Press releases courtesy of Grand Canyon & Wyoming:
Grand Canyon release:
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The Grand Canyon men’s swimming and diving team started 2019 with impressive victories, defeating California Baptist 175-125 and Wyoming 157-143 on Saturday. The men won 11 of their events against the Lancers and Cowboys.
“These were great wins to start off 2019 for us,” Lopes head coach Steve Schaffer said. “Our first-year men made the difference for us. Today really showed our talent and depth.”
The Lopes got off to a fast start, winning the first event of the meet, the 200-yard medley relay. The relay team of Mark Nikolaev, Asahi Nagahata, Daniil Antipov and Mazen Shoukri finished first with a time of 1 minute, 31.34 seconds.
Alonso Carazo Barbero followed up the relay victory for the Lopes by winning the 100 freestyle with a time of 9:37.90. Carazo Barbero finished off one of his best meets of his freshman year, finishing second in the 400 individual medley.
In the 200-yard freestyle, GCU claimed the top two finishers, as Samuel McKenzie won the event with a time of 1:40.39, while Antipov finished second (1:40.72).
Nikolaev continued his winning ways in 2019, winning the 100 backstroke with a time of 49.38 and the 200 backstroke (1:50.32).
Antipov won the 100 butterfly with a time of 47.66 and the 200 butterfly in 1:50.82.
Bogdan Plavin and Florent Janin earned the one-two punch, as Plavin won the 50 freestyle with a time of 20.46, while Janin finished right behind in second (20.99).
In the 100 freestyle, McKenzie picked up his first victory of 2019, winning the event in 45.99. Janin finished in third with a time of 46.16.
The Lopes were victorious in the final event of the day, winning the 400 freestyle relay. McKenzie, Janin, Plavin and Nikolaev propelled the Lopes with a winning time of 3:02.66.
“McKenzie, Carazo Barbero, Dylan Nasser and Janin all had significant swims for us,” Schaffer said. “Mazen Shoukri got injured early on, so the freshman and our senior group of Plavin, Antipov and Nikolaev stepped up to pick up the victories for us.”
In the 1-meter dive, Pietro Hufnagel Toscani took second with 281.15 points. Nick Benson finished behind in fourth (243.00). In the 3-meter dive, Benson finished in second with 284.70 points, with Hufnagel Toscani finishing in third with 274.00.
“This was a good way to start 2019,” Schaffer said. “We have a quick turnaround as we head to BYU next weekend. They will be a good test.”
The Lopes head to Provo, Utah, next weekend as they take on BYU. The meet will begin at 10 a.m. (Phoenix time).
Wyoming release:
Riverside, Calif. (Jan. 5, 2019) – Both swimming teams closed out the weekend with a solid showing in dual action on Saturday afternoon. The Cowgirls (9-2 overall, 2-0 MW) swept Cal Baptist, 195-100, followed by a 202-89 victory over Grand Canyon. The Cowboys (4-3, 1-1 WAC) defeated the Lancers 163.50-136.50 while they dropped a 157-143 contest against the Antelopes.
“The women absolutely dominated against both teams and swam great across the board,” head coach Dave Denniston said. “It was to have the divers back today as well. I thought Lainee (Jones) had another solid day and Hannah (Mclean Leonard) swam a great time in the 100-butterfly. Erin (Eccleston) dominated the 200-butterfly while Daniela (Luna Rocha) took control of her 1000 freestyle race. On the men’s side, Ryan (Russi) won both boards and beat arguably one of the best divers in our conference from Grand Canyon. It was nice for him and help the men beat Cal Baptist. Thought we had a really good showing in both the 500 freestyle and 200 breaststroke with a season best showing from senior Liam (Holt). Also, the 400 freestyle relay team had a nice finish at the end of the meet. I’m proud of the way the team stepped and raced today. This has really been a great trip and experience for our team.”
On the women’s side, the Cowgirls won the first four events of the 11 total on the day. In the 200 medley relay, senior Samantha Burke, freshman Phoebe Browne, sophomore Hannah Mclean-Leonard and senior Isobel Ryan touched the wall in 1:46.17. Junior Daniela Luna Rocha continued her strong swimming by placing first in the 1000 freestyle with a time of 10:18.97. Freshman Lainee Jones won her first event of the day in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:52.40. She would also come away with a victory in the 500 freestyle with a 5:03.46 mark. Senior Connor Tarver swam a time of 58.88 to earn a win in the 100 backstroke while freshman Erin Eccleston won the 200 butterfly in 2:08.36. Ryan earned her second win of the day in the 100 free with a mark of 51.39. Wyoming won the top three spots in the 200 backstroke. Burke went 2:03.71 while Tarver and fellow senior Marcela Gramcko touched in 2:04.86 and 2:06.32 respectively. Mclean swam her third best time of the season in the 100 butterfly with a time of 54.92.
In diving, the Cowgirls took three out of the top four spots in the 1-meter. Senior Peyton GrandPre swept both boards with a 244 score in the 1-meter followed by a 235.05 mark in the 3-meter. Fellow senior CeeJay Harris was third in the 1-meter with a score of 223.95 followed by junior Abigail Zoromski with a 216.65 mark. Harris was second in the 3-meter with 223.30 mark while Houlihan was fourth with a 217.60 score and Zoromski with a 194.35 score.
The Cowboys were solid on the day after a slow start which was highlighted by senior Liam Holt. He would sweep both the 100 and 200 breaststroke with times of 56.37 and a season best 2:01.57 respectively. Holt was also the third leg in the 400 freestyle medley that swam a time of 3:08.47 to place second. Sophomore Seth Borgert shaved almost ten seconds off his 1000 freestyle time to finish second with a time of 9:41.66. In the 500 freestyle, freshman Miller Browne raced to a season best time of 4:40.98. He was followed by junior Jacob Harlan with a mark of 4:41.65 and fellow freshman Ryan Netzel touching the wall in 4:45.76. Sophomore Brayden Love had his season best time of 50.38 in the 100 butterfly while James Bouda recorded his top time of 4:07.02 in the 400 IM.
Senior Ryan Russi took first in both boards. He scored 294.80 in the 3-meter followed by a season high 290.40 in the 1-meter. Freshman Brendan Byrnes recorded a season-high 237.50 in the 1-meter and a 250.75 mark in the 3-meter. Sophomore Elijah Chan also had a season best 248.50 in the 1-meter followed by a 250.60 score in the 3-meter.
The Cowgirls will return to the pool on Saturday, January 19, against the Boise State Broncos at Laramie High School. Both teams are back in action on Saturday, Jan. 26 against UNLV in Las Vegas.
Not sure what it is about GCU but they always swim fast. Impressive!
It’s undoubtedly the coaching staff.