Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, March 2
Akron, Ohio
10:30 a.m./ 6:30 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
at
MAC Championships
Photo by: University of Akron Athletics
Eagles Finish Runner-Up at MAC Championships
3/2/2019 10:10:00 PM | Swimming & Diving
Delaney Duncan was named MAC's Most Outstanding Swimmer for her efforts at the championship meet
Saturday Results | Complete Results | Photo Gallery
AKRON, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The 2019 Mid-American Conference's Most Outstanding Swimmer senior Delaney Duncan (Galesburg, Ill.-Galesburg) and the Eastern Michigan University swimming and diving team finished runner-up at the Mid-American Conference Championships with 583 points, Saturday, March 2 inside Ocasek Natatorium on the campus of University of Akron. The final night of competition saw two event titles and a school record broken as the Eagles earned second place at the conference championships for the fifth-straight year.
Host Akron earned the 2019 conference championship with a record-setting 867 points, followed by the Eagles with 583 points, and the University at Buffalo with 502 points. Miami University earned fourth place with 486 points, followed by Ohio University, Bowling Green State University, University of Toledo, and Ball State with scores of 421, 305, 171, and 148 points, respectively.
Head Diving Coach Buck Smith was named MAC Diving Coach of the Year for the third-straight year, as all five of the EMU divers competed in both the 1-meter and 3-meter dive's Championship Heats. Duncan was named Most Outstanding Swimmer for her record-shattering 100 and 200 Breaststroke Individual Conference Championships, as well as All-MAC First Team. Senior Nicole Swartz (Dayton, Ohio-Centerville) was the lone other Eagle named All-MAC First Team for her first place finish in the 1650 Freestyle. Juniors Casey Gavigan (East Setauket, N.Y.-Ward Meville), Claire Young (Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.-Grosse Pointe South), and Sophia Tsafantakis (Washington, Mich.-Romeo) were selected to the All-MAC Second Team for their podium topping finishes throughout the conference championship competition.
Additionally, before Saturday night's events began, Duncan earned the conference's Outstanding Senior award, voted on by the conference's swimming and diving coaches to recognize the most exceptional senior swimmer. The award comes after Duncan became the first female swimmer in conference history to win the 100 Breaststroke four times, becoming the only swimmer in Eastern Michigan history to qualify for the NCAA Championships all four years of her career.
Saturday's championship heats began with the 1650 Freestyle event, as the event's reigning champion Swartz once again snagged gold with a career-best time of 16:15.71. Swartz became the first three-time winner of the event since Amy Miranda of Miami University won the event four times from 2001-2004. Sophomore Kaitlynd Scanlan (Waukesha, Wis.-Pewaukee) also registered her collegiate-best effort Saturday night with a time of 16:38.21, good for a fifth-place finish.
Arguably the best backstroke duo in Eastern Michigan history, Gavigan and Young earned the silver and bronze finishes in the 200 Backstroke, respectively. Gavigan broke her own school record in the event by .6 seconds, tapping the wall with a time of 1:55.33 while Young recorded a season-best effort of 1:56.80. Both recorded times that are considered NCAA 'B' cut and will both be considered for the NCAA Championships held in Austin, Texas. The event saw the most Eagles record point-earning finishes, as both senior Dora Vrcic (Dubrovacka, Split, Croatia) and sophomore Avrie Stewart (Menominee, Mich.-Menominee) swam in the consolation final. Vrcic earned the top finish in the consolation heat with a career-best time of 2:00.03, good for ninth-overall, while Stewart snagged the fourth-best time of the heat with a personal-best effort of 2:01.34, registering a 13th-place finish.
The 100 Freestyle saw two Eagles swim in the consolation final, as junior Amelia Armstrong-Grant (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Saline (Iowa)) earned a 14th-place finish with a time of 50.27, while sophomore Meike Staffeldt (Niedersachen, Germany) recorded a career-best effort of 50.58 for a 16th overall finish.
Duncan successfully earned a sweep of the Breaststroke events with a season-best and NCAA "B" cut time of 2:07.38 to take home her second individual championship of the competition. Her effort also recorded a new conference championship record, besting the 2018 Champion Paloma Marrero of Akron's time by two seconds. Also earning a top finish was sophomore Elli Machado (Reading, Pa.-Exeter Township) as she tapped in first in the consolation final with a collegiate-best time of 2:14.64, improving her second-fastest time in EMU history set in the preliminary heats.
Senior Emilie Desnoyers (St. Albert, Alberta) bested her 200 Butterfly finish from a year ago Saturday night, earning seventh overall with a time of 2:02.67. Her effort was .14 seconds faster than her 2018 eighth-place effort of 2:02.81. Sophomore Ali Staver (Bettendorf, Iowa-Pleasant Valley) swam in the consolation final, earning an 11th-place finish with a season-best time of 2:02.36.
On the springboard, Eastern Michigan was the best-represented school with four of the championship heats' eight divers donning the Green and White. Tsafantakis grabbed the bronze medal finish with a season-best point total of 304.60, while senior Gabrielle Mace (Clinton, Mich.-Chippewa Valley), sophomore Bethany Berger (Batavia, Ohio-Glen Este), and junior Brielle Johnston (Ottowa, Ontario-Catholique Franco-Quest) earned sixth, seventh, and eighth place, respectively.
The Eagles closed out competition at the conference championships with a fourth-place finish in the 400 Freestyle Relay, registering a time of 3:21.52, besting their seed time by 4.34 seconds.
