2020 NCAA Division II Women’s Championships – Day 2 Prelims Live Recap

2020 NCAA Division II Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships

• Wednesday, March 11 – Saturday, March 14, 2020
• SPIRE Institute Aquatics Center – Geneva, OH
• Prelims 10 AM / Finals 6 PM (U.S. Eastern Time)
• Defending Champions: Queens (5x) (results)
• Digital Program
• Psych Sheet
• Live Results
• Live Video
• Championship Central

Day Two

Women’s 200 Yard Freestyle Relay – Prelims

• NCAA DII Record: 1:30.05  3/15/2018   Queens (NC) (L Marshall, K Dobson, W Dollmayer, M Prayson)
• Meet Record: 1:30.05  3/15/2018   Queens (NC) (L Marshall, K Dobson, W Dollmayer, M Prayson)
• Pool Record: 1:30.77  2/22/2018   Villanova University (A Fabbri, D Goodwin, M Routledge, T Wilson)

Finals Qualifiers:

1. Queens 1:30.90
2. Drury 1:31.68
3. Indy 1:32.30
4. UCSD 1:32.54
5. Tampa 1:32.77
6. Lindenwood 1:33.43
7. (tie) Carson-Newman 1:33.67 / Wingate 1:33.67
8. –
9. McKendree 1:33.77
10. Nova S’eastern 1:33.92
11. West Chester 1:34.10
12. Wayne State 1:34.15
13. (tie) Colorado Mesa 1:35.09 / St. Cloud St. 1:35.09
14. –
15. NMU 1:35.80

There were only 16 teams entered in the women’s 200 free relay prelims and with West Florida being DQd for a false start, only 15 will swim in finals. Queens won heat 1 over Drury and Tampa. Polina Lapshina (22.59), Danielle Melilli (22.58), Lexie Baker (22.83), and Wanda Dollmayer (22.90) came within .13 of the pool record with their field-leading 1:30.90. Drury’s Bailee Nunn led off the Panthers’ relay with 22.48.

Heat 2 went to Indy over UC San Diego and Carson-Newman. Indy’s Leticia Vaselli (23.27), Johanna Buys (22.89), Edda Skoric (23.43), and Krystal Caylor (22.71) combined for 1:32.30.

Women’s 400 Yard Individual Medley – Prelims

• NCAA DII Record: 4:08.56  3/10/2016   Patri Castro Ortega, Queens (NC)
• Meet Record: 4:08.56  3/10/2016   Patri Castro Ortega, Queens (NC)
• Pool Record: 4:13.68  2/22/2019   Emma Brinton, Duquesne

Finals Qualifiers:

1. Rebecca Cross, Drury 4:17.96
2. Francesca Bains, Queens 4:18.58
3. Marizel Van Jaarsveld, Indy 4:19.20
4. Tina Reuter, UCSD 4:19.30
5. Jana Hellenschmidt, Lindenwood 4:20.67
6. Melina Goebel, Grand Valley 4:20.96
7. Tori Sopp, Drury 4:21.81
8. Georgia Wright, West Chester 4:21.97
9. Chelsea Borrowdale, Delta State 4:22.14
10. Katja Pavicevic, UCSD 4:23.92
11. Cecilie Jensen, Carson-Newman 4:24.90
12. Lyssa Wood, Lindenwood 4:24.95
13. Meredith Ginn, Carson-Newman 4:25.32
14. Savannah Brennan, Florida Tech 4:25.78
15. Aleksandra Maslova, Nova S’eastern 4:26.08
16. Davy Brown, Colorado Mesa 4:26.48

Taylor Beagle of Augustana won heat 1 with 4:28.28, beating her entry time by .06. Charlotte Knippenberg and Lillian Sanocki of Wingate were second and third. Meredith Ginn of Carson-Newman, swimming in lane 1, clocked a 4:25.32 to win heat 2 with a 2.2-second drop from her seed time. Davy Brown of Colorado Mesa was second (4:26.48) ahead of Katelyn Harper of Biola (4:27.00).

