Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, March 3
Oxford, Ohio
6:30 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
at
MAC Championship
Men's Swim & Dive Finishes as Runner-Up at MAC Championships
3/3/2018 10:06:00 PM | M. Swim & Dive
Al'x Pierre swept the diving events while Parker Saladin set the 200 fly record
OXFORD, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's swimming and diving team finished in the runner-up position at the Mid-American Conference Championships, as Missouri State University (857.5) snapped the Eagles three year run of dominance. The Eagles finished the four-day competition Saturday, March 3, with a final score of 807 the Nixon Aquatic Center .
Freshman Carter Swift (Shepparton, Victoria, Australia) was honored as both the league's Co-Swimmer of the Year as well as the MAC's Freshman of the Year, Meanwhile, freshman Al'x Pierre (London, Ontario-St. Thomas Aquinas) added two awards of this own, the MAC Diver of the Year and the MAC Freshman Diver of the Year. The duo became the first teammates to capture the awards since 2016 when Andrew Henry and Alex Chan garnered the accolades. Buck Smith was once again awarded MAC Diving Coach of the Year, having already won it last weekend at the women's championship meet. EMU had eight swimmers reel in All-MAC honors. Senior Logan Burton (Chesapeake, Va.-Hickory), juniors Tosh Kawaguchi (Cary, N.C.-Cary) and Jake Tyson (Ipswich, England-Northgate), sophomore Parker Saladin (Buchanan, Mich.-Buchanan), Pierre, and Carter all earned First-Team, while senior Peter Rusenas (Naperville, Ill.-Naperville Central), junior Tom Gillis (Halifax, Nova Scotia-Citadel), sophomore Noah Galluzzo (Mexico, N.Y.), and freshman Chris O'Shea (Miller Place, N.Y.-Rocky Points) were all named to the Second-Team.
The championship heats began with the 1650 freestyle where sophomore Tanner Olmos (Clovis, Calif.-Buchanan) led the Green and White with a time of 15:56.11.
Kawaguchi defended his 200 backstroke MAC Champion title in a time of 1:42.96 to win the event. The junior is the first Eagle to win the 200 back in consecutive seasons since Jacob Hanson did so for three straight years from 2011-13. Sophomore Matan Segal (Lehavim, Israel-Hof HaSharon) shaved almost a full second off his prelims time to take runner-up with a career-best time of 1:44.54, moving him to third in the EMU record book. Junior Ricky Perez (Greenfield, Wis.-Greenfield) and O'Shea both had strong finishes in at seventh and ninth, respectively.
The Eagles kept the winning streak alive in the 200 freestyle when Swift locked up his second MAC Championship title with a time of 43.90. He is the 14th Eagle in program history to win the event. Tyson followed right on his heels in a time of 44.23 to take second place. Freshman Alec Hoch (Orchard Park, N.Y.-Orchard Park) rounded out the top-10 with a career-best mark of 44.90, while junior JF Murphy (Montreal, Quebec-Sainte Anne) clocked the 13th-best time.
Freshman Ben Gingher (Boalsburg, Pa.-State College Area) moved up two slots in the 200 breaststroke to finish the event with a fifth-place finish. Gingher's career-best time of 1:59.39 ranks as sixth-best in EMU history. Touching right behind the freshman was sophomore Matthew Tsenkov (Sofia, Bulgaria-General Vladimir Stoychev) at 1:59.62. Freshman Ben Brooks (Avon, Ohio-Avon) earned big points for the Green and White as his ninth-best time of 1:59.20 marks the fifth fastest in program history.
After breaking the 200 butterfly record in the morning preliminary session, Saladin once again broke it again to win the conference title with a blistering time of 1:45.48, edging out a Miami swimmer by over two hundredths of a second. Saladin broke up Southern Illinois' streak of winning the event to become the first Eagle to win the 200 fly since Krzysztof Gilski did so in 2014.
Burton also earned points for EMU as he touched in the sixth-best time of 1:47.70. Sophomore Alex Arrieta (Miami, Fla.-Doral Academy Center), who was slotted ninth, turned in a season-best time of 1:49.00. Meanwhile, senior Connor Johnson (Fort Bragg, N.C.-Terry Sanford) clocked a career-best time of 1:51.59, good for 13th.
