Whitticar Continues Eagle Divers’ Success As Conference Meet Finishes

The 2024 Great Midwest Athletic Conference/Mountain East Conference Championships in Canton, Ohio, turned into a diving titles sweep for Ashland University's men and women.
 
On Saturday (Feb. 17) night, the fourth and final conference diving championship was earned by sophomore Maddi Whitticar in women's 1-meter diving. Whitticar won with 390.95 points, with freshman Riley Hunt (the conference women's 3-meter diving winner) second at 383.35 points, and senior Holly Flanegin taking third with 274.85 points.

Following Saturday night's action, Hunt was named the women's Diver of the Meet, and sophomore Joey Lenczyk, who won both the 1-meter and 3-meter conference titles, was named the men's Diver of the Meet.
 
The women's 400-yard freestyle relay of junior Colleen Cox and freshmen Juliana Pignato, Blair Pichola and Payton O'Toole took fourth place in 3:35.76.

• In the women's 200 backstroke, O'Toole was fifth (2:07.63), sophomore Mary Kate Prall was 10^th (2:12.43), freshman Payton Meyer was 17^th (2:16.64), and junior Holly Kraemer was 22^nd (2:21.03).
• Sophomore Paige Nicholson was 12^th in the women's 200 breaststroke (2:35.76) and freshman Rachel Stanchek was 14^th (2:39.44).
• In the women's 100 free, Pignato took 14^th (54.17 seconds), freshman Nykole Doerner 22^nd (55.44 seconds), and Pichola 23^rd (55.78 seconds).

Ashland's women finished in fourth place in the 10-team field with 699 points. Findlay won (1,948), followed by Hillsdale (1,563) and Frostburg State (964.5).
 
On the men's side, the Eagle 400 free relay team of freshman Colin Pham, sophomore Cole Huebner, sophomore Nick Girz and junior Robin Falk took second place in 3:05.11.

• In the men's 200 back, freshman Evan Kemp was fifth (1:55.45), Pham ninth (1:58.10) and freshman Grant Brown 12^th (2:01.43).
• Sophomore Jason Basile finished fifth in the men's 1,650 free (16:36.32), followed by senior Josh Hagan in 10^th (17:24.80), sophomore Nick Olquin in 11^th (17:31.56), and junior Weston Brown in 13^th (17:37.96).
• Girz tied for seventh in the men's 100 free (46.27 seconds), Falk was ninth (46.68 seconds), Huebner was 14^th (47.46 seconds), and sophomore Andrew Oates took 23^rd (49.01 seconds).
• In the men's 200 breaststroke, sophomore Ayden Mason was 12^th (2:15.34), and Oates was 13^th (2:17.72).

Ashland's men were third out of nine teams with 1,177 points. Findlay won (1,869.5), followed by Frostburg State (1,303).
 
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