Grand Valley senior Melina Goebel dropped nearly 3.5 seconds to win heat 3, again out of lane 1. Drury’s Tori Sopp (4:21.81) and Delta State’s Chelsea Borrowdale (4:22.14) followed.

Rebecca Cross of Drury won the first circle-seeded heat in 4:17.96, about 1.1 seconds off her seed time. Queens’ Francesca Bains dropped a half-second to take second place with 4:18.58, while UC San Diego’s Tina Reuter improved her seed time by 2.1 seconds to come in third with 4:19.30.

Indy’s Marizel Van Jaarsveld, the top seed, notched a 4:19.20 to win the final heat over Jana Hellenschmidt of Lindenwood (4:20.67, -1.3) and Katja Pavicevic of UC San Diego (4:23.92).

Women’s 100 Yard Butterfly – Prelims

• NCAA DII Record: 52.16  3/14/2019   Polina Lapshina, Queens (NC)
• Meet Record: 52.16  3/14/2019   Polina Lapshina, Queens (NC)
• Pool Record: 53.03  2/21/2020   Mia Bullock, Fordham

Finals Qualifiers:

1. Polina Lapshina, Queens 52.66P
2. Manon Compagner, Carson-Newman 53.27
3. Bailee Nunn, Drury 53.56
4. Ann Carozza, West Chester 53.75
5. Paige Mikesell, IUP 53.88
6. Georgia DaCruz, Queens 54.04
7. Yuliia Stadnyk, Queens 54.07
8. Kayla Tennant, Queens 54.61
9. Darian Murray, Indy 54.65
10. Daphne Williams, Mines 54.67
11. Aleksandra Maslova, Nova S’eastern 54.75
12. Lucia Martelli, Delta State 54.76
13. Miranda Renner, UCSD 54.80
14. Molly O’Hara, Tampa 54.92
15. Lexie Winnett, Lindenwood 55.01
16. Ester Rizzetto, West Florida 55.06

Southern Connecticut State’s Avery Fornaciari won heat 1 of the women’s 100 fly with 55.38, dropping half a second from her entry time. Molly O’Hara of Tampa followed with a .63 drop of her own to win heat 2 in 54.92 over Wayne State’s Julia Brunner (55.68).

Bailee Nunn clocked a 53.56 to take the first circle-seeded heat ahead of Paige Mikesell of Indiana University of Pennsylvania (53.88, -.21) and Nova S’eastern’s Aleksandra Maslova (54.75).

Manon Compagner of Carson-Newman blasted a 53.27, improving on her seed time by .75, to win the penultimate heat from lane 5. Queens’ Georgia DaCruz was second with 54.04, while teammate Kayla Tennant dropped .77 to come in third from lane 8 with 54.61.

Top-seeded Polina Lapshina, the defending champion in this event, won the final heat with a pool record of 52.66. Ann Carozza of West Chester went 53.75 for second in the heat, while Yuliia Stadnyk of Queens dropped .3 for third. That gives the Royals four A finalists tonight, which will be important in their quest to stave off Drury for the team title.

Women’s 200 Yard Freestyle – Prelims

• NCAA DII Record: 1:44.44  2/10/2016   Patri Castro Ortega, Queens (NC)
• Meet Record: 1:45.27  3/12/2015   Patri Castro Ortega, Queens (NC)
• Pool Record: 1:45.14  2/17/2017   Elise Lankiewicz, Davidson

Finals Qualifiers:

