2024 NAIA National Championships: Day 3 Finals Live Recap

2024 NAIA Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving National Championships

• Dates: March 6-9, 2024
• Times: Prelims 9AM Eastern, Finals 5PM Eastern
• Location: Columbus Aquatics Center in Columbus, Georgia
• Defending Champions:
  • Keiser women (2x)
  • Keiser men (5x)
• Psych Sheets:
  • Men’s Psych Sheet
  • Women’s Psych Sheet
• Live Results
• Live Video

Day 3

Women’s 400 Yard Individual Medley – Finals

• Meet Record: 4:22.69 – Elisa Corradi, Cumberlands (2023)

Podium:

1. Rachel Bradley, Keiser – 4:22.41
2. Marine Lecomte, Keiser – 4:29.81
3. Alessia Claassen, St Thomas – 4:32.89
4. Emma Phillips, Union – 4:33.36
5. Alicja Sedlak, Cumberlands – 4:35.36
6. Taylor King, ONU – 4:36.70
7. Olga Bukowska, Brenau – 4:36.98
8. Claudia Ashford, St Thomas – 4:38.75

Keiser sophomore Rachel Bradley won the 400 IM with a new meet record of 4:22.41. She dropped 2.4 seconds off her seed time and was 3 full seconds faster than she’d been a year ago. Bradley was runner-up in last year’s final, when Elisa Corradi of Cumberlands clocked a record-breaking time of 4:22.69. Bradley’s improvement came mainly in the middle 100, where she was .7 faster on the back and 1.4 faster on the breast:

Her Kaiser teammate Marine Lecomte placed second, nearly half a pool length in her rearview mirror, with 4:29.81. It was another 3 seconds before the next wave hit the wall, led by St Thomas’s Alessia Claassen (4:32.89) and Union’s Emma Phillips (4:33.36).

ONU’s Kayla Parry won the consolation final in 4:33.59, 1.8 seconds ahead of the field.

Men’s 400 Yard Individual Medley – Finals

• Meet Record: 3:51.08 – Stephen Gilbert, Milligan (2022)

Podium:

1. Stephen Gilbert, Milligan – 3:53.52
2. Adam Conrad, St Thomas – 3:56.36
3. Fynn Kunze, Keiser – 3:57.18
4. Marcelo Rojas Ariza, Cumberlands – 4:01.69
5. Oier Fernandez, St Thomas – 4:02.52
6. Marat Usov, St Ambrose – 4:02.58
7. Peyton Berter, Cumberlands – 4:05.25
8. Theo Myklebusthaug, Keiser – 4:09.22

Milligan senior Stephen Gilbert reclaimed the 400 IM title he had won in 2022 with a meet record but had ceded to Keiser’s Fynn Kunze a year ago. Swimming out of lane 1, Gilbert was second to Cumberlands’ Marcelo Rojas Ariza at the 50 but led the field at the 100 with 52.26. He increased his lead on the backstroke, splitting 58.8, and held on with 1:08.4 on the breast. Gilbert came home in 54.0 to register a 3:53.52 for the win. He was nearly 3 seconds faster than runner-up Adam Conrad of St Thomas (3:56.36), who shot past Kunze on the final 50 of freestyle to finish more than half a second ahead of the defending champion.

Life’s Mate Dort won the B final by more than 1.5 seconds with 4:03.40.

Women’s 100 Yard Butterfly – Finals

• Meet Record: 53.70 – Lisa Tixier, Biola (2017)

Podium:

1. Valentina Zapata, Cumberlands – 55.32
2. Ines Laurent, Keiser – 55.61
3. Zselyke Papp, Keiser – 56.30
4. Danai Sofoulis, Keiser – 57.15
5. Ayla Pierce, University of St Mary (KS) – 57.30
6. Aspen Shipp, Thomas – 57.45
7. Eva Garraux, Arizona Christian – 57.60
8. Gabby MacPherson, Milligan – 58.12

Valentina Zapata of Cumberlands, who placed 13th in this event a year ago, came from behind to touch out Keiser teammates Ines Laurent (55.61), Zselyke Papp (56.30), and Danai Sofoulis (57.15). Zapata was third at the halfway mark with 25.80, trailing Laurent (25.40) and Papp (25.64). She powered home in 29.5, the only sub-30 in the final, to win with 55.32.

