W&M Wins Women’s CAA Title, UNCW Wins Men’s Title

William & Mary and UNC Wilmington took the CAA titles on the final day of the conference championships, marking W&M’s first title since 2017 and UNCW’s first since 2014.

W&M took back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017 before going through a championship drought. After leading his team to the title in 2022, coach Nate Kellogg received the CAA Women’s Coach of the Year for the second-straight season.

UNCW’s 14th title is the most of the league so far, and it marks the end of a dry spell after the team won 13 straight titles from 2002-2014. The team’s coach, Bobby Guntoro, won the CAA Men’s Swimming Coach of the Year honor.

Drexel’s Kacper Karnik broke the sole record of Day 4, clinching the CAA meet record in the 200 breaststroke with his time of 1:54.69. Karnik broke his own record, previously 1:56.22. Towson’s Brian Benzig would also have broken the meet record with his 2nd-place time of 1:55.33 if not for Karnik’s swim.

Karnik won the men’s Most Outstanding Swimmer of the Meet in conjunction with UNCW’s Henderson Louviere.

In the women’s 200 breaststroke, W&M’s Annie Tuttle defended her reigning CAA title to take 1st in the event with a time of 2:14.44.

In the mile, sophomore Brooke Knisley won the first UNCW win in the event in 15 years. Knisley swam the event in 16:14.31, an NCAA B cut. There was a much tighter race between 2nd and 3rd place, with Drexel’s Maddie Riley taking silver in 16:46.61 and Towson’s Karlee Carminati taking bronze in 16:48.62. Riley was three or so seconds ahead of Carminati until the last 100, when Carminati was able to narrow the gap.

UNCW also took the men’s title in the 1650. Sam O’Brien’s winning race (15:27.16) marked the first time since 2003 that UNCW won that event. It was a tight race between O’Brien and his teammate Silas Crosby, and the two touched almost at the same time on every 50, though Crosby eventually finished in 15:28.09.

Drexel freshman Federica Nocera cemented Drexel dominance in the women’s 200 back, winning in 1:56.56 and marking the fifth time in the last six years a Drexel athlete has won the event. She was able to beat the No. 1 seed from prelims, Bailey Smith, who took 2nd with a time of 1:58.08.

After being behind for the first 150, Delaware’s Gavin Currie won the 200 back in 1:45.38, the first time a Delaware man has won the event since 2013. UNCW’s William Baker came in just a few tenths later at 1:45.93, followed by teammate Brent Hoshall at 1:46.74.

W&M took another victory in the women’s 100 free thanks to Katie Stevenson (49.89), but the more exciting race came for 2nd, when Drexel’s Chelsea Gravereaux and Lera Nasedkina tied in 50.18. Nasedkina turned at the first 50 first, but Gavereaux made a comeback in the last 50.

Towson defended its 100 free title, though a different athlete from the team won the event–Ryan Baldino. Baldino defeated last year’s winner of the event, Michael Fazio, with his time of 43.98 compared to Fazio’s 2nd-place time of 44.23.

Mira Selling earned her third gold medal of the meet when she won the 200 fly in 2:00.00. She is the second-ever Delaware swimmer to win the event. Her performance at the meet overall won her the women’s Most Outstanding Swimmer of the Meet award.

Towson’s Nick McClure defended his title in the 200 fly (1:45.13) and gave his team its eighth gold in the event in the last nine years. He out-touched Drexel’s Paris Raptis, who earned 2nd in 1:45.26.

Drexel edged out W&M during the 400 free relay, though it wouldn’t put a dent in W&M’s quest for the title. The team of Nasedkina (51.31), Victoria Palochik (50.54), Paige Powell (50.36), and Gravereaux (49.43) won the final relay of the meet in 3:21.64. W&M’s team of Stevenson (49.72), Missy Cundiff (51.03), Elizabeth Intihar (51.07), and Anna Kenna (50.07) came in 2nd at 3:21.89.

On the men’s side, Towson defended its title in the 400 free relay with its team of Benzing (44.30), Fazio (43.21), Luke Schwar (43.70), and Baldino (43.59), who swam a total time of 2:54.80. UNCW came in 2nd and Delaware came in 3rd.

The diving portion of the meet ended Saturday with Courtney Klausen of UNCW defending her title in the 1-meter to a tune of 276.40 points. She swept both the 1-meter and 3-meter, and her performance earned her the women’s Most Outstanding Diver of the Meet. The men’s winner of the award was Nicholas Newis for his performance earlier in the meet, and UNCW coach Beau Bunn won Women’s and Men’s Diving Coach of the Year.