Caledonia, Mich. — Both the Aquinas College men's and women's swim and dive teams recently competed at the Don Kimble Invitational held at Davenport. The invitational was spread over three days (Nov. 22-24), here is how the competition spread went. 

Diving
On Saturday, our divers kicked off the competition with the women on 1M and men on 3M, then switching on Sunday with women on the 3M and men on the 1M boards. This is the only meet of the season that competes 11 dives on both boards, so our divers worked hard to expand their lists.

1M Diving
Taylor Moss earned the top team finish for the women on 1M, finishing 8th overall with 294.65 points. This is the second-highest score in team history. Kaitlyn Santaguida completed her first 11-dive meet on 1M, finishing 11th overall with a score of 232. Gionna Bean and Anna Benstead competed in the morning preliminary competition, with Bean finishing 12th overall.

The men had strong finishes on the 1M board, with both Evan Bennett and Troy Borrero earning A-final finishes. Bennett placed 7th overall with a score of 413.80, while Borrero finished 8th with a score of 398.45. Freshman Lucas Castillo finished 9th with 348.35 points, earning an NAIA qualifying score of 208 points on the first 6 dives. Collin Alward finished 11th with a score of 279.10.

3M Diving
Moss earned a 6th-place finals finish on 3M, setting two new school records in the same competition. She set the 11-dive record with a score of 288.10 points and set the school record for 6 dives in the process with a score of 181.10 points. Santaguida finished 9th in the morning preliminary rounds. 

On the men's side, the Saints earned massive personal-best 11-dive scores. Bennett finished 4th overall with a new school record of 458.75 points. Borrero finished 8th overall with 330.55 points, and Sawyer Shank finished 11th with 232.40 points. Alward finished 14th in the morning preliminary rounds with a score of 149.90.

Day 1: Friday PM

The team started the weekend in record-breaking fashion, setting new relay records in both the men's and women's 200 freestyle and 400 medley relays.

Women

• The women's A 200 freestyle relay of Chloe Boivin, Adriana Waller, Emersyn Joslin, and Amelia Edens set a new school record with the time of 1:39.19. They had an impressive 6th-place finish - the highest of all the NAIA teams in the competition - and are ranked number one in the KCAC conference.
• Freshmen distance freestylers Dailey Jogan and Adriana Waller represented Aquinas in the 1650 freestyle finals, with Jogan finishing 22nd with a provisional time standard of 19:02.13 and Waller finishing 23rd with a time of 19:10.56. Both women own the top two times in team history.
• In the last relay of the evening, the women's A 400 medley relay of Amelia Edens, Emma Dale, Claire Hines, and Emersyn Joslin set a new school record of 4:06.23, finishing 12th overall. Edens earned a season-best 100 backstroke time with her lead-off leg with the time of 59.60, earning an NAIA provisional time.

Men

• The men's A 200 freestyle relay followed suit with Matt Dumbsky, Noah Berns, Luke Martin, and Talon Koppmann finishing in 8th place with the new school record time of 1:26.45. 
• Freshman Kaleb Barker took the top team finish in the 1650 freestyle with a time of 17:28.14 - only a second off of the fastest time in program history and 2 seconds away from a provisional time cut. Freshman Nate Fisher finished in 16th place (17:41.84), with Conrad Eichbauer in 18th place and Chris Uzunoe-Chin in 19th place.
• The men's A 400 medley relay of Titus Smith, Luke Martin, Talon Koppmann and Matt Dumbsky shattered the school record, finishing in 8th place with a time of 3:26.65. Smith earned an NAIA provisional time standard with his lead-off backstroke leg with a time of 51.76.

