2021 NCAA Division II Men’s Championships: Day 2 Finals Live Recap

2021 NCAA Division II Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships

• Wednesday, March 17 – Saturday, March 20, 2021
• Birmingham CrossPlex / Birmingham, AL (Eastern Time Zone)
• Defending champion: Queens (5x) – 2019 results
• Streaming
• Championship Central
• Live Results
• 2021 NCAA Division II Men’s psych sheet

Day Two

Severe storms shut down the city of Birmingham, Alabama on Wednesday night so Day 1 finals were postponed to Thursday at noon. That condensed Day Two into one timed finals session instead of the usual prelims/finals format.

Men’s 3-Meter Diving

• NCAA DII Record: 624.80 – Ammar Hassan, Colorado Mesa (2018)
• Meet Record: 624.80 – Ammar Hassan, Colorado Mesa (2018)

Top 8:

1. Ammar Hassan, Colorado Mesa – 560.95
2. Ben Rader, UIndy – 521.00
3. Cole Earl – Drury – 514.40
4. Isaiah Cheeks, Colorado Mesa – 501.30
5. Chandler Livingston, Colorado Mesa – 496.85
6. Jason Lenzo, UIndy – 481.35
7. Tanner Belliston, Colorado Mesa – 479.00
8. Christopher Kelly, Grand Valley – 478.50

NCAA Division II record-holder Ammar Hassan of Colorado Mesa continued his undefeated streak in NCAA diving with his third consecutive win in the men’s 3-meter event. (There was no 3-meter event last year, as the meet was canceled before it could take place; the divers did, however, compete in prelims of the 1-meter event.)

With the condensed schedule owing to yesterday’s weather postponement, the divers completed this year’s 1-meter event in one session. Normally, prelims would have taken place today and finals, tomorrow. Hassan won handily with 560.95 points, confirming his dominance on the boards.

Ben Rader of UIndy placed second with 521.00 points. Drury’s Cole Earl came in third, boosting the team score to a 20-point lead over Queens. Hassan’s teammates Isaiah Cheeks, Chandler Livingston, and Tanner Belliston also scored in the top eight. UIndy’s Jason Lenzo was sixth, while Christopher Kelly of Grand Valley rounded out the top eight.

Men – Top 10 Teams – Through Event 18

1. Drury 141
2. Queens (Nc) 121
3. Lindenwood 84
4. Delta State 83
5. Indy 81
6. McKendree 66
7. Colorado Mesa 63
8. Grand Valley 46
9. Wayne State 44
10. Wingate 37

Men’s 200 Yard Freestyle Relay

• NCAA DII Record: 1:17.27 – Hammer, Augier, Borgen, Parker, Tampa (2016)
• Meet Record: 1:17.27 – Hammer, Augier, Borgen, Parker, Tampa (2016)

Top 8:

1. Drury – 1:16.90
2. Queens – 1:17.63
3. UIndy – 1:17.90
4. Lindenwood – 1:18.44
5. Wayne State – 1:18.92
6. Wingate – 1:19.65
7. Delta State – 1:20.31
8. Florida Southern – 1:21.29

Drury’s quartet broke the NCAA Division II and Meet Record with 1:16.90 in the final heat. Karol Ostrowski led off with 18.92, lowering his own NCAA Division II and Meet record in the 50 free. Ostrowski becomes the first D2 swimmer to break the 19-second barrier.

Ostrowski was followed by teammates Kham Glass (19.16), Caleb Carlson (19.71), and Alex Bowen (19.11).

Lindenwood won heat 3 in 1:18.44 over Wayne State (1:18.92). Delta State took heat 2 in 1:20.21. The first heat went to Florida Southern with 1:21.29.

Nova S’eastern was DQd in the final heat.

Men – Top 10 Teams – Through Event 11

1. Drury 181
2. Queens (Nc) 155
3. Lindenwood 114
4. Indy 113
5. Delta State 107
6. McKendree 84
7. Wayne State 72
8. Colorado Mesa / Wingate 63 (tie)
9. –
10. Grand Valley 58

Men’s 100 Yard Butterfly – Timed Finals

• NCAA DII Record: 44.32 – Marius Kusch, Queens (NC) (2019)
• Meet Record: 44.32 – Marius Kusch, Queens (NC) (2019)

Top 8:

1. Tim Stollings, Findlay – 45.57
2. Giulio Brugnoni, Delta State – 46.16
3. Gregg Lichinsky, McKendree – 46.29
4. Dominik Karacic, Drury – 46.46
5. Alex Kunert, Queens – 46.61
6. Michael Wolsek, Wayne State – 46.93
7. Iran Almeida, Wingate – 46.96
8. Oscar Saura Armengol, Grand Valley – 47.16

Findlay sophomore Tim Stollings, who placed seventh in prelims of the 100 fly last year (the meet was canceled before finals), took .45 off his lifetime best to win the 2021 title in 45.57. It was his first foray into sub-46 territory, and the only 45 in the field.

Delta State senior Giulio Brugnoni, runner-up in 2020, fifth in 2019, and sixth as a freshman in 2018, was second in the heat and second overall with 46.16. He finished just ahead of McKendree junior Gregg Lichinsky, who was fifth last year.

Drury’s Dominik Karacic won the previous heat in 46.46 ahead of Queens junior Alex Kunert (46.61) to place fourth overall.

