2023 NCAA Division II Championships: Day 3 Prelims Live Recap

2023 NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships

• Dates: Wednesday, March 7 – Saturday, March 11, 2023
• Location: Indiana University Natatorium, Indianapolis, IN
• Times: Prelims 10:00 AM / Finals 6:00 PM
• Defending Champs: Queens women (7x) & Queens men (7x)
• Live Results
• Women’s Psych Sheet (PDF)
• Men’s Psych Sheet (PDF)
• Women’s Live Stream
• Men’s Live Stream
• Day 1 Results (PDF)
• Day 2 Results (PDF)
• Day 3 Prelims Heat Sheet

Nova S’eastern continued to build on their lead in the women’s meet on Day 2 of the 2023 NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships and now lead Indy by 38 points. Drury and Colorado Mesa are battling for third place, although Lynn, West Chester and Wayne State are close on their heels. Indy tops the men’s meet so far, where the team race is much closer. McKendree, Tampa and Drury are all within reach of the top slot and will jockey for position today.

Day 3 brings us heats of the women’s and men’s 100 fly, 400 IM, and 200 free and the men’s 3-meter diving. NCAA D2 record-holder Ann Carozza of West Chester leads the entrants in the 100 fly with 52.92. Manon Compagner of Carson-Newman, Lynn’s Luna Mertins, and Paige Mikesell of IUP are all seeded with sub-54s. Mertins won this event last year, edging Carozza in the final. Nova S’eastern’s May Lowy tops the entry field in the 400 IM by 3 seconds with 4:12.74, a time that would have won last year’s final by 1.3 seconds. Arguably the most anticipated race of the day will be the women’s 200 free, in which Nova S’eastern’s Emilia Ronningdal, who won the 200 IM yesterday, and Emily Trieschmann, who won the 1000 free with a new D2 record, are top seeds in the 200 free with 1:47.04 and 1:47.53, respectively. Helga Fodor of Lynn is also seeded with a sub-1:48.

McKendree’s Gregg Lichinsky, who has finished third in the 100 fly in each of the last two years, is seeded at the top with 46.00. Tim Stollings of Findlay, who won in 2021 and was runner-up a year ago, comes in with 46.14, and the next seven entrants are all seeded with 46.4 or faster. The 400 IM will feature some of last night’s 200 IM finalists including the 2023 champion Benjamin Sampson of Colorado Mesa. He comes in with the top time of 3:45.23. Tampa’s Santiago Corredor, third in the 200 IM final, is seeded second with 3:45.75. Cedric Buessing of Indy, last night’s 1000 free winner and the runner-up in this event last year, is seeded with 3:46.02. Nova S’eastern’s Thomas Flower leads the entrants in the 200 free by 1.3 seconds with 1:33.92.

Top 10 Women’s Teams After Day 2

1. Nova S’Eastern 182
2. Indy 144
3. Drury 97
4. Colorado Mesa 85
5. Lynn 77
6. (TIE) West Chester / Wayne State 75
7. –
8. Wingate 66
9. West Florida 50
10. McKendree 48

Top 10 Men’s Teams After Day 2

1. Indy 121.5
2. McKendree 105.5
3. Tampa 103
4. Drury 97
5. Colorado Mesa 76.5
6. Wingate 72
7. Grand Valley 66
8. Florida Southern 65.5
9. Findlay 65
10. Oklahoma Christian 61

Women’s 100 Butterfly – Prelims

• NCAA DII Record: 52.06 – Ann Carozza, West Chester (2022)
• Meet Record: 52.06 – Ann Carozza, West Chester (2022)

Finals qualifiers:

1. Ann Carozza, West Chester – 53.01
2. Manon Compagner, Carson-Newman – 53.35
3. Luna Mertins, Lynn – 53.44
4. Paige Mikesell, IUP – 53.45
5. Stefanie Markwardt, West Florida – 53.92
6. Isabelle Sering, Saint Leo – 54.12
7. Alysa Wager, Grand Valley – 54.43
8. Mikayla Kloth, Delta State – 54.50
9. Emily Mears-Bentley, Findlay – 54.62
10. Justice Glasgow, Southern Conn – 54.80
11. Mellie Wijk, Drury – 54.83
12. Mika Heideyer, Indy – 55.17
13. Aleksandra Maslova, Nova S’eastern – 55.35
14. Julia Magierowska, Indy – 55.41
15. Kiara Borchardt, Colorado Mesa – 55.61
16. Celina Marquez, Nova S’eastern – 55.63

The morning began with a 1-second drop from Justice Glasgow of Southern Connecticut in heat 1 of the 100 fly; she notched a 54.80 and won by 3 seconds.

Defending champion Luna Mertins of Lynn won heat 2 in 53.44 ahead of Saint Leo’s Isabelle Sering (54.12) and Drury’s Mellie Wijk (54.83).