Day 2: Saturday

Women:

• The A 200 medley relay of Joslin, Dale, Hines, and Boivin had a strong 8th-place finish with a time of 1:51.19.
• Joslin finished 21st in the 200 IM, earning the team's top finish in the event with a personal best time of 2:17.05.
• Waller earned the team's highest 500 freestyle finish with the time of 5:28.77.
• For the first time in team history, three women qualified for the final heats of the 100 breaststroke. Dale took the top team finish in 19th place (1:12.08), followed by Elisabeth Zubal in 21st (1:14.21) and Nolynn Coombs in 24th (1:16.22).
• The 200 backstrokers stepped up in big ways, making it the highest points scored in a single individual event for the women. Joslin and Edens earned A final swims, with Joslin finishing 5th (2:07.66) with a personal best and provisional time standard. Edens finished in 6th (2:08.61) with a season-best provisional time standard. Sophomore Emma Hale had a breakout performance, earning a massive personal-best time of 2:14.02 and earning her first national provisional time standard. Meghan Hincher and Katie Sanders rounded out the final heat, also finishing with personal-best times of 2:19.43 and 2:21.82 respectively. Lauren Mezekse earned a personal-best finish in the morning preliminary heats with the time of 2:27.84.
• Freshman Addie Osborne and sophomore Boivin impressed in the 100 freestyle, racing each other to 12th and 13th place overall, with Osborne earning her first national provisional time standard with the personal-best time of 54.78. Boivin earned a provisional time standard and season-best time of 54.45 in the preliminary heat.
• All of our women qualified for the C final in the 200 butterfly, pacing each other to fast finishes. Waller took 20th place with a 2:24.25 with Althaver and Hines on her heels in 21st (2:26.70) and 22nd place (2:27.92). Riley Monahan swam a personal-best time of 2:20.55, placing 24th overall.
• The A 800 freestyle relay of Jogan, Boivin, Edens, and Waller finished 9th overall and set a new school record with a time of 8:11.06. Osborne led off the B relay with a personal-best time of 2:03.51.

Men:

• The A men's 200 medley relay of Smith, Martin, Koppmann, and Dumbsky shattered the previous school record with the time of 1:33.26, earning them the top seed time in the KCAC conference by over a second.
• Martin kicked off his individual events with the 200 IM, finishing 19th overall with an NAIA provisional time of 1:59.35.
• Freshman Lucas Mondro earned the team's top finish with a personal-best time of 5:01.20 in the morning preliminary heats. Fisher represented as the sole finals qualifier in the 500 freestyle, placing 19th overall.
• Martin stole the show in the 100 breaststroke, finishing 10th overall with a time of 56.71 and scoring valuable team points. He currently ranks 19th in the nation. Tony Parlato finished 19th with a massive personal-best time of 1:01.64, while Gryffin Hurley earned a personal-best time of 1:03.23 in the preliminary heats. 
• Smith impressed in the 200 backstroke, breaking the school record in the preliminary heats with a time of 1:54.24 and earned a 7th-place finish overall in finals. He improved on his national provisional time standard and currently ranks 22nd in the nation. Teammate and training partner Ian Clapp finished in 11th place, improving his provisional time standard to 1:57.45. Collin Neely and Berns battled for 14th- and 15th-place finishes with personal best times of 2:04.77 and 2:05.11 respectively.
• Freestyle sprinters Dumbsky and Koppmann pushed each other to 18th- and 19th-place finishes in the 100 freestyle, each earning provisional time standards in the event (48.00 and 48.29 respectively). In the morning heats of the 100 freestyle, all men earned massive personal best times. Kyle Bos finished with a time of 49.52, Seth Holsinger with a time of 50.73, and Grant Bricking with a time of 51.75.
• Fisher and Uzunoe-Chin represented the men in the 200 butterfly, with Fisher taking 17th place with a personal-best time of 2:12.91 and Uzunoe-Chin in 18th place with a season-best time of 2:18.81.
• The A 800 freestyle relay of Smith, Fisher, Mondro, and Eichbauer cruised to a 9th-place finish, with lead-off swimmer Smith earning a school record and national provisional time standard with the split of 1:45.90. The B relay of Berns, Caileb Austin, Anthony Dupuis and Clapp finished in 10th place. Berns led off the B relay with a personal-best time of 1:52.68.