On the springboard, the Eagles dominance continues when four divers placed in the top-five. Pierre was unstoppable as the he followed up his 1-meter dive champion title with another in the 3-meter. The freshman turned in a final score of 384.5 to become the first freshman to win the 3-meter since Chan did so in 2014. Pierre's win also makes it the seventh-consecutive year that the title has remained in Ypsilanti.
Gillis and Galluzzo rounded out the top three. Gillis turned in a season-best mark of 330.65 to take second, while Galluzzo used a 329.35 to finish the meet in third-place. Rusenas earned major points for Eastern has his score of 319.35 was the fifth-best in the event. Freshman Jacob Lowe (Brunswick, Ohio) turned in a career-best score of 291.05 in the 'B' final, good for 10th-place.
The Eagles concluded the night with a win in the 400 free relay. The cohort of Swift, Hoch, Kawaguchi, and Tyson became the first EMU foursome to win the event since 2016, as they clocked a time of 2:57.38.
Team Standings
1. Missouri State 857.5
2. Eastern Michigan 807
3. Miami 740
4. Southern Illinois 476.5
5. Evansville 203
6. Ball State 190
MAC Postseason Awards
Swimming Coach of the Year: Dave Collins, Missouri State
Diving Coach of the Year: Buck Smith, Eastern Michigan
Co-Most Outstanding Swimmer: Carter Swift, Eastern Michigan / Artur Osvath, Missouri State
Most Outstanding Diver: Al'x Pierre, Eastern Michigan
Most Outstanding Senior: Christopher Heye, Missouri State
Freshman Swimmer of the Year: Carter Swift, Eastern Michigan
Freshman Diver of the Year: Al'x Pierre, Eastern Michigan
All-MAC 1st Team
Logan Burton, EMU
Al'x Pierre, EMU
Tosh Kawaguchi, EMU
Parker Saladin, EMU
Carter Swift, EMU
Jake Tyson, EMU
Hutch Blackstone, Miami
Kayky Mota, Miami
Blair Bish, MSU
Kacper Cwiek, MSU
Christopher Heye, MSU
Minki Kang, MSU
Artur Osvath, MSU
Lucas Paloschi, MSU
Antonio Thomas, MSU
Phillip Willett, MSU
All-MAC 2nd Team
Noah Galluzzo, EMU
Thomas Gillis, EMU
Chris O'Shea, EMU
Peter Rusenas, EMU
Justin Andrews, Miami
James McGuire, Miami
Harrison Moncino, Miami
Iago Moussalem, Miami
Gordon Wheeler, Miami
Diego Valentim, Miami
Will Frisbie, MSU
Sam Senn, MSU
Jake Schultz, MSU
Chris Cole, SIU
Tamas Hajtman, SIU
Michael Wolfe, SIU
EMU Individual Events
*Denotes season-best
#Denotes career-best
$ Denotes program record
1650 Free
11. Tanner Olmos 15:56.11
x. Corey Smith 15:43.57
x. Jacob Ehrman 16:20.41
200 Back
1. Tosh Kawaguchi 1:42.96
2. Matan Segal 1:44.54#
7. Ricky Perez 1:47.06*
9. Chris O'Shea 1:46.44#
100 Free
1. Carter Swift 43.90
2. Jake Tyson 44.23
10. Alec Hoch 44.90#
13. JF Murphy 45.98#
200 Breast
5. Ben Ginger 1:59.39#
6. Matthew Tsenkov 1:59.62
9. Ben Brooks 1:59.20#
200 Fly
1. Parker Saladin 1:45.48#$
6. Logan Burton 1:47.70
9. Alex Arrieta 1:49.00*
13. Connor Johnson 1:52.29
3-Meter
1. Al'x Pierre 384.85
2. Tom Gillis 330.65*
3. Noah Galluzzo 329.35
5. Peter Rusenas 319.35
10. Jacob Lowe 291.05#
Freshman Carter Swift (Shepparton, Victoria, Australia) was honored as both the league's Co-Swimmer of the Year as well as the MAC's Freshman of the Year, Meanwhile, freshman Al'x Pierre (London, Ontario-St. Thomas Aquinas) added two awards of this own, the MAC Diver of the Year and the MAC Freshman Diver of the Year. The duo became the first teammates to capture the awards since 2016 when Andrew Henry and Alex Chan garnered the accolades. Buck Smith was once again awarded MAC Diving Coach of the Year, having already won it last weekend at the women's championship meet. EMU had eight swimmers reel in All-MAC honors. Senior Logan Burton (Chesapeake, Va.-Hickory), juniors Tosh Kawaguchi (Cary, N.C.-Cary) and Jake Tyson (Ipswich, England-Northgate), sophomore Parker Saladin (Buchanan, Mich.-Buchanan), Pierre, and Carter all earned First-Team, while senior Peter Rusenas (Naperville, Ill.-Naperville Central), junior Tom Gillis (Halifax, Nova Scotia-Citadel), sophomore Noah Galluzzo (Mexico, N.Y.), and freshman Chris O'Shea (Miller Place, N.Y.-Rocky Points) were all named to the Second-Team.