Brenau’s Emma Verkuyl went 57.66 to win the B final in a close race with Indiana Wesleyan’s Chloe Hogue (57.93)

Men’s 100 Yard Butterfly – Finals

• Meet Record: 46.12 – Daniel Ramirez, Oklahoma Baptist (2015)

Podium:

1. Steven Aimable, St Thomas – 47.29
2. Thomas Holzkamm, Cumberlands – 47.94
3. Angel Margaritov, Keiser – 48.75
4. Hudson Trammell, Milligan – 48.92
5. Kuba Loboda, Bethel (TN) – 49.07
6. Robin Kilian, Keiser – 49.10
7. Ruthiik Satti, Cumberlands – 49.24
8. Mikhi Hassim, St Ambrose – 49.27

Steven Aimable of St Thomas held onto his #1 seeding and won the men’s 100 fly by half a body length with 47.29. He was out with Cumberlands’ Thomas Holzkamm at the 50, but his back half was faster by over half a second. Aimable and Holzkamm (47.94) were the only sub-48s in the field.

Keiser’s Angel Margaritov (48.75) got the edge on the next wave of finishers who came to the wall with .35 of each other.

Similarly, less than .8 separated 9th through 16th in the B final. Bethel Indiana’s Logan Berndt got the win with 49.37.

Women’s 200 Yard Freestyle – Finals

• Meet Record: 1:49.58 – Alex Peters, Concordia Irvine (2011)

Podium:

1. Kylee Sears, Master’s – 1:50.28
2. Halle Briner, Olivet Nazarene – 1:52.09
3. Aubrey Bach, Keiser – 1:52.34
4. Hanne te Velthuis, Milligan – 1:52.45
5. Haley Vanbuskirk, SCAD – 1:52.49
6. Regan Garcia, St Thomas – 1:52.64
7. Jaylyn Harrison, Bethel (IN) – 1:53.29
8. Martine Abrahamsen, St Thomas – 1:56.45

Kylee Sears of The Master’s University was 1.3 seconds faster than she’d been in prelims, but she was off her season-best time of 1:49.67, which was her seed time coming into the meet. And while she didn’t break the meet record, she won the 200 free title by well over a body length with a decisive 1:50.28.

In her wake were ONU’s Halle Briner (1:52.09), Keiser’s Aubrey Bach (1:52.34), Milligan’s Hanne te Velthuis (1:52.45), SCAD’s Haley Vanbuskirk (1:52.49), and St Thomas’s Regan Garcia (1:52.64).

Sears (4th), Briner (6th), Bach (5th), Vanbuskirk (2nd), and St Thomas’s Martine Abrahamsen (8th) were all in last year’s A final, as well.

Keiser’s Timea Aspegren clocked a 1:54.24 to win the B final.

Men’s 200 Yard Freestyle – Finals

• Meet Record: 1:34.89 3 – Joel Ax, SCAD (2017)

Podium:

1. Daniel Laureyssens, St Thomas – 1:36.36
2. Carlos Trinidad Sancho, Keiser – 1:37.90
3. William Birkett, St Thomas – 1:38.13
4. Jan Gastal, SCAD – 1:38.23
5. Dylan Crane, Master’s – 1:39.01
6. Robbie Garden, St Thomas – 1:39.05
7. Hanno Boeckmann, Keiser – 1:39.15
8. Ivan Amillo-Escobedo, Keiser – 1:40.23

Daniel Laureyssens of St Thomas picked up his second individual title of the meet with a 1:36.36 win in the 200 free. He also won the 500 free on Thursday night. Laureyssens led from start to finish; he took it out in 22.34, then evenly split the next three 50s with 24.7, 24.6, and 24.5.

Keiser’s Carlos Trinidad Sancho, who was 6th at the 50 and 7th at the 100, came home with a pair of 24.9s to finish in second place with 1:37.90, just touching out St Thomas’s William Birkett (1:38.13) and SCAD’s Jan Gastal (1:38.23).

Zoltan Tompos from SCAD notched a 1:39.15 to win the B final by half a body length.