Manon Compagner of Carson-Newman, 15th in this event a year ago, clocked a 53.35 to win heat 3 and move into the lead with one heat to go. Behind her, Stefanie Markwardt (53.92) of West Florida beat Findlay’s Emily Mears-Bentley by seven-tenths for second place.

NCAA D2 record-holder Ann Carozza of West Chester took the final heat in 53.01, followed by Paige Mikesell of IUP (53.45) and Alysa Wager of Grand Valley (54.43). Mikesell was runner-up in 2021 and placed seventh in 2022.

Men’s 100 Butterfly – Prelims

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

Finals qualifiers:

1. Gregg Lichinsky, McKendree – 46.36
2. Camilo Montano Marrugo, Findlay – 46.41
3. Tim Stollings, Findlay – 46.44
4. Dominik Karacic, Drury – 46.69
5. Jackson Lustig, McKendree – 46.78
6. Steven Aimable, Nova S’eastern – 46.81
7. Jase Pinckney, Henderson State – 46.94
8. Kael Yorke, Indy – 47.35
9. Serhii Agadzhanyan, Indy – 47.39
10. Nathan Bighetti, Drury – 47.45
11. Michael Wolsek, Wayne State – 47.51
12. Jeron Thompson, Indy – 47.56
13. Jack Armstrong – Henderson State – 46.39
14. Jan Bialecki, Fresno Pacific – 47.77
15. Connor Cary, Clarion – 47.89
16. Oskar Sawicki, Drury – 47.91

The men’s 100 fly event began with a tie in heat 1, with both David Bocci of Clarion and Luke Dinges of Rollins coming to the wall in 48.39. Bartolomiej Swiderski of Indy won a tight race in heat 2, going 48.08 ahead of Florida Tech’s Daniel Aizenberg (48.17) and Wingate’s Balint Kovacs (48.25).

Jackson Lustig of McKendree went 46.78 to come to the wall first in heat 3. Indy’s Sergii Agadzhanyan (47.39) edged Drury’s Nathan Bighetti (47.45) for second. Bighetti won the consolation final in 2022 after finishing 10th in this event in 2021.

It was a photo finish in heat 4, as Camilo Marrugo-Montano of Findlay (46.41) touched out teammate Tim Stollings (46.44) for the win. The teammates swam in lanes 5 and 4 and led the heat by half a body. Henderson State’s Jase Pinckney came in third with 46.94.

Top-seeded Gregg Lichinsky of McKendree took the final heat in 46.36, with Drury’s Dominik Karacic (46.69) and Nova S’eastern’s Steven Aimable (46.81) in tow. Karacic is the defending champion; Stollings, who won the title in 2021, was runner-up last year while Lichinsky placed third.

Women’s 400 Individual Medley – Prelims

• NCAA DII Record: 4:08.56 – Patri Castro Ortega, Queens (NC) (2016)
• Meet Record: 4:08.56 – Patri Castro Ortega, Queens (NC) (2016)

Finals qualifiers:

1. May Lowy, Nova S’eastern – 4:17.68
2. Savanna Best, Nova S’eastern – 4:18.44
3. Aurora Duncan, Drury – 4:20.28
4. Kaitlyn McCoy, Indy – 4:20.29
5. Sophia Bains, Colorado Mesa – 4:21.98
6. (TIE) Andrea Gomez Espinosa, Indy / Katie O’Connell, Grand Valley – 4:22.44
7. –
8. Lily Borgenheimer, Colorado Mesa – 4:22.52
9. Franziska Muhlberger, Wingate – 4:23.06
10. Karolina Dubcakova, Indy – 4:24.21
11. Cheyenne Denison, Oklahoma Christian – 4:24.31
12. Maria Fe Munoz, Drury – 4:24.58
13. Kylie Beaudet, Cal State East Bay – 4:25.60
14. Lillian Sanocki, Wingate – 4:25.67
15. Susana Ungo, Emmanuel – 4:25.71
16. Sarah Gormley, McKendree – 4:26.05

McKendree’s Sarah Gormley dropped 2.9 seconds in the first heat of 400 IM and just eked out a 4:26.05-to-4:26.26 win over IUP’s Rachel Johnson, who improved her seed time by 2.5 seconds.

Karolina Dubcakova of Indy won heat 2 from the outside lane, taking 4.2 seconds off her seed time to clock a 4:24.21 and win by more than a body length. Second to the wall was Cal State East Bay’s Kylie Beaudet (2:25.60).

Sophia Bains of Colorado Mesa won heat 3 with 4:21.98. Andrea Gomez Espinosa was half a body back with 4:22.44. She just out-touched Drury’s Claire Conover in lane 4, but the latter was disqualified for a stroke violation (butterfly kick on the breaststroke). Third place went to Wingate’s Franziska Muhlberger in 4:23.06.

