2020 NAIA Men’s Nationals Day 2 Finals: Keiser Takes Over Lead from SCAD

2020 NAIA Men’s Swimming & Diving National Championship

• Dates: March 4-7, 2020
• Times: Prelims 9 AM; Finals 5 PM
• Location: Allan Jones Aquatic Center – Knoxville, Tennessee (Central Time Zone)
• Defending Champions: Keiser University (2x) (results)
• Psych Sheet
• Live Results: Available here
• Live Video: Available here
• Championship Central

Day Two

Thursday evening results

Men’s 200 Yard Freestyle Relay – Final

• Meet Record: 1:18.43 Oklahoma Baptist University, Oklahoma Baptist (L Lassley, R Robbins, D Ramirez, G Sullivan) 3/7/2014

Podium:

1. Keiser 1:19.77
2. SCAD 1:21.50
3. Lindsey Wilson 1:24.02

Keiser began Thursday’s finals session with a 1:19.77 win in the 200 free relay, going 1.2 seconds faster than their winning time from a year ago. This is the third consecutive 200 free title for the Seahawks. Senior Marcel Nagy (19.92) and Lukas Macek (19.97) swam the first two legs, while juniors Matias Lazzerini (20.45) and Jared Ingram (19.97) closed. Keiser was already up by half a body length at the first exchange and was never really challenged the rest of the race.

SCAD, while more than 1.2 seconds faster than in prelims, came to the wall 1.77 seconds behind Keiser. Zoltan Monori led off (20.50) and was followed by Irvin Hoost (20.21), Miles Kredich (20.38), and Joel Thatcher (20.41).

Lindsey Wilson’s three freshman (Reece Kincaid, Tyler King, and Calvin Coetzee) and one sophomore (Ron Wolfart) out-touched the rest of the field as the next five teams (Lindsey Wilson, Loyola, Midland, St. Ambrose, and Cumberlands) came to the wall within .7 of each other.

Men’s 500 Yard Freestyle – Final

• Meet Record: 4:20.35 Joel Thatcher, SCAD 3/2/2017

Podium:

1. Joel Thatcher, SCAD 4:22.37
2. Calvin Coetzee, Lindsey Wilson 4:22.79
3. Pol Roch, Keiser 4:26.42

Meet record-holder Thatcher of SCAD, back in the pool after a two-year absence while serving a Mormon Mission in Cusco, Peru, won his second career 500 free national title. This time he was almost run down by Lindsey Wilson freshman Coetzee who took more than 7 seconds off his prelims time and pulled within 6/10 of Thatcher. Coetzee had trailed the leader by 2.3 seconds at the 400 but came home 1.7 seconds faster over the final 4 laps.

Defending champion Pol Roch of Keiser was right about at his winning time from a year ago but now his 4:26.42 put him at a distant third place.

Men’s 200 Yard Individual Medley – Final

• Meet Record: 1:47.55 David Hibberd, Simon Fraser 2011

Podium:

1. Lukas Macek, Keiser 1:48.75
2. Marti Ranea, Keiser 1:49.04
3. Anton Smal, Life University 1:49.18

Keiser broke free from SCAD (who placed 5-6-8) in the 200 IM, going 1-2 in both the A final and the B final. Macek, who had been DQd in last year’s final, got the win with 1:48.74 ahead of freshman teammate Marti Ranea (1:49.04). Life freshman Anton Smal went 1:49.18 for third place, coming home 1 full second faster than Ranea and nearly running him down.

🏊‍♂️: Lucas Macek of @KUSeahawks wins the 200 IM. Seahawks go 1-2 in the event #PlayNAIA #NAIASwimDive #CollegeSwim pic.twitter.com/hKRqpxppxM

— NAIA (@NAIA) March 6, 2020

Men’s 50 Yard Freestyle – Final

• Meet Record: 19.71 Logan H Lassley, Oklahoma Baptist 3/6/2014
• Meet Record: 19.71 Marcel Nagy, Keiser 3/5/2020

Podium:

1. Marcel Nagy, Keiser 20.06
2. Scott Cain, Midland 20.37
3. Jared Ingram, Keiser 20.41

Keiser senior Nagy, the defending champion, had tied the meet record in prelims with 19.71 but finished with 20.06 in the final. He was 3/10 ahead of runner-up Scott Cain of Midland, but 1/10 slower than his winning time last year. Cain dropped 2/10 from prelims to grab the silver medal in 20.37, robbing Keiser of its second 1-2 finish in a row. Ingram clocked a 20.41 for third place, which was .14 off his prelims swim.

Men’s 400 Yard Medley Relay – Final

• Meet Record: 3:12.88 Oklahoma Baptist University, Oklahoma Baptist (D Ramirez, G Penny, G Sullivan, L Lassley) 3/7/2014

Podium:

1. Keiser 3:16.29
2. SCAD 3:20.54
3. Midland 3:21.77

Keiser finished the evening much the same way they had begun: with a relay win. Jan Suchan (49.37), Macek (54.39), Nagy (48.46), and Ingram (44.07) combined 3:16.29. It was their third consecutive win in this event but their slowest time (they won with 3:15.94 in 2019 and 3:14.95 in 2018).

SCAD moved past Midland, who had been faster in prelims, to pick up their second relay silver. Gio Zachar (50.32), Dan Chevere (55.99), Kredich (48.94), and Zoltan Monori (45.29) combined for 3:20.54.

Midland’s relay consisted of Michael Richmond (52.07), Tyler Penney (54.69), Gabe Martinez (50.29), and Cain (44.72). It was the same quartet from prelims but this time they were 2.9 seconds faster with 3:21.77.

Men’s Team Scores – Day 2

1. Keiser University 244
2. SCAD Savannah 225
3. Lindsey Wilson College 124
4. Midland University 118
5. University of the Cumberlands 92
6. The College of Idaho 87
7. Loyola University New Orleans 82
8. St Ambrose University 71
9. Union College 65
10. Olivet Nazarene University 53
11. Life University 42
12. St Andrews University 37
13. Asbury University / West Virginia University Tech (tie) 27
14. –
15. Morningside College 24
16. Simpson University 22
17. Milligan College 16
18. Campbellsville University 13
19. Lincoln College / Thomas University (tie) 12