Day 3: Sunday

Women:

• Edens finished 14th overall in the 100 butterfly, earning a season-best and provisional time standard of 59.50. Hines finished 18th overall with a 1:00.68, also earning a provisional time. Osborne continued her streak with a personal best time of 1:04.11, and Mezeske earned a personal best time of 1:07.52 in the morning preliminary heats.
• In one of the most exciting finishes of the meet, Hale and Hincher battled it out in the 400 IM. Hale smashed the school record, finishing 14th with the time of 4:55.88 and earning her second national provisional time standard of the meet. Hincher followed closely in 15th place with a season-best time of 5:02.11. Monahan and Lily Heath rounded out the event in 17th and 18th place respectively.
• Edens and Boivin improved their provisional time standards in the 200 freestyle, with Edens placing 18th overall in finals with a time of 2:00.02 and Boivin swimming a 2:01.70 in the morning preliminary heat. Waller earned a finals swim, placing 22nd overall with a time of 2:03.74.
• Joslin had the highest team finish in the 100 backstroke in 13th place with a time of 1:00.59. Hale continued her streak of personal best and provisional time standards, finishing 15th overall with a time of 1:01.43. Sanders finished 20th overall with a season-best time of 1:07.78.
• Osborne and Boivin tied for 6th place overall in the 50 freestyle in the final heat, both setting provisional time standards with a time of 24.76. Coombs and Hines finished 20th and 21st respectively.
• Each 200 breaststroke swimmer qualified for finals, with Dale leading the pack in 15th place (2:38.02) and Zubal finishing 16th with a personal best time of 2:40.99. Jogan finished 20th, Hincher in 21st and Heath in 22nd.
• In the final event of the weekend, the A 400 freestyle relay of Edens, Osborne, Joslin, and Boivin finished 8th with a time of 3:40.66.

Men:

• Smith and Kopmann pushed each other to personal best and provisional time standards in the 100 butterfly. Smith finished 13th with a time of 51.82, while Koppmann finished 15th with a time of 52.22. Neely joined the fun, finishing 19th overall with a personal best and provisional time standard with a time of 52.51. Clapp rounded out the event in 24th with a time of 54.79.
• Uzunoe-Chin pulled his weight in the 400 IM, finishing 18th overall with a personal best time of 4:59.72.
• In the 200 freestyle, Mondro and Dumbsky earned finals swims with major personal best times in the morning preliminary heats of 1:47.74 and 1:48.20 respectively.
• Smith dominated the 100 backstroke, finishing 6th overall with a time of 51.88. Clapp improved his provisional time standard, finishing 10th with the time of 53.47. Neely scored in 16th place with a season-best time of 56.90. Joe Rush finished 18th with a personal-best time of 1:03.02. 
• Koppmann and Dumbsky pushed each other to 12th- and 14th-place finishes in the 50 freestyle. Kyle Bos and Berns earned personal best times of 22.54 and 22.57 respectively in the morning preliminary heats.
• Martin continued his streak, finishing 6th overall in the 200 breaststroke and breaking his own school record. His time of 2:05.10 ranks first in the KCAC conference and 14th in the nation. Parlato finished 20th overall with a personal best time of 2:18.34, with Hurley and Mondro at his heels in 21st and 22nd place with the times of 2:24.49 and 2:24.77 respectively.
• In the final event of the weekend, the A 400 freestyle relay of Smith, Martin, Dumbsky, and Koppmann finished 10th with a time of 3:08.83. Smith's lead-off split earned him the school record and provisional time standard of 46.84.

Here is what Head Coach Kristy Hepp had to say about the teams' performances, "This invitational serves as a preview for our conference championship meet in February. Our athletes get the chance to showcase their fall training and preparation with a little bit of rest, tech suits, and a high-energy environment with great competition. Most of the teams were DII, while the other teams were our top competitors in the KCAC conference. 

It's important to see how our athletes respond under pressure, and overall, I'm very pleased with how we performed! Our divers proved that they're an integral part of our program and overall team success. We had a lot of freshmen step up, so my job of choosing our final scoring roster and A relays just got a little more challenging. That's a good sign because our team has grown so much in depth and competitiveness since last season. We swam together as a unified team, and I know where our weaker areas are to focus our training to optimize our performances at the end of the season."

Up Next

The Saints are off competition until 2025 as they will host Lake Superior State and Olivet on Saturday (Jan. 11) at the East Grand Rapids High School.