The championship heats began with the 1650 freestyle where sophomore Tanner Olmos (Clovis, Calif.-Buchanan) led the Green and White with a time of 15:56.11.
Kawaguchi defended his 200 backstroke MAC Champion title in a time of 1:42.96 to win the event. The junior is the first Eagle to win the 200 back in consecutive seasons since Jacob Hanson did so for three straight years from 2011-13. Sophomore Matan Segal (Lehavim, Israel-Hof HaSharon) shaved almost a full second off his prelims time to take runner-up with a career-best time of 1:44.54, moving him to third in the EMU record book. Junior Ricky Perez (Greenfield, Wis.-Greenfield) and O'Shea both had strong finishes in at seventh and ninth, respectively.
The Eagles kept the winning streak alive in the 200 freestyle when Swift locked up his second MAC Championship title with a time of 43.90. He is the 14th Eagle in program history to win the event. Tyson followed right on his heels in a time of 44.23 to take second place. Freshman Alec Hoch (Orchard Park, N.Y.-Orchard Park) rounded out the top-10 with a career-best mark of 44.90, while junior JF Murphy (Montreal, Quebec-Sainte Anne) clocked the 13th-best time.
Freshman Ben Gingher (Boalsburg, Pa.-State College Area) moved up two slots in the 200 breaststroke to finish the event with a fifth-place finish. Gingher's career-best time of 1:59.39 ranks as sixth-best in EMU history. Touching right behind the freshman was sophomore Matthew Tsenkov (Sofia, Bulgaria-General Vladimir Stoychev) at 1:59.62. Freshman Ben Brooks (Avon, Ohio-Avon) earned big points for the Green and White as his ninth-best time of 1:59.20 marks the fifth fastest in program history.
After breaking the 200 butterfly record in the morning preliminary session, Saladin once again broke it again to win the conference title with a blistering time of 1:45.48, edging out a Miami swimmer by over two hundredths of a second. Saladin broke up Southern Illinois' streak of winning the event to become the first Eagle to win the 200 fly since Krzysztof Gilski did so in 2014.
Burton also earned points for EMU as he touched in the sixth-best time of 1:47.70. Sophomore Alex Arrieta (Miami, Fla.-Doral Academy Center), who was slotted ninth, turned in a season-best time of 1:49.00. Meanwhile, senior Connor Johnson (Fort Bragg, N.C.-Terry Sanford) clocked a career-best time of 1:51.59, good for 13th.
On the springboard, the Eagles dominance continues when four divers placed in the top-five. Pierre was unstoppable as the he followed up his 1-meter dive champion title with another in the 3-meter. The freshman turned in a final score of 384.5 to become the first freshman to win the 3-meter since Chan did so in 2014. Pierre's win also makes it the seventh-consecutive year that the title has remained in Ypsilanti.
Gillis and Galluzzo rounded out the top three. Gillis turned in a season-best mark of 330.65 to take second, while Galluzzo used a 329.35 to finish the meet in third-place. Rusenas earned major points for Eastern has his score of 319.35 was the fifth-best in the event. Freshman Jacob Lowe (Brunswick, Ohio) turned in a career-best score of 291.05 in the 'B' final, good for 10th-place.
The Eagles concluded the night with a win in the 400 free relay. The cohort of Swift, Hoch, Kawaguchi, and Tyson became the first EMU foursome to win the event since 2016, as they clocked a time of 2:57.38.