Aurora Duncan of Drury improved her entry time by 4 seconds to win heat 4 out of lane 7 in 4:20.28. She touched out Indy’s Kaitlyn McCoy by .01 and Grand Valley’s Katie O’Connell by .16. McCoy and Carson-Newman’s Rachel Peden were way out front after the backstroke. Lily Borgenheimer of Colorado Mesa, the top seed in the heat, was in seventh place before the breaststroke. She moved to fifth on the breast and came within .08 of beating O’Connell for third place in the heat.

Swimming in the middle lanes, Nova S’eastern’s May Lowy and Savanna Best put on a show in the final heat, swimming together throughout much of the race and finishing 1-2 in 4:17.68 and 4:18.44, respectively. Cheyenne Denison of Oklahoma Christian beat Wingate’s Lillian Sanocki for third, 4:24.31 to 4:25.67.

Men’s 400 Individual Medley – Prelims

• NCAA DII Record: 3:42.49 – Collyn Gagne, Simon Fraser (2022)
• Meet Record: 3:42.49 – Collyn Gagne, Simon Fraser (2022)

Finals qualifiers:

1. Jarryd Baxter, Nova S’eastern – 3:48.92
2. Cedric Buessing, Indy – 3:49.19
3. Hayden Curley, Tampa – 3:50.26
4. Joao Nogueira, Drury – 3:51.17
5. Benjamin Sampson, Colorado Mesa – 3:51.21
6. Andrew Rodriguez, Drury – 3:51.61
7. Santiago Corredor, Tampa – 3:52.04
8. Keegan Hawkins, Grand Valley – 3:52.31
9. Miguel Marcos, Wingate – 3:52.48
10. Kirill Sidorko, Lewis – 3:53.00
11. Mariano Sosa, Lewis – 3:53.08
12. Micah McRea, Lenoir-Rhyne – 3:53.43
13. Juan Daniel Garcia Ruiz – 3:54.07
14. Kyle Benjamin, Colorado Mesa – 3:54.82
15. Connor Bishsel, Missouri S&T – 3:55.36
16. Erikas Kapocius, Northern Michigan – 3:55.62

Drury’s Ivan Dubinin kicked off heats of men’s 400 IMs with a 3:57.30-to-3:57.93 win over Conley Savage of Missouri-St. Louis. Cedric Buessing of Indy, who won the 1000 free last night, cruised to the wall in 3:49.19 to win the first circle-seeded heat by three body lengths. Kirill Sidorko of Lewis led the next wave, touching in 3:53.00. Lenoir-Rhyne’s Micah McRae was third in 3:53.43.

Hayden Curley of Tampa went 3:50.26 to win heat 4 ahead of Drury’s Andrew Rodriguez (3:51.61), Tampa’s Santiago Corredor (3:52.04), and Grand Valley’s Keegan Hawkins (3:52.31).

Jarryd Baxter of Nova S’eastern won the final heat with 3:48.92. He had a lead of more than a body length after the breaststroke, with Benjamin Sampson of Colorado Mesa – the 200 IM champion last night – and Drury’s Joao Nogueira leading the next wave. Over the final 50 yards, Baxter snagged the win while Nogueira slipped past Sampson between the flags and the wall and earned second place (3:51.17).

Women’s 200 Freestyle – Prelims

• NCAA DII Record: 1:44.44 – Patri Castro Ortega, Queens (2016)
• Meet Record: 1:45.27 – Patri Castro Ortega, Queens (2015)

Finals qualifiers:

1. Emily Trieschmann, Nova S’eastern – 1:47.68
2. Kiara Pozvai, Henderson State – 1:48.22
3. Manon Compagner, Carson-Newman – 1:48.31
4. Emilia Ronningdal, Nova S’eastern – 1:48.41
5. Josephine Bushell, Drury – 1:48.60
6. Ellie Walker, Drury – 1:48.65
7. Mika Heideyer, Indy – 1:48.69
8. Paige Mikesell, IUP – 1:48.87
9. Helga Fodor, Lynn – 1:48.95
10. Kate Agger, Wingate – 1:49.44
11. Katerina Matoskova, Colorado Mesa – 1:49.52
12. Montana White, Azusa Pacific – 1:49.73
13. Mikayla Niness, West Chester – 1:49.81
14. Lauren White, Colorado Mesa – 1:49.85
15. Laura Dekoninck, Lynn – 1:49.95
16. Jocelyn Zgola, McKendree – 1:49.96

Logan Anderson of Colorado Mesa made a huge splash in heat 1 with a 2.1-second drop from her seed for a winning time of 1:50.70. Teammate Ruby Bottai also improved on her entry time, winning the next heat by a body length with 1:50.97.

