GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University swimming and diving program got back in the pool against GLIAC opponent Davenport Saturday evening. The men claimed victory in the dual meet with a final score of 159-135 while the women fell 179-119.
The men had great performances all around totaling 10 first place finishes, six second place finishes, and nine third place finishes through their 16 events. Benjamin Wainman took first in both the 1650-yard freestyle and the 500-yard freestyle finishing with times of 15:38.56 and 4:42.13.
Almos Szedlak and Logan Fox both had three first place finishes, two solo's and one when they teamed up with Eric Slabbert and Joao Pedro Noguero in the 400-yard medley relay with a time of 3:20.92. Szedlak's other wins were in the 100-yard and 200-yard freestyle with times of 45.93 and 1:41.44. Fox's two solo wins were in the 100-yard breaststroke and 100-yard butterfly with marks of 55.96 and 50.35. Slabbert also took home two silvers finishing the 200-yard backstroke and 200-yard individual medley in times of 1:50.29 and 1:55.01.
The last major spot light is Rory Kauffman who took first in both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives. Kauffman scored 300.83 in his six dives from three meters and broke the 1-meter six dive record with a score of 304.49. 21 of the 23 records for the men are currently held by active members and 22 of the 23 have been set during Jason Lintjer's coaching career at SVSU.
The women tallied five first place marks, five second place finishes, and nine third place times. Starting with diving, Kaylee Smith placed first in both the 1-meter and 3-meter with scores of 257.02 and 258.15. Cailey Mills took second in both of the events with scores of 236.62 and 256.42. Smith, along with Kauffman, have both qualified for the NCAA DII national championships.
The three other first place finishes were two for Flora Mia Szklenar finishing the 100-yard butterfly in 57.26 and the 200-yard butterfly in 2:05.95. The last top finish was in the 200-yard freestyle relay as Veronica Markwood, Ella Yantz, Grace Charnstrom, and Andrea Bustos took first with a time of 1:39.05. Charnstrom also finished the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:07.18 taking second, and Alexa Hieber also finished second with her 17:45.97 mark in the 1650-yard freestyle.
The meet was the final one for SVSU swim and dive before the GLIAC championships. The four-day competition starts Friday, February 9 and runs through Monday, February 12 at the Holland Aquatic Center in Holland, Michigan.