Horizon League – Men and Women
- Wednesday, February 19 – Saturday, February 22
- Oakland Aquatics Center, Rochester, MI (Eastern Time Zone)
- Defending Champion: Oakland men (6x) & Oakland women (6x) (results)
- Live results
- Live Video
- Championship Central
- Day 1 Finals Results
- Day 2 Finals Results
- Day 3 Finals Results
TEAM SCORES THROUGH DAY 3
WOMEN
- Oakland – 614.5
- Cleveland State – 395
- IUPUI – 345
- UIC – 277
- Milwaukee – 229.5
- Green Bay – 185
- Youngstown State – 181
MEN
- Oakland – 579
- Cleveland State – 447
- UIC – 343
- IUPUI – 310.5
- Green Bay – 257
- Milwaukee – 217.5
- Youngstown State – 73
The Oakland Golden Grizzlies continue to lead heading into the final day of the 2020 Horizon League Championships, with the Oakland’s women having their 7th-straight conference title all but guaranteed. Oakland’s women have won every swimming event through the 3rd day of the meet.
Grace Shinske, a Golden Grizzly senior, was a double event winner on the day, taking the women’s 100 back and 100 fly. The 100 fly was up first, where Shinske led a 1-2 punch for Oakland, with teammate Susan LaGrand touching 2nd. LaGrand took the race a bit faster than Shinske, posting a 25.13 on the first 50 to Shinske’s 25.23. Shinske came home faster, 28.21 to LaGrand’s 28.45, leading Shinske to a 53.45 finsh, and LaGrand 53.58. Both swimmers were under the NCAA B cut, and the Oakland school record, which was held at 53.82. Shinske went on to win the women’s 100 back with a 53.66, breaking the Horizon League record and winning her 3rd straight title in the event. Shinske also tied the Oakland school record with that race.
Shinske and LaGrand were both members of the winning Oakland women’s 400 medley relay tonight as well. Shisnke led the Golden Grizzlies off in 54.16, half a second slower than her time from earlier in the night. She was followed by junior Sydney McDowell in 1:00.64, LaGrand in 53.76, and senior Katie Colwell in 50.03, for a 3:38.59. The Golden Grizzlies established a new Horizon League Record, Oakland pool record, and Oakland school record.
Sydney McDowell was the winner of the women’s 100 breast earlier in the night, winning the event for the 2nd year in a row. Green Bay freshman Emilie Boll beat McDowell off the start, splitting 28.71 on the first 50 to McDowell’s 28.93. McDowell then swam a 31.88 coming home, while Boll was 32.26, giving McDowell the win with a 1:00.81, and Boll was 2nd in 1:00.97. McDowell broke the Oakland school record with her swim, while Boll also broke the Green Bay school record.
500 free runner-up Emily Aycock, an Oakland freshman, won the women’s 200 free with a 1:49.63, finishing as the only swimmer in the field under 1:50. It was fellow Oakland freshman Sohvi Nenonen that got out to the early lead in the race. Nenonen swam a 52.80 on the first 100, leading the field by half a second. It was Aycock who came home the fastest, splitting 56.24 on the back half of the race. Another Oakland freshman, Kiera Brough, took the women’s 400 IM with a 4:21.73, besting the field by 3.74 seconds.
Mckenzie Sanchez picked up a win for the mIlwaukee women in the 1 meter diving, where she tallied up a total score of 268.65. She narrowly beat out UIC’s Cyndey Liebenberg, who came in 2nd with a score of 266.90.
Oakland’s men won 2 individual events and the relay on Day 3. Marko Khotynetskyi led the Golden Grizzlies off in the men’s 400 medley relay with a 47.20. Ryan Geheb (53.11), Mack Flowers (46.80), and Christian Bart (43.80) followed, earning the win for Oakland with a 3:10.91. Ryan Geheb and Christian Bart posted a 1-2 finish in the men’s 100 breast, swimming 53.25 and 53.29 respectively. They swam very similar races, with Geheb splitting 24.66/28.59, and Bart splitting 24.81/28.48. Geheb, who transferred to Oakland from Mizzou this season, is now the #2 performer in school history. Bart, a freshman, is now the #3 swimmer in Golden Grizzly history.
Marko Khotynetskyi finished 2nd in the men’s 100 backstroke, behind Cleveland State’s Dominik Niedzialek. Niedzialek was out faster than Khotynetskyi, splitting 22.85 to Khotynetskyi’s 23.21 on the first 50. Khotynetskyi came home faster, 24.27 to Niedzialek’s 24.62, leaving Khotynetskyi .01 seconds behind at the finish. Niedzialek clocked a 47.47, with Khotynetskyi at 47.48. The 47.20 Khotynetskyi led the relay off with would have won him the 100 back title.
Cleveland State also picked up a win in the 100 fly, with Dominic Poletta taking the title in 46.55. That marked a lifetime best and Poletta’s first Horizon League title in the event. Teammate Timmy Kubacki won the men’s 400 IM with a 3:50.53. He used a strong front half to build up a lead over theifeld, hitting the 200 mark in 1:49.87 (51.36/58.51).
Oakland’s Rudy Aguilar won the men’s 200 free for the 3rd year in a row, tearing to a 1:36.79. Aguilar led the race from start to finish, leading a 1-2-3 punch by the Golden Grizzlies. Danylo Hrebelnyi came in 2nd with a 1:37.44, and Ben Davis was right behind with a 1:37.73.