Women’s 100 Yard Breaststroke – Finals

• Meet Record: 1:02.01 – Nikoline Biltoft-Jensen, Keiser (2023)

Podium:

1. Stella Warborn, St Thomas – 1:01.41
2. Nikoline Biltoft-Jensen, Keiser – 1:01.54
3. Nikki Hahn, SCAD – 1:02.85
4. Julie Vega, Olivet Nazarene – 1:02.90
5. Lily Wright, College of St Mary – 1:04.25
6. Bridget O’Grady, St Ambrose – 1:04.81
7. Tessa Ip Hen Cheung, Brenau – 1:04.85
8. Sara Motyl, Lindsey Wilson – 1:05.19

In what might have been the night’s most exciting race, the 1:02 barrier was broken for the first time in NAIA history – and by not one but TWO swimmers. Stella Warborn of St Thomas and Nikoline Biltoft-Jensen from Keiser both went 1:01-mids to take down the meet mark set by Biltoft-Jensen a year ago with 1:02.01.

Biltoft-Jensen was out first, leading the field at the 50 with 29.12. Warborn was .32 back with 29.44. The second 50 saw Warborn take control; she split 31.9 on the back half to pass Biltoft-Jensen and register a 1:01.41 to etch her name in the record book. Biltoft-Jensen’s 1:01.54, which in any other year would have broken the meet record, was good enough for second place.

SCAD’s Nikki Hahn touched out Julie Vega of Olivet Nazarene, 1:02.85 to 1:02.90, for third place. Vega was 3rd last year, while Hahn placed 4th.

Brianna Hernandez from St Thomas won the B final in 1:05.57.

Men’s 100 Yard Breaststroke – Finals

• Meet Record: 51.43 – Noel de Geus, Keiser (2024)

Podium:

1. Noel de Geus, Keiser – 51.80
2. Caleb Fry, Milligan – 53.56
3. Bence Meresz, Life – 54.39
4. Dorian Bachlaj, Cumberlands – 54.54
5. Alex Kusik, Keiser – 54.80
6. Ikuto Yoshida, Arizona Christian – 54.83
7. Leon Irmer, Cumberlands – 55.56
8. Yurri Prokopchuk, Point – 56.08

After having destroyed the previous meet record in prelims with 51.43, Keiser’s Noel de Geus won the 100 breast final handily, but was about four-tenths off his morning time, with 51.80. De Geus took it out just .03 faster in finals with 23.81 on the first 50, but he was .40 slower coming home with 27.99.

Milligan’s Caleb Fry finished second with 53.56. That’s more than 1.1 seconds faster than he was a year ago when he placed 4th in the A final.

Bence Meresz of Life hung on to touch out a fast-charging Dorian Bachlaj of Cumberlands. Meresz was .6 ahead at the 50 with 25.00; Bachlaj outsplit him on the second 50 by over .4 but it wasn’t enough to secure third place. Meresz won the battle, 54.39 to 54.54.

Keiser’s Theo Myklebusthaug won the B final with 55.30.

Women’s 100 Yard Backstroke – Finals

• Meet Record: 52.76 – Cheyenne Coffman, Fresno Pacific (2012)

Podium:

1. Maaike Broersma, Lindsey Wilson – 54.12
2. Olivia Cummins, Indiana Wesleyan – 55.69
3. Marine Lecomte, Keiser – 56.09
4. Lorie Seranski, Kaiser – 56.18
5. Ellie Ricken, Indiana Wesleyan – 56.52
6. Aspen Shipp, Thomas – 57.74
7. Gabby Darakchieva, Ave Maria – 58.12

Lindsey Wilson’s Maaike Broersma claimed the 100 back title by a full body length with 54.12. Already up by nearly .7 at the 50, she came home with the fastest second half to split 25.89-28.23. Indiana Wesleyan’s Olivia Cummins, last year’s consolation final winner, was runner-up with 55.69, improving by 1.4 seconds in a year.

Keiser’s Marine Lecomte edged teammate Lorie Seranski, 56.09 to 56.18, for third place.

Natalia Gorska of Lindsey Wilson was disqualified in lane 1 for having violated the 15-meter rule.

The B final went to Eve Thomas of Loyola New Orleans in 58.43.

Men’s 100 Yard Backstroke – Finals

• Meet Record: Meet Record: 46.28 – Daniel Z Ramirez, Oklahoma Baptist (2014)

Podium:

1. Alex Marrero, St Thomas – 48.10
2. Matt Mizell, St Thomas – 48.16
3. Jokubas Jankauskas, Cumberlands – 48.19
4. Matheus Queiroz, Keiser – 48.47
5. Nestor Montero, St Thomas – 49.50
6. Ruthiik Satti, Cumberlands – 49.64
7. Paxton Smith, Milligan – 49.72
8. Finlay Saunders, SCAD – 50.00

Friday night ended with a photo finish in the 100 back, as St Thomas’s Alex Marrero (48.10) and Matt Mizell (48.16) and Cumberlands’ Jokubas Jankauskas (48.19) came to the wall together.

