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SAGINAW, Mich. - Northern Michigan University's Women's Swim and Dive Team captured their second GLIAC title in three years Monday, while the NMU men finished third overall. The GLIAC Swim and Dive Championships were held Friday through Monday in Saginaw, MI.
"I am so incredibly proud of this team and the energy they brought over four days of competition," said Head Coach Heidi Voigt. "So many different athletes stepped up when the team needed them with great swims and strong diving performances."
Multiple Wildcats dominated their specialty events including a sweep of the butterfly events by Meritxell Font-Cantarero as well as teammates Heidi Billings and Camilla Carbone tying for the 100-yard backstroke. Billings went on to win the 200-yard backstroke as well as runner-up finishes in the 200- and 400-yard Individual Medley races. Pilar Perello won the women's 100-yard freestyle as well as anchored the four relays the women's team won throughout the meet.
"For our women to win four of five relays and qualify all relays for the NCAA Championships is a testament to the depth and teamwork we've strived to create," said Associate Head Coach Matthew Williams. "These women and men truly rose to the challenge over the course of this season."
On the men's side, junior Roberto Camera ruled the breaststroke events, junior Erikas Kapocius was on the podium in all four of his events and freshman sprinter Ezra Billings finished top four in three events while also anchoring two men's relays to NCAA qualifying times.
Voigt was named the 2022 GLIAC Women's Coach of the Year after the meet. It was her sixth GLIAC Coach of the Year award in 10 seasons at NMU.
Friday, Feb. 4, 2022
The meet started last Friday with the 1000-freestyle, 200-yard IM, and 50 freestyle as well as the 200 Medley and 200 free relays: The Wildcats picked up their first points of the meet when Carbone, Zoe DeKievit, Font-Cantarero, and Perello won the women's 200 Medley Relay with an NCAA qualifying time of 1:42.49. That time currently ranks fifth in NCAA D2.
The Wildcats then went 2-3 in the 200 IM with Billing nabbing silver in a time of 2:04.36 and junior Michaela Nelson taking bronze close behind with a 2:04.80 swim. The Cat's finished the night with a silver in the 200 freestyle relay, with Jasper Bunker, Nelson, Becca Burrows, and Perello swimming to an NCAA Qualifying 1:34.48.
On the men's side, Ondrej Zach placed second in the 1000-yd free with an NCAA qualifying 9:05.89. Ryan Leach dived into third place in the men's 1-meter springboard diving event.
The men and women finished day one of the competition in third place.
Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022
Font-Cantarero started day two out hot for the Wildcats, winning the 100 butterfly in a blazing 55.73. Joining her on the podium were Jenna Joerger (third) and Bunker (eighth).
Heidi Billings earned her second runner-up finish with a 4:23.33 swim in the women's 400 IM. That time also set a new Wildcat team record. Wildcat senior Briana Arnold joined her on the podium with a fourth-place finish in her first time racing that event at GLIACs. The dominance continued when Nelson and Pilar went first and second respectively in the 200 freestyle, with NCAA qualifying times of 1:50.60 and 1:50.61. Both times rank in the top 15 in NCAA D2.
The women capped the night by winning the 400 Medley Relay. The team of Billings, DeKievit, Font-Cantarero, and Perello finished in an NCAA qualifying 3:45.94, currently the seventh-fastest time in the country.
On the men's side, Ryan Lund and Ezra Billings earned podium finishes in the 100 butterfly with 48.77 and 48.79 swims. Erikas Kapocius nabbed a second-place victory in the Men 400-yd IM, notching a time of 3:53.56.
The men 'Cats ended the night with an NCAA qualifying swim in the 400 Medley Relay. The team of Thibault Auger, Lund, Camera, and Billings covered the distance in 3:15.52.
The Wildcat women finished the night in second while the men remained in third after day two.
Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022
On day three Wildcat women dominated the 100 backstroke with a podium sweep as freshmen Carbone and Billings tied for the GLIAC title while teammate Joerger grabbed third and Julianna Engesser finished seventh.
Briana Arnold then earned her first GLIAC medal with a 1:04.38 third place finish in the 100 breaststroke. Freshmen Bunker and DeKievit were fifth and seventh respectively.
Font-Cantarero and Nelson went first and second in the 200 butterfly with swims of 2:03.67 and 2:04.47 respectively. Then the women finished the night capturing the 800 freestyle relay with a new pool record time of 7:27.08. The team of Nelson, Hannig, Joerger, and Perello-Ferrer are now ranked fifth in the NCAA D2.
The women moved into first place at the end of day three, with a five-point lead over Wayne State.
For men, Roberto Camera clinched the gold in the 100-yd Breaststroke at a time of 54.34 while diver Ryan Leach finished third in 3-meter springboard diving.
The men wrapped up the day in third place.
Monday, Feb. 7, 2022
The Wildcat women dominated day four. Francesca Gastrow and Font-Cantarero started the night with podium finishes in the 1650-yard freestyle,
Pilar Perello-Ferrer then captured the women's 100 freestyle with a 51.26 swim. Her teammates Nelson, Burrows, and Hannig finished third, fifth and sixth respectively with times of 51.71, 52.23, and 52.27.
Billings followed that up with a win in the 200 backstroke. She currently holds the sixth-fastest time in the country. Teammates Joerger, Carbone, and Faith Sill finished third, fourth, and seventh respectively.
DeKievit and Arnold then notched fourth and sixth in the 200 breaststroke with times of 2:20.25 and 2:23.91. Freshmen diver Abbie Harned grabbed fourth in women's 1-meter diving, the last individual event of the meet.
The Wildcat women closed with another dominant relay performance. The team of Nelson, Hannig, Burrows, and Perello swam to the seventh-fastest time in the country and an NCAA qualifying time of 3:25.34.
On the men's side, Zach picked up his second runner-up medal in the men's 1650-yd freestyle, finishing with a time of 15:26.46. Roberto Camera followed that with another win, this time in the 200-yard breaststroke with a 1:59.30 swim. Kapocius and Auger earned podium spots with fourth and fifth place in the men's 200 backstrokes going 1:47.30 and 1:47.74 respectively while freshman Ezra Billings earned fourth in the 100 freestyle (44.91).
GLIAC Champions
Leading by only five going into the final day, the Wildcat women pulled away and claimed the GLIAC championship with a score of 846.50 points. Wayne State finished second with 801.5 and Grand Valley was third with 765.
The men jumped into second with a score of 585. Grand Valley won the men's meet with 989 points.
GLIAC Swimming and Diving Special Awards
Heidi Billings was honored with Female Freshman of the Year.
Heidi Voigt was honored as GLIAC Women's Swimming and Diving Coach of the Year.
Up Next
The Wildcat women are currently ranked 10th in the country while the men sit at 17th nationally. The two teams now have about four weeks to prepare for the NCAA National Championships to be held March 8-12, 2022 in Greensboro, NC.