Men – Top 10 Teams – Through Event 13

1. Drury 203
2. Queens (Nc) 173.5
3. Delta State 128.5
4. Lindenwood 125
5. Indy 114
6. McKendree 100
7. Wayne State 85
8. Wingate 75
9. Grand Valley 69
10. Colorado Mesa 63

Men’s 400 Yard Individual Medley – Timed Finals

• NCAA DII Record: 3:43.84 – Nick Arakelian, Queens (NC) (2015)
• Meet Record: 3:43.84 – Nick Arakelian, Queens (NC) (2015)

Top 8:

1. Fabio Dalu, McKendree – 3:45.84
2. Landon Driggers, UIndy – 3:47.73
3. Keegan Hawkins, Grand Valley – 3:48.90
4. Mohamed Hegazy, Queens – 3:49.15
5. Jan Delkeskamp, Queens – 3:49.61
6. Matheo Mateos-Mongelo, Lindenwood – 3:49.85
7. Andreas Marz, Queens – 3:50.75
8. Yannick Plasil, Queens – 3:52.21

After his record-breaking performance in the 1000 free earlier in the day, top-seeded Fabio Dalu of McKendree dropped 1.5 seconds from his seed time to win the 400 IM handily.

Grand Valley junior Keegan Hawkins led the field on the butterfly leg but UIndy freshman Landon Driggers and Dalu came roaring back on the backstroke. Driggers split 55.3 to Dalu’s 56.5 and took over the lead heading into the breaststroke. Dalu outsplit Driggers by a second over the next 100 yards and led by .9 with just the 100 free left to swim. Again, Dalu was faster by a second. He stopped the clock in 3:45.84; Driggers was second in 3:47.73. Hawking hung on for third with 3:48.90.

Heat 1 winner, junior Mohamed Hegazy of Queens, was fourth overall with his 3:49.15.

Men – Top 10 Teams – Through Event 15

1. Queens (Nc) 225.5
2. Drury 208
3. Lindenwood 147
4. Indy 132
5. Delta State 128.5
6. McKendree 120
7. Wayne State 87
8. Grand Valley 85
9. Wingate 75
10. Colorado Mesa 63

Men’s 200 Yard Freestyle – Timed Finals

• NCAA DII Record: 1:32.46 – Dion Dreesens, Queens (NC) (2016)
• Meet Record: 1:32.46 – Dion Dreesens, Queens (NC) (2016)

Top 8:

1. Karol Ostrowski, Drury / Alex Kunert, Queens – 1:33.29
2. –
3. Raphael Paiva, Carson-Newman – 1:36.11
4. Luke Erwee, Queens – 1:36.22
5. Skyler Cook-Weeks, Queens – 1:36.24
6. Xander Skinner, McKendree – 1:36.41
7. Balazs Berecz, Queens – 1:36.47
8. Marcel Snitko, Wingate – 1:36.41

In the most exciting race of the night, Drury freshman Karol Ostrowski and Queens junior Alex Kunert swimming in lanes 4 and 8, respectively, of the final heat, raced to a tie in the men’s 200 free timed final. Ostrowski was exactly a second ahead of Kunert at the halfway point, flipping at 44.16 to Kunert’s 45.16. Kunert was .02 faster on the third 50 but it was the fourth 50 that had the crowd on its feet. Just as it look as if Ostrowski was going to get his second win of the day, after the 50 free in the earlier session, Kunert came barreling home with 23.87, outsplitting Ostrowski by .98. They both hit the wall and when the waves had settled, they both clocked 1:33.29 for a shared podium.

Carson-Newman sophomore Raphael Paiva came in third in the heat and third overall with 1:36.11.

Queens had three more in the top-8 which was an enormous boost in their battle for the team title. Luke Erwee, Skyler Cook-Weeks, and Balazs Berecz placed fourth, fifth, and seventh.

Men – Top 10 Teams – Through Event 17

1. Queens (Nc) 280
2. Drury 230.5
3. Lindenwood 147
4. Indy / McKendree 133 (tie)
5. –
6. Delta State 128.5
7. Wingate 98
8. Wayne State 87
9. Grand Valley 85
10. Colorado Mesa 65

Men’s 400 Yard Medley Relay

• NCAA DII Record: 3:07.38 – Pijulet, Fedyna, Kusch, Dreesens, Queens (NC) (2017)
• Meet Record: 3:07.38 – Pijulet, Fedyna, Kusch, Dreesens, Queens (NC) (2017)

Top 8:

1. Drury – 3:08.66
2. McKendree – 3:09.84
3. Delta State – 3:10.67
4. Queens – 3:10.69
5. UIndy – 3:11.11
6. Lindenwood – 3:11.40
7. Wayne State – 3:12.94
8. Florida Southern – 3:13.70

Drury closed out the night with a 3:08.66 win in the 400 medley relay. Nathan Bighetti (46.84), Caleb Carlson (53.03), Dominik Karacic (45.87), and Alex Bowen (42.92) contributed to the effort.

McKendree, who finished third in the 200 medley relay final behind Drury and UIndy, came in second place in the 400. DaVanté Carey (47.36), Henrik Dahrendorff (53.90), Gregg Lichinsky (45.85), and Xander Skinner (42.73) combined for 3:09.84.

Delta State (Emanuel Fava, 46.82 back), Savio Ragonesi (53.91 breast), Giulio Brugnoni (45.99 fly), and Tucker Schroer (43.95 free) won the previous heat with 3:10.67 for third overall.

Men – Top 10 Teams – Through Event 20

1. Queens (Nc) 315
2. Drury 270.5
3. Lindenwood 173
4. McKendree 167
5. Indy 161
6. Delta State 160.5
7. Wayne State 111
8. Wingate 109
9. Grand Valley 99
10. Colorado Mesa 65