Swimming & diving teams finish fifth and sixth at MIAA Championships

The Olivet College men’s and women’s swimming & diving teams placed fifth and sixth at the 2019 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Championships at the Holland Aquatic Center in Holland. After 24 events for each gender, the Comet men collected 281 points, while the women totaled 176 points.

Results
Swimming & diving teams finish fifth and sixth at MIAA Championships
February 23, 2019

HOLLAND, Mich. – The Olivet College men's and women's swimming & diving teams placed fifth and sixth at the 2019 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Championships at the Holland Aquatic Center in Holland. After 24 events for each gender, the Comet men collected 281 points, while the women totaled 176 points.

  • Freshman Kayla Eichaker finished 13th in both the 100-yard freestyle (54.96) and 200-yard butterfly (2:23.28). Her preliminary time, 54.11 seconds, in the 100 free is the fourth-fastest ever at Olivet, and the finals time in the 200 fly ranks eighth all-time.
  • Junior Abbie Slater scored a personal-best 307.50 points on the one-meter diving board to place seventh.
  • In the preliminaries, sophomore Amelia Tomalka and senior Samantha Butler posted season-best times in the 200-yard backstroke at 2:19.95 and 2:22.15, respectively.
  • Sophomore Keanalanimeleo'kekai Kunz had a personal-best time of 2:51.32 in the preliminaries of the 200-yard breaststroke.
  • Also in the preliminaries, seniors Sabrina Butler and Delaney Graham completed the 100-yard freestyle in season-best times of 56.81 and 57.09 seconds, respectively.
  • Graham had a lifetime-best by more than 20 seconds in the 1,650-yard freestyle at 19:55.89.
  • The 400-yard freestyle quartet of Butler, Graham, Tomalka and Eichaker finished fourth with a time of 3:45.67.

1. Hope 810, 2. Calvin 793, 3. Albion 681, 4. Kalamazoo 496, 5. Alma 236, 6. OLIVET 176.

  • Freshman Zachary Knott had Olivet's top finish, as he was sixth in 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:09.47. The time ranks fifth-best in Comet history.
  • Junior Eric Wood placed seventh in the 100-yard freestyle with a personal-best time of 47.29 seconds.
  • Freshman Cade Erickson placed eighth in the 1,650-yard freestyle in a personal-best time of 16:39.39. The time is also the fifth-fastest in school history.
  • Junior Zach Meharg swam to a 13th-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly with a personal-best time of 2:02.34, which is 10th-fastest ever at Olivet.
  • Senior Bryan Plesner and freshman Brandon Burks finished 14th (2:07.88) and 15th (2:14.77), respectively in the 200-yard backstroke.
  • Sophomore Patrick Gault recorded a season-best time of 2:31.02 in the preliminaries of the 200-yard breaststroke. Also tallying a season-best time was sophomore Kolton Epplett in the 200-yard butterfly preliminaries at 2:12.34.
  • The 400-yard freestyle relay team of Knott, Erickson, Meharg and Wood had the fifth-fastest time at 3:19.07.

1. Albion 912, 2. Calvin 886, 3. Kalamazoo 488, 4. Hope 467, 5. OLIVET 281, 6. Alma 124.