In her second swim of the morning, IUP’s Paige Mikesell win heat 3 from the outside lane, dropping 2.7 seconds from her entry time to clock a 1:48.87. On the other side of the pool, Katherine Helminiak of Florida Tech finished second with 1:50.61.

Wingate’s Kate Agger brought more outside smoke in the next heat, improving on her entry time by 1.3 seconds to win with 1:49.44. The next three finishers – Keeley Durkin of West Chester and Wingate’s Lucinda Andrews and Nina Azirovic – were only separated by .15, ranging from 1:50.14 to 1:50.29.

Josephine Bushell of Drury came from behind to touch out Lynn’s Helga Fodor and win heat 5 with 1:48.60. Bushell split 27.96 on the final 50 yards, seven-tenths faster than Fodor (1:48.95), who had been solidly in front at the 150. Katerina Matoskova of Colorado Mesa was third with 1:49.52.

Emily Trieschmann of Nova S’eastern, who won the 1000 with a new NCAA D2 record on Wednesday night, took heat 6 in 1:47.63. Carson-Newman’s Manon Compagner, also in her second event, was runner-up with 1:48.31, a drop of seven-tenths off her seed time. Lucy Hedley of Grand Valley was DQd for a false start.

Kiara Pozvai of Henderson State upset the field in the final heat, winning from lane 7 with 1:48.22 and knocking 1.5 seconds off her entry time. Nova S’eastern’s Emilia Ronningdal, last night’s 200 IM champion, was second with 1:48.41. Ellie Walker of Drury edged Mika Heideyer of Indy, 1:48.65 to 1:48.69, for third.

Men’s 200 Freestyle – Prelims

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

Finals qualifiers:

1. Marcel Snitko, Wingate – 1:35.15
2. Alireza Yavari, McKendree – 1:35.41
3. Victor Rosado, Oklahoma Christian – 1:35.76
4. Matthew Bosch, Grand Valley – 1:35.79
5. Thomas Flower, Nova S’eastern – 1:35.93
6. Santiago Aguilera, Tampa – 1:36.21
7. Roger Miret Sala, Grand Valley – 1:36.39
8. Alejandro Robles Ruiz, Saginaw Valley – 1:36.56
9. Barnabas Fluck, Tampa – 1:36.67
10. Matheus Laperriere, Colorado Mesa – 1:36.69
11. Gabriel Costa, Wingate – 1:36.82
12. Raf Hendriks, St. Cloud – 1:36.85
13. Brandon Heredia, Oklahoma Christian – 1:36.88
14. Serhii Agadzhanyan, Indy – 1:37.02
15. Parker Knollman, Tampa – 1:37.06
16. Connor Wiedemeier, Missouri S&T – 1:37.26

Josue Hernandez of Drury eked out a close victory in heat 1 over Christian Hedeen of Indy, 1:38.64 to 1:38.84. Both were seeded with 1:39s.

Serhii Agadzhanyan of Indy edged Tampa’s Parker Knollman by .04 in the next heat, 1:37.02 to 1:37.06. Eric Hieber of Grand Valley touched third in 1:37.91.

Tampa’s Barnabas Fluck (1:36.67) beat Colorado Mesa’s Matheus Laperriere (1:36.69) for the third photo finish in a row. Wingate’s Gabriel Costa was third in the heat with 1:36.82.

Heat 4 gave us our first sub-1:36s, with Marcel Snitko of Tampa winning in 1:35.15 ahead of McKendree’s Alireza Yavaro (1:35.41) and Oklahoma Christian’s Victor Rosado (1:35.76).

Grand Valley’s Matthew Bosch (1:35.79) just got past Nova S’eastern’s Thomas Flower (1:35.93) to win the final heat. His GVSU teammate Roger Miret Sala came in third with 1:36.39.

Men’s 3-Meter Diving – Prelims

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

Finals qualifiers:

1. Isaiah Cheeks, Colorado Mesa – 555.35
2. Cole Earl, Drury – 527.40
3. Zach Schering, Clarion – 521.25
4. Julio Osuna Kelly, Indy – 508.25
5. Jason Lenzo, Indy – 489.55
6. Cade Hammond, Indy – 486.20
7. Jack Beattie, Clarion – 471.75
8. Dawson Wilson, Colorado Mesa – 436.80
9. Wrigley Fields, Grand Valley – 432.95
10. Jordan Morret, Clarion – 430.70
11. Carter Wood, UTPB – 430.20
12. Tobias Stiles, NMU – 429.70
13. Wyatt Hermanson, Colorado Mesa – 427.00
14. Matthew Lenzo, UTPB – 419.45
15. Isaiah Swilley, Grand Valley – 415.55
16. Ryan Whaley, Delta State – 408.50