wilson improved on her 5th-place finish from 2018 with a bronze medal in 2019. She touched third in 2:07.65, a mere .03 ahead of Keiser’s Annamaria Zombai (2:07.68).

Women’s 50 Yard Freestyle – Finals

• Meet Record – 22.29: 2012, Cheyenne Coffman, Fresno Pacific

1. Jessica Axford, Union – 23.66
2. Madison Kelly, College of Idaho – 23.71
3. Spencer Sheridan, SCAD – 23.73
4. Leanne Latocha, Olivet Nazarene – 23.76
5. Anna Kate McGinty, SCAD – 23.92
6. Emma Travis, Indiana Wesleyan – 24.06
7. Maya Murphy, College of Idaho – 24.34
8. Elizabeth Skinner, Loyola New Orleans – 24.41

Union College sophomore Jessica Axford, the top seed coming’s into the meet, took .07 off her seed time to win the 50 free with 23.66. College of Idaho’s Madison Kelly, who tied for 3rd last year, was runner-up in 23.71. She edged SCAD freshman Spencer Sheridan by 2/100 and ONU junior Leanne Latocha by .05.

Women’s 1-Meter Diving – Finals

• Meet Record: 417.75 2005 Hayley Rosenlund, Simon Fraser

1. Andrea Adam, St. Ambrose – 233.45
2. Taylor Madison, St. Ambrose – 186.85

St. Ambrose’s defending champion Andrea Adam (234.20) and runner-up Taylor Madison (201.00) added 57 points to the Fighting Bees’ total with a 1-2 finish in 1-meter diving.

Women’s 400 Yard Medley Relay – Finals

• Meet Record: 3:44.56: 2012, Fresno Pacific (Coffman/Malthaner/Moreno/Gjemmestad)

1. Cumberlands – 3:48.58
2. SCAD – 3:51.66
3. Keiser – 3:51.67
4. Olivet Nazarene – 3:51.87
5. College of Idaho – 3:54.30
6. Lindenwood – 3:58.10
7. Brenau – 3:58.68
8. Lindsey Wilson – 4:03.73

The Cumberlands quartet of Klouda (57.33), Julia Hnidenko (1:05.56), De Rooi (53/71), and Smeltzer (51.98) led the field by 3.1 seconds, winning in 3:48.58. SCAD finished second in 3:51.66, just .01 ahead of Keiser. It was a dramatic finish, too, as SCAD was down by 1:08 heading into the anchor leg. Smeltzer overtook Keiser’s Emma Sofie Augustsson, 51.98 to 52.26, to secure SCAD’s second-place finish.

ONU came to the wall .20 after Keiser.

Women’s Scores After Day 2

“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.”