Mizell had a slight edge on the field at the halfway mark, flipping at 22.98. Marrero was only .05 behind, while Jankauskas was another .25 back with Keiser’s Matheus Queiroz and St Thomas’s Nestor Montero.

The second half proved decisive, with Marrero going 25.07 to Mizell’s 25.18. Jankauskas charged hard, outsplitting them both with 24.91, but he fell just short of the title.

Queiros led the next group of finishers, going 48.47 for fourth place. Only .25 separated fourth from seventh.

SCAD’s Samuel Page claimed the win in the B final with 50.05.

Men’s 1-Meter Diving – Finals

• Meet Record: 587.35 – Grant Brehaut, Simon Fraser (2004)

Podium:

1. Nicholas Bohm, Bethel (IN) – 271.35
2. Andrew Cestra, Keiser – 268.35
3. Evan Bennett, Aquinas – 257.75
4. Troy Borrero, Aquinas – 246.25
5. Owen Fleck, Bethel (IN) – 232.50
6. Liam Smith, Cumberlands – 200.15
7. Lane Otte, St Ambrose – 182.05
8. Bram Mess, St Ambrose – 180.30

Bethel’s Nicholas Bohm won the 1-meter diving event for the third year in a row. It was his second individual title of the meet; he earned gold on the 3-meter board on Wednesday. Bohm scored 271.35 points to secure the win over Keiser’s Andrew Cestra, who was also runner-up in 3-meter diving.

Evan Bennett and Troy Borrero of Aquinas came in third and fourth, followed by Bethel’s Owen Fleck, Liam Smith of Cumberlands, and Lane Otte and Bram Mess from St Ambrose.

Mess was runner-up a year ago, while Fleck placed third.

Women’s 400 Yard Medley Relay – Timed Finals

• Meet Record: 3:44.56 – Fresno Pacific (2012)

Podium:

1. Keiser – 3:44.00
2. Lindsey Wilson – 3:47.45
3. Olivet Nazarene – 3:52.36
4. Milligan – 3:53.04
5. Indiana Wesleyan – 3:53.09
6. St Thomas – 3:54.20
7. SCAD – 3:55.44
8. Master’s – 3:57.06

Keiser’s Marine Lecomte (56.25), Nikoline Biltoft-Jensen (1:01.64), Ines Laurent (54.71), and Danai Sofoulis (51.40) combined for 3:44.00 to take down the 12-year-old meet record of 3:44.56 set by Fresno Pacific at the 2012 championships.

Lindsey Wilson finished 3 seconds behind Keiser, but nearly 5 ahead of ONU. Milligan touched out Indiana Wesleyan for fourth place by .05.

Men’s 400 Yard Medley Relay – Timed Finals

• Meet Record: 3:12.72 – St. Thomas (2023)

Podium:

1. Keiser – 3:11.87
2. Cumberlands – 3:13.68
3. St Thomas – 3:16.01
4. Milligan – 3:16.95
5. SCAD – 3:19.70
6. Master’s – 3:22.24
7. St Ambrose – 3:22.27
8. Thomas – 3:23.63

Not to be outdone by their women, the Keiser men crushed the meet record as well. Matheus Queiroz (48.78), Noel de Geus (51.65), Angel Margaritov (47.74), and Hanno Boeckmann (43.70) took a big .85 bite out of the 3:12.72 mark set by St Thomas in 2023, going 3:11.87 to win by 1.8 seconds over Cumberlands (3:13.68). St Thomas placed thid with 3:16.01, less than a second ahead of Milligan (3:16.95).

Women’s Top Ten After Day 3

1. Keiser University 426.5
2. St Thomas University 306
3. Olivet Nazarene University 221
4. Milligan University 220
5. Lindsey Wilson College 206
6. Indiana Wesleyan University 175
7. Savannah College of Art and Design 162
8. University of the Cumberlands 152
9. The Master’s University 139
10. Bethel University (Indiana) 98

Men’s Top Ten After Day 3

1. Keiser University 450
2. St Thomas University 428
3. University of the Cumberlands 296
4. Milligan University 246
5. Savannah College of Art and Design 217
6. Saint Ambrose University 208
7. The Master’s University 126
8. Thomas University 115
9. Bethel University (Indiana) 110
10. Olivet Nazarene University 85