Swim and Dive Start Strong at Day One of Denison Invitational

Day 1 Final Results (PDF)

GRANVILLE, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University swimming and diving team kicked off the Denison Invitational Thursday, Nov. 29, in the Trumbull Aquatics Center. The Eagles currently sit in second place with 609.5 points behind host Denison University after earning two individual titles and a relay win on day one of the inaugural event.

EMU was led by individual event titles from senior Nicole Swartz (Dayton, Ohio-Centerville) and junior Sophia Tsafantakis (Washington, Mich.-Romeo), as well earning a top-finish in 400 Medley Relay. Swartz continued her success in the 500 Freestyle event, tapping in with a season-best time of 4:52.98, earning her fifth-consecutive win in the event. The Dayton, Ohio native has earned the top finish in the 500 Free in each of the season's meets for the Green and White, while her finish today registered as the fourth-best time by a Mid-American Conference student-athlete this season. Sophomore Kaitlynd Scanlan (Waukesha, Wisc.-Pewaukee) finished a mere second behind Swartz, earning a second-place finish with her season-best time of 4:53.54. Adding points for the Eagles was sophomores Alyssa Shugarman (Oswego, Ill.-Oswego) and Abby Rapien (Cincinnati, Ohio-Taylor), posting finishes of 5:04.80 and 5:10.96, respectively. Junior Sydney Thomas (Jamestown, N.Y.-Southwestern Senior) rounded out the Eagles competitors, coming in with a season-best time of 5:09.50, good for a 20th-place finish.

Junior Claire Young (Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.-Grosse Point South) paced the Eagles in the 200 IM, touching with a season-best time of 2:07.48, good for an 11th place finish. Senior Stephanie Johnston (Holland, Mich.-Hamilton) finished tied for third-overall in the 50 Freestyle event with a season-best time of 23.45.

On the springboard, Eastern Michigan took two spots on the podium in the 1-meter as Tsafantakis and sophomore Micaela Schempf (Bowling Green, Ohio-Bowling Green) earned first and third place finishes, respectively. Tsafantakis earned the top score of 265.55, while Schempf wrangled in a score of 258.50 on the one-meter dive. Additionally, sophomore Bethany Berger (Batavia, Ohio-Glen Este) and junior Brielle Johnston (Ottawa, Ontario-Catholique Franco-Quest) earned fifth and 11th-place finishes with scores of 231.75 and 199.45.

EMU's relay team of junior Casey Gavigan (East Setauket, N.Y.-Ward Melville), and seniors Delaney Duncan (Galesburg, Ill.-Galesburg), Dora Vrcic (Dubrovacka, Split, Croatia) and Johnston closed out the first day of swimming with a 400 Medley Relay win, finishing over a second before the rest of the field of competitors at 3:47.51.

The Eagles continue competition at the Denison Invitational tomorrow morning, with the first session of the day scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Live results for both preliminary and final competitions will be available here, while live video streaming of the later sessions can be found here.

Day 1 Standings
1. Denison - 756
2. Eastern Michigan - 609.5
3. Emory - 557.5
4. Wayne State - 370
5. Washington-St. Louis - 354
6. Ohio State - 58
7. Thomas More - 14

Individual Results
* Denotes season-best time
# Denotes career-best time

500 Free (Preliminary Heats)
Kaitlynd Scanlan- 4:58.50
Nicole Swartz- 4:59.87
Alyssa Shugarman- 5:08.54
Sydney Thomas-5:09.81
Elli Machado- 5:14.20
Abby Rapien- 5:14.95
Marcella Da Costa- 5:18.75
Rebecca Winnert- 5:22.23

500 Free (Final Heats)
1. Nicole Swartz- 4:52.98*
2. Kaitlynd Scanlan- 4:53.54*
10. Alyssa Shugarman - 5:04.80*
14. Sydney Thomas - 5:09.50*
20. Abby Rapien - 5:10.96*
21. Elli Machado - 5:13.90*#
24. Rebecca Winnert - 5:16.76
26, Marcella Da Costa - 5:19.33*

200 Yard IM (Preliminary Heats)
Claire Young- 2:08.00
Carlee Jones- 2:08.52
Delaney Duncan – 2:09.11
Amelia Kinnard- 2:10.05

200 Yard IM (B Final)
11. Claire Young- 2:07.48*
12. Delaney Duncan – 2:07.65
17. Carlee Jones- 2:09.50*
18. Amelia Kinnard- 2:11.28

50 Yard Free (Preliminary Heats)
Stephanie Johnston- 23.60
Amelia Armstrong-Grant – 23.81
Meike Staffeldt- 24.18
Marissa Marion- 24.28
Rachel Stark- 24.39
Emilie Desnoyers- 24.83
Hunter Ignasiak- 24.90
Arianna Ortiz- 25.20
Corinne Baber- 26.30

50 Free (Final Heats)
T3. Stephanie Johnston- 23.45*
5. Amelia Armstrong-Grant - 23.48*
19. Meike Staffeldt- 24.06*
27. Marissa Marion - 24.60

1-meter diving
1. Sophia Tsafantakis- 265.55
3. Micaela Schempf- 258.50
5. Bethany Berger- 231.75
11. Brielle Johnston - 199.45

Swim and Dive Start Strong at Day One of Denison Invitational

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Players Mentioned

Amelia Armstrong-Grant

Corinne Baber

Bethany Berger

Marcella Da Costa

Emilie Desnoyers

Delaney Duncan

Casey Gavigan

Hunter Ignasiak

Brielle Johnston

Stephanie Johnston

Carlee Jones

Amelia Kinnard

Elli Machado

Marissa Marion

Arianna Ortiz

Abby Rapien

Kaitlynd Scanlan

Micaela Schempf

Alyssa Shugarman

Meike Staffeldt

Rachel Stark

Nicole Swartz

Sydney Thomas

Sophia Tsafantakis

Dora Vrcic

Rebecca Winnert

Claire Young

Eastern Michigan Athletics