Team Standings
1. Missouri State 857.5
2. Eastern Michigan 807
3. Miami 740
4. Southern Illinois 476.5
5. Evansville 203
6. Ball State 190
MAC Postseason Awards
Swimming Coach of the Year: Dave Collins, Missouri State
Diving Coach of the Year: Buck Smith, Eastern Michigan
Co-Most Outstanding Swimmer: Carter Swift, Eastern Michigan / Artur Osvath, Missouri State
Most Outstanding Diver: Al'x Pierre, Eastern Michigan
Most Outstanding Senior: Christopher Heye, Missouri State
Freshman Swimmer of the Year: Carter Swift, Eastern Michigan
Freshman Diver of the Year: Al'x Pierre, Eastern Michigan
All-MAC 1st Team
Logan Burton, EMU
Al'x Pierre, EMU
Tosh Kawaguchi, EMU
Parker Saladin, EMU
Carter Swift, EMU
Jake Tyson, EMU
Hutch Blackstone, Miami
Kayky Mota, Miami
Blair Bish, MSU
Kacper Cwiek, MSU
Christopher Heye, MSU
Minki Kang, MSU
Artur Osvath, MSU
Lucas Paloschi, MSU
Antonio Thomas, MSU
Phillip Willett, MSU
All-MAC 2nd Team
Noah Galluzzo, EMU
Thomas Gillis, EMU
Chris O'Shea, EMU
Peter Rusenas, EMU
Justin Andrews, Miami
James McGuire, Miami
Harrison Moncino, Miami
Iago Moussalem, Miami
Gordon Wheeler, Miami
Diego Valentim, Miami
Will Frisbie, MSU
Sam Senn, MSU
Jake Schultz, MSU
Chris Cole, SIU
Tamas Hajtman, SIU
Michael Wolfe, SIU
EMU Individual Events
*Denotes season-best
#Denotes career-best
$ Denotes program record
1650 Free
11. Tanner Olmos 15:56.11
x. Corey Smith 15:43.57
x. Jacob Ehrman 16:20.41
200 Back
1. Tosh Kawaguchi 1:42.96
2. Matan Segal 1:44.54#
7. Ricky Perez 1:47.06*
9. Chris O'Shea 1:46.44#
100 Free
1. Carter Swift 43.90
2. Jake Tyson 44.23
10. Alec Hoch 44.90#
13. JF Murphy 45.98#
200 Breast
5. Ben Ginger 1:59.39#
6. Matthew Tsenkov 1:59.62
9. Ben Brooks 1:59.20#
200 Fly
1. Parker Saladin 1:45.48#$
6. Logan Burton 1:47.70
9. Alex Arrieta 1:49.00*
13. Connor Johnson 1:52.29
3-Meter
1. Al'x Pierre 384.85
2. Tom Gillis 330.65*
3. Noah Galluzzo 329.35
5. Peter Rusenas 319.35
10. Jacob Lowe 291.05#
Players Mentioned
Free/Fly
/ M. Swim & Dive
Breast/IM
/ M. Swim & Dive
Fly
/ M. Swim & Dive
Free
/ M. Swim & Dive
Diving
/ M. Swim & Dive
Diving
/ M. Swim & Dive
Breast
/ M. Swim & Dive
Free
/ M. Swim & Dive
Fly/IM
/ M. Swim & Dive
Back/IM
/ M. Swim & Dive
/ M. Swim & Dive
Free
/ M. Swim & Dive
Back/Fly
/ M. Swim & Dive
Free
/ M. Swim & Dive
Back/IM
/ M. Swim & Dive
Diving
/ M. Swim & Dive
Diving
/ M. Swim & Dive
Fly/IM
/ M. Swim & Dive
Back/Free
/ M. Swim & Dive
Back
/ M. Swim & Dive
Free
/ M. Swim & Dive
Breast
/ M. Swim & Dive
Fly
/ M. Swim & DiveEastern Michigan Head Coach Peter Linn
Monday, June 04
Day 3 Recap: 2016 Men's Swimming & Diving Championships
Saturday, March 12
2016 Men's Swimming & Diving Champions: Eastern Michigan
Saturday, March 12
Day 1 Recap: 2016 Men's Swimming & Diving Championships
Saturday, March 12