1. Mia Wood, Mines 1:48.37
2. Lexie Baker, Queens 1:48.68
3. Tori Sopp, Drury 1:48.86
4. Erica Dahlgren, Drury 1:49.00
5. Ciara Franke, UCSD 1:49.15
6. Krystal Caylor, Indy 1:49.35
7. Kamila Kunka, Lindenwood 1:49.44
8. Sophia Francis, UCSD 1:49.54
9. (tie) Hannah Foster, Queens 1:49.88 / Paige Mikesell, IUP 1:49.88
10. –
11. Hana Van Loock, Tampa 1:50.00
12. Jacqueline Turner, Delta State 1:50.02
13. Julissa Arzave, UCSD 1:50.34
14. Mackenzie Harris, Drury 1:50.72
15. Mathilde Cros, Wingate 1:50.73
16. Ellie Whitney, UCSD 1:50.87

The women’s 200 free began with a very tight heat 1 in which Vittoria Bonsanti Feniello of Saint Leo (1:53.01) touched out Allyson Accordino of Queens (1:53.04) and UMary’s Andrea Lee (1:53.19) for the win. Heat 2 went to UC San Diego’s Kaitlyn Ritchey in 1:50.96, a full .99 under her seed time. Kaitlyn Agger of Wingate was second with 1:51.43. Beatriz Olivieri of Rollins touched third in 1:52.00.

Wingate’s Mathilde Cros improved her seed time by .17 to win heat 3 in 1:50.73, just touching out UC San Diego’s Ellie Whitney in lane 8 (1:50.87, -.59) and Danielle Melilli of Queens (1:50.99). In the end, the .12 between Whitney’s and Melilli’s times meant the difference between 16th and 19th place.

As if the previous heats hadn’t been close enough, heat 4 featured an almost synchronized performance among lanes 2-3-4-5. After turning together at the 150 and 175 walls, they came to the wall as follows: Torri Sopp of Drury (1:48.68, -48), Ciara Franke of UCSD (1:49.15, -.44), Kamila Kunka of Lindenwood (1:49.44, -.56), Hana Van Loock of Tampa (1:50.00).

Hannah Foster of Queens led heat 5 through the 150 but was passed by Drury’s Erica Dahlgren (1:49.00, -.52) and UCSD’s Sophia Francis (1:49.54, -1.30) over the final 50 yards. Foster took third with 1:49.88, -.93).

Top-seeded Mia Wood of Colorado School of Mines claimed victory in the final heat with 1:48.37. Lexie Baker of Queens dropped 1.2 to finish second in 1:48.68, just ahead of Indy’s Krystal Caylor (1:49.35, -.08).

Women’s 400 Yard Medley Relay – Prelims

• NCAA DII Record: 3:35.70  3/14/2019   Queens (NC) (P Lapshina, M Prayson, G DaCruz, K Dobson)
• Meet Record: 3:35.70  3/14/2019   Queens (NC) (P Lapshina, M Prayson, G DaCruz, K Dobson)
• Pool Record: 3:39.17  2/23/2018   Villanova University (D Goodwin, H Farley, M Niness, T Wilson)

Finals Qualifiers:

1. Queens 3:37.35P
2. Nova S’eastern 3:38.74P
3. Carson-Newman 3:41.41
4. Wingate 3:41.68
5. Indy 3:41.90
6. Drury 3:41.91
7. Tampa 3:42.85
8. West Chester 3:44.78
9. West Florida 3:45.00
10. Lindenwood 3:45.31
11. Sioux Falls 3:45.32
12. Bellarmine 3:46.00
13. Delta State 3:46.23
14. Truman St. 3:47.46
15. Lynn 3:49.27
16. Grand Valley 3:49.30

Queens and Nova S’eastern both took down the pool record with their prelims swims of 3:37.35 and 3:38.74, respectively. The Queens quartet feature Rachel Massaro on backstroke (53.76), Mikaela Fullerton on breast (1:01.39), Georgia DaCruz on fly (53.43), and Polina Lapshina on free (48.77).

Nova S’eastern got a backstroke leadoff from Cassandra Wright (52.94), breast from Caily Friel (1:00.91), fly from Aleksandra Maslova (54.17), and free from Jenna Johns (50.72).

Wayne State was disqualified for a 15m infraction on backstroke. UCSD and Colorado Mesa were DQd as well.