2023 HORIZON LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Wednesday, February 15 – Saturday, February 18, 2023
- IU Natatorium (IUPUI), Indianapolis, IN
- Defending Champions:
- Women: Oakland (9x)
- Men: Oakland (9x)
- Live Results
- Live Video
- Championship Central
- Fan Guide
- Psych Sheet
The 2023 Horizon League Swimming & Diving Championships kicked off tonight at the IUPUI Natatorium in Indianapolis. The first night of the meet featured the men’s and women’s 200 medley and 800 free relays, as well as men’s 3-meter diving.
IUPUI finds themselves with a healthy lead in the men’s standings heading into day two of the meet, thanks in large part to a phenomenal diving performance tonight. Meanwhile, the Oakland women have already established a 14-point lead.
Things kicked off with an Oakland win in the women’s 200 medley relay. The Golden Grizzlies won the race handily, with Susan LaGrand (24.93), Taylor Bailey (28.31), Sophia Davis (24.35), and Ronja Riihinen (23.00) combining for a 1:40.59, touching first by over two seconds. The swim was off Oakland’s season best of 1:39.99, but they still got the job done. LaGrand, Bailey, and Davis all led the field in their respective strokes, while Riihinen was the second-fastest freestyler in the event.
Next up was the most thrilling race of the night: the men’s 200 medley relay. It was a knock-down, drag-out fight between IUPUI and Oakland. Marko Khotynetskyi got the Golden Grizzlies out to a slim lead on backstroker, splitting 21.90 to IUPUI lead-off Kevin Burke‘s 22.07. Then, in a preview of the men’s 100 breast later in the meet, IUPUI’s Logan Kelly out-split Oakland’s Christian Bart by 0.01 seconds, 23.39 to 23.40, on the breast leg. That put Oakland in the lead by 0.16 seconds at the halfway point. Oakland freshman Sofus Balladone and IUPUI’s Spencer Jyawook nearly matched each 0ther on the fly leg, splitting 20.85 and 20.86 respectively.
The race came down to the anchor, where Oakland’s Samuel McKenzie dove in 0.17 seconds ahead of IUPUI’s Wes Wickens. Wickens got the job done for the Jaguars, splitting 19.56 to McKenzie’s 19.83. IUPUI finished in 1:25.88, 0.10 seconds ahead of Oakland (1:25.98). Both teams were under the previous Horizon League Championships Record of 1:26.05, which had stood since 2016.
After the medley relays, Oakland’s women were back in action in the 800 free relay, where they shattered their own Championship Record. Susan LaGrand (1:46.73), Jordyn Shipps (1:47.98), Mia Englender (1:50.91), and Sovhi Nenonen (1:49.31) teamed up for a 7:14.93. They won the race by well over four seconds, also taking down the previous CR of 7:16.76, which the Golden Grizzlies had set in 2020. Notably, LaGrand and Nenonen were on the previous record relay as well.
The Golden Grizzly men then shattered their own Championship Record in the 800 free relay, swimming a 6:23.41. Marko Khotynetskyi (1:35.38), Samuel McKenzie (1:35.65), Harry Nicholson (1:36.63), and Jonas Cantrell (1:35.75) combined to earn the victory by nearly eight seconds. The previous CR was a 6:26.21, which Oakland set at last year’s championships.
Notably, IUPUI set new program records in all four of the relays tonight. Of course, they won the men’s 200 medley relay in a new CR of 1:25.88. In the women’s 200 medley, IUPUI came in third with a 1:42.71, also a new program record. The Jags dipped under 7:20 for the first time in program history in the women’s 800 free relay, coming in second with a 7:19.47. The men finished things off with a third-place finish in the 800 free relay, setting a new program record in 6:35.87.
IUPUI was also dominant in men’s 3-meter diving tonight. Sebastian Otero won by a massive margin, earning a total score of 399.80. He finished 77 points ahead of the runner-up, Milwaukee’s Jared Kleczka. The Jags also earned top-eight finishes from Alex Scott (third), Adam Schmehl (fifth), and Tomas Salas (eighth). In total, IUPUI scored 77 points on diving tonight, with the next-highest scoring team being Milwaukee at 35.
TEAM STANDINGS (THRU DAY ONE)
MEN
- IUPUI – 149
- Oakland – 91
- Milwaukee – 89
- Green Bay – 71
- Youngstown State – 69
- Cleveland State – 66
WOMEN
- Oakland – 80
- Milwaukee/IUPUI – 66 (Tie)
- –
- Youngstown State – 60
- Cleveland State – 56
- Green Bay – 26