Both of Ashland University's swimming and diving teams are off to a strong start after the first day of the four-day 2022 Great Midwest Athletic Conference/Mountain East Championships on Wednesday (Feb. 16) in Canton, Ohio.
The Eagle women are third in the 10-team field with 341 points. Hillsdale is first (436.5) and Findlay second (381.5). AU's men also are third among 10 teams with 247 points, trailing only Findlay (515) and Notre Dame College (263.5).
"We couldn't have asked for much more from the squad," said Ashland head coach
Kyle Walthall. "They all threw down some great times and fantastic dives. (Assistant coach)
Carlton (Bruner) and I are proud of their times, and even more proud of how they cheered each other on. We are excited for the next few days of racing and competing."
Among those starting the league meet strong on Wednesday were junior
Franci Aleksi and senior
Matt Filsinger in the men's 1,000-yard freestyle. Aleksi won in 9:23.36, and Filsinger was second in 9:25.77 – both marks breaking the previous meet record, and both earning them B cuts for the 2022 NCAA Division II Championships, March 9-12 in Greensboro, N.C.
In all on Wednesday, there were more than a dozen Eagle PRs.
WHAT HAPPENED
- Junior Abby Locke earned another Ashland win on Wednesday, taking the women's 200 individual medley in 2:06.47.
- The women's 200 medley relay of senior Sydney Kermath, junior Makayla Tarkenton, sophomore Sydney Porinchok and freshman Colleen Cox was second in 1:46.91; the men's 200 medley relay of juniors Joe Cummins and Amar Sapcanin, sophomore Josh Hagan and senior Jacob Keilholz was third in 1:34.61; and the men's 200 free relay quartet of Sapcanin, Cummins, senior Panos Nikakis and Keilholz took third in 1:25.41.
- FOURTH PLACE – Porinchok in the women's 200 IM (2:09.14).
- FIFTH PLACE – Cox in the women's 50 free (24.80 seconds) and women's 200 free relay of senior Abigail Ellsworth, Porinchok, sophomore Mikaela Vojacek and Cox (1:40.42).
- SEVENTH PLACE – Ellsworth in the 50 free (25.08 seconds).
- EIGHTH PLACE – Junior Sydney Laughlin in the women's 200 IM (2:14.26).
- NINTH PLACE – Senior Morgan Gardner in the women's 1,000 free (11:00.00).
- 10TH PLACE – Hagan in the men's 200 IM (1:56.93).
- 11TH PLACE – Nikakis in the men's 50 free (21.59 seconds).
- 12TH PLACE – Tarkenton in the women's 200 IM (2:15.57).
- 13TH PLACE – Freshman Weston Brown in the men's 1,000 free (10:24.05).
- 14TH PLACE – Keilholz in the men's 50 free (21.67 seconds).
- 15TH PLACE – Senior Maddy Moates in the women's 200 IM (2:17.38) and Cummins in the men's 50 free (21.73 seconds).
- 20TH PLACE – Sapcanin in the men's 50 free (22.06 seconds).
- 22ND PLACE – Junior Madi Baron in the women's 1,000 free (11:23.36).
- 23RD PLACE – Sophomore Ben Voelker in the men's 200 IM (2:06.20) and Vojacek in the women's 50 free (26.09 seconds).
UP NEXT
Day 2 of the 2022 Great Midwest Athletic Conference/Mountain East Championships on Thursday (Feb. 17).
AU
SWIM/DS
