2023 OAC Swimming & Diving Championships
- February 15-18, 2023
- Ocasek Natatorium, Akron, Ohio
- SCY (25 yards)
- Full Results (PDF)
Courtesy: JCU Sports
Women’s Recap
AKRON, Ohio — With a roster consisting of nine seniors, the John Carroll Women’s Swimming and Diving team was determined to help this class finish their John Carroll careers with a seventh consecutive Ohio Athletic Conference.
JCU finished with 1,038 points, the most points recorded in OAC history during the championships, which was more than enough to take home their seventh straight OAC title and 23rd trophy of all-time.
This was the second time in three years that the program eclipsed 1,000 points.
The evening began with the 1650 Freestyle, in which Lauren Spence finished in fourth place with a time of 18:44.88.
Freshman Lauren Koppelmann (2:07.89) secured John Carroll’s first title of the night in the 200 Backstroke. Audrey Prisby (2:13.30) finished a few spots behind in fifth place.
The Blue Streaks asserted their dominance in the 100 Freestyle, where they secured three of the top four spots. Mairin Dalziel (52.26) placed first with Gwyneth Hamilton (52.58) finishing just behind her to finish in second place. Mary Hoffman (53.29) rounded out the top four after narrowly defeating Mount Union’s Maddie Horrigan (53.61) to secure fourth place.
In the 200 Breaststroke, John Carroll finished 2-4-5-6 as Regan Gunzy (2:27.99) found herself with the silver medal with a second place finish. Bojena Gross (2:33.01), Kaitlyn Hilty (2:37.32) and Allie Geletka (2:40.23) followed suit on the podium.
The Blue Streaks got back in the win column in the 200 Butterfly, as Olivia Goodman (2:09.58) finished in first, adding onto a remarkable freshman season. The time marked a John Carroll record by a mere .03 seconds. Isabella Genise (2:20.33) finished sixth.
The JCU divers took 1-2-3 place in the three meter event, with Catherine Steinwachs (396.15), Anne Meunier (355.70), and Kathryn Visco (353.70). Similarly to the one meter dive the day before, the Blue Streaks notched six divers on the podium, a program-first during the 28-year tenure of diving coach Lewis Fellinger.
Steinwachs earned OAC Diver of the Year honors for the third time in her career. The senior joined Julie Pinter from Baldwin Wallace and NCAA national champion Stephanie Turner from JCU as the only divers to ever win the award three or more times.
For the final event of the weekend, the 400 Freestyle Relay produced a nail-biting finish which resulted in yet another Blue Streak victory. Mary Hoffman, Gwyneth Hamilton, Ashley Lynch, and Mairin Dalziel teamed up to narrowly defeat second-place finisher Mount Union with a time of 3:30.57, a new program and OAC record.
The freshman Goodman received the OAC Most Outstanding Swimmer award after winning all five events she competed in.
“It’s refreshing to know that my staff and I were able to identify recruits that are not only great individuals but phenomenal swimmers and Olivia is just that,” said head coach Tanner Barton. “She works tirelessly each day in the pool and out of the pool and to see her be rewarded for that hard work with those three championships and OAC Swimmer Of The Year… It’s an awesome way for her to finish off this season.”
Next up for the Blue Streaks is the NCAA Championships, where JCU will learn on Wednesday if any individuals or relay teams make the cut.
Men’s Recap
AKRON, Ohio — The dynasty continues with a seventh consecutive Ohio Athletic Conference Championship.
The John Carroll University Men’s Swimming and Diving Team continued their reign of supremacy over the OAC with a 948-point performance that garnered a first-place finish after four days at the University of Akron’s Ocasek Natatorium. This is JCU’s 20th OAC Championship in school history.
The Blue Streaks beat out Mount Union (676), Ohio Northern (632), Baldwin Wallace (420), and Wilmington (282) to take home the title. John Carroll came into the fourth and final evening of the championships with a sizable advantage over the second place team Ohio Northern and did nothing to damage their top rank.
“I think we performed exceptionally well this week,” said Head Coach Tanner Barton. “From Day 1, we got started with that victory in the 800 Freestyle Relay and we closed the meet with a victory in the 400 Freestyle Relay. And in all of those events in between, we were scoring points, setting school records and putting qualifying times up for Nationals. It was a strong team effort.”
The day began with the 1650 Freestyle. Aidan O’Neill and Aidan Hulseman showcased their stamina, as they finished in fifth place and eighth place with times of 16:47.54 and 17:10.41.
In the 200 Backstroke, John Carroll’s Luke Novak narrowly beat out Mount Union’s Jacob Hathaway to finish first with a time of 1:50.89. Meanwhile, JCU’s Jonathan Simoes placed third with a time of 1:51.88 and Jacob Clark placed fifth with a time of 1:53.88.
The Blue Streaks kept the momentum rolling in the 100 Freestyle courtesy of another first-place finish for Liam McDonnell, who finished with a final time of 44:06. Behind him was Jake Farr who placed third with an All-OAC time of 46:38.
In the most dominant event of the night, the Blue Streaks finished in the top three places in the 200 Breaststroke. Joe Nadur finished first with a time of 2:03.27. Jonah Venos finished second with a time of 2:06.63 and Patrick Branch finished right behind him with a time of 2:06.96. Additionally, Nicholas Mudry (2:08.37) and Joe Kaiser (2:13.45) stood on the podium with fifth and seventh-place efforts.
In the 200 Butterfly, Bailey Parsons finished second behind Baldwin Wallace’s Tommie McQueary with a time of 1:54.85. A few places down, Owen O’Neill finished fifth with a time of 1:56.48.
In arguably the most exciting event of the night, the 400 Freestyle Relay resulted in a John Carroll victory courtesy of Jake Farr, Liam McDonnell, Michael Heller, and Owen Holm with a final time of 3:01.72. Mount Union (3:04.72) and Ohio Northern (3:06.98) rounded out the top three. John Carroll secured an NCAA B cut with the finish.
With McDonnell’s first-place finish as part of the relay, he broke the OAC record for most first-place finishes in relay and individual events combined, breaking Jim Petkunas’ record. The senior also won his second career OAC Most Outstanding Swimmer award by winning all seven of the events he competed in while earning NCAA B cuts in each and helped break three conference records throughout the weekend.
“I think the important thing to point out with that record is most of those are relay swims so it wouldn’t be possible without my other three relay members and really pumped with the program as a whole,” said McDonnell. “It’s really fun to end the year winning as a team, we’ve built up to this point all year, we had a strong mid-season, we did well in our individual meets and I’m glad it clicked for everyone.”
Next up for the Blue Streaks is the NCAA Championships, where they will find out which individuals and relays make the cut on Wednesday.
Go Blue Streaks!!!