GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - This weekend both of Northern Michigan University's swim and dive teams swam in the Calvin College Invite ahead of closing out the 2021 calendar year.
NMU women's team broke three separate records over the weekend, while multiple other swimmers found NCAA qualifying times.
NMU men's swim and dive saw a strong performance out of sophomore
Thibault Auger, as he collected first in the men's 100-yd. fly time trial, while also being apart of a record breaking 200-yd medley relay team.
DAY 1
The women's 800-yd free relay started the invitational out hot,
Ella Houwers,
Pilar Perello Ferrer,
Michaela Nelson, and
Becca Burrows set a team record time with 7:28.76 en route to collecting first place and earning an NCAA B cut.
Graduate student
Ondrej Zach, continues to dominate the long distance competitions this year. Zach set pool records in the 1000 and 1650-yd men freestyle race, collecting the win with a time of 15:12.42.
Auger reached first place, collecting a time of 49.89 seconds in the men's 100-yd. fly time trial.
After the first day of competition, the women were first on the podium with 228.5 points, while the men sat second with 216 points.
DAY 2
The second day of competition saw more of the same from the Wildcats, as NMU had multiple event winners and athletes hit NCAA qualifying times.
Jasper Bunker,
Donna Hannig, Perello Ferrer, and Nelson broke the pool record and collected an NCAA time in the women's 200-yd. free relay with a time of 1:33.69 as they captured the first event of the day.
Porello Ferrer swam away with a win in the women's 200-yd. freestyle race with a time of 1:50.38, capturing an NCAA B time.
Two more 'Cats found NCAA B times as freshman
Heidi Billings captured first in the 100-yd. backstroke with a time of 55.54, Bunker added a first place victory in the 50-yd. freestyle with a time of 23.69.
Freshman
Abbie Harned grabbed an NCAA qualifying score in the 1-meter diving event.
Nelson found her way into the NCAA cut while swimming in the 50-yd. freestyle with a time of 23.76.
Junior
Meritxell Font Cantarero won the women's 200-yd. fly with an NCAA time of 2:04.03.
Erikas Kapocius reached an NCAA qualifying time of 3:52.05 in the 400-yd. IM, while
Ezra Billings also found a NCAA qualifying time of 20.09 in the 50-yd. freestyle.
After day two, the women led by a score of 1,105.5 as the men dropped to third with a score of 735.
DAY 3
NMU's final day of competition saw more of the same, as multiple NCAA cuts were made.
The team composed of Hannig, Burrows, Perello Ferrer, and Nelson shattered the pool record in the women's 400-yd free relay with a time of 3:25.79.
Roberto Camera,
Ryan Lund, Billings, and Auger broke the NMU record for men's 200-yd medley relay with a time of 1:28.49, while also capturing an NCAA qualifying time.
TEAM SCORES
After three days of competition, the women's team walked away with a commanding victory tallying a total of 2,157.5 points, while the men's team grabbed a hold of second with a final score of 1,585.5.
UP NEXT
The Wildcats finish out December on a high note as they look to take a month off of competition to prepare for a busy January. NMU swim and dive take to the air next month as they get ready for the Orange Bowl Classic set to take place in Key Largo, Fla. on Jan. 11, 2022.