Team Standings
1. Akron- 867
2. Eastern Michigan- 583
3. Buffalo- 502
4. Miami- 486
5. Ohio- 421
6. Bowling Green- 305
7. Toledo- 171
8. Ball State- 148
Specialty Awards
Most Outstanding Swimmer of the Year
Delaney Duncan, Eastern Michigan
Most Outstanding Diver of the Year
Talisa Lemke, BGSU
MAC Diving Coach of the Year
Buck Smith, Eastern Michigan
MAC Coach of the Year
Brian Peresie
Freshman Swimmer of the Year
Sarah Watson, Akron
Co- Freshman Diver of the Year
Kami Goorick, Akron/Jae Sarkis, Buffalo
All-MAC First Team
Ragen Engel, Akron
Sadie Fazekas, Akron
Paulina Nogaj, Akron
Morgan Waggoner, Akron
Sarah Watson, Akron
Mackenzie Vargas, Akron
Talisa Lemke, Bowling Green
Daisy Platts, Bowling Green
Brittney Beetcher, Buffalo
Olivia Sapio, Buffalo
Delaney Duncan, Eastern Michigan
Nicole Swartz, Eastern Michigan
Camila Lins de Mello, Miami
Ella Moyniham, Miami
Hannah Schlegel, Ohio
All-MAC Second Team
Jessica Bonezzi, Akron
Paula Garcia, Akron
Kami Goodrick, Akron
Sofia Henell, Akron
Ellie, Nebraska, Akron
Jackie Pash, Akron
Andrea Ernst, Buffalo
Jae Sarkis, Buffalo
Casey Gavigan, Eastern Michigan
Sophia Tsafantakis, Eastern Michigan
Claire Young, Eastern Michigan
Beatriz Pimentel Dizotti, Miami
Hannah Fuchs, Miami
Izzy Herb, Miami
Kelsey Morgan, Ohio
Emilia Latinen, Ohio
Corrin Van Lanen, Ohio
EMU Individual Results
*Denotes season-best
#Denotes career-best
& Denotes program-best time
1650 Free
1. Nicole Swartz- 16:15.71*#
5. Kaitlynd Scanlan- 16:38.21*#
200 Back
2. Casey Gavigan- 1:55.33*#&
3. Claire Young- 1:56.80*
9. Dora Vrcic- 2:00.03*#
13. Avrie Stewart- 2:01.34*#
100 Free
14. Amelia Armstrong-Grant- 50.27
16. Meike Staffeldt- 50.58*#
200 Breast
1. Delaney Duncan- 2:07.38*#
9. Elli Machado- 2:14.64*#
200 Fly
7. Emilie Desnoyers- 2:02.67
11. Ali Staver- 2:02.36*
3-meter
3. Sophia Tsafantakis- 304.60*
6. Gabrielle Mace- 285.85
7. Bethany Berger- 283.50
8. Brielle Johnston- 254.90
15. Micaela Schempf- 242.75
AKRON, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The 2019 Mid-American Conference's Most Outstanding Swimmer senior Delaney Duncan (Galesburg, Ill.-Galesburg) and the Eastern Michigan University swimming and diving team finished runner-up at the Mid-American Conference Championships with 583 points, Saturday, March 2 inside Ocasek Natatorium on the campus of University of Akron. The final night of competition saw two event titles and a school record broken as the Eagles earned second place at the conference championships for the fifth-straight year.
Host Akron earned the 2019 conference championship with a record-setting 867 points, followed by the Eagles with 583 points, and the University at Buffalo with 502 points. Miami University earned fourth place with 486 points, followed by Ohio University, Bowling Green State University, University of Toledo, and Ball State with scores of 421, 305, 171, and 148 points, respectively.
Head Diving Coach Buck Smith was named MAC Diving Coach of the Year for the third-straight year, as all five of the EMU divers competed in both the 1-meter and 3-meter dive's Championship Heats. Duncan was named Most Outstanding Swimmer for her record-shattering 100 and 200 Breaststroke Individual Conference Championships, as well as All-MAC First Team. Senior Nicole Swartz (Dayton, Ohio-Centerville) was the lone other Eagle named All-MAC First Team for her first place finish in the 1650 Freestyle. Juniors Casey Gavigan (East Setauket, N.Y.-Ward Meville), Claire Young (Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.-Grosse Pointe South), and Sophia Tsafantakis (Washington, Mich.-Romeo) were selected to the All-MAC Second Team for their podium topping finishes throughout the conference championship competition.
Additionally, before Saturday night's events began, Duncan earned the conference's Outstanding Senior award, voted on by the conference's swimming and diving coaches to recognize the most exceptional senior swimmer. The award comes after Duncan became the first female swimmer in conference history to win the 100 Breaststroke four times, becoming the only swimmer in Eastern Michigan history to qualify for the NCAA Championships all four years of her career.
Saturday's championship heats began with the 1650 Freestyle event, as the event's reigning champion Swartz once again snagged gold with a career-best time of 16:15.71. Swartz became the first three-time winner of the event since Amy Miranda of Miami University won the event four times from 2001-2004. Sophomore Kaitlynd Scanlan (Waukesha, Wis.-Pewaukee) also registered her collegiate-best effort Saturday night with a time of 16:38.21, good for a fifth-place finish.
Arguably the best backstroke duo in Eastern Michigan history, Gavigan and Young earned the silver and bronze finishes in the 200 Backstroke, respectively. Gavigan broke her own school record in the event by .6 seconds, tapping the wall with a time of 1:55.33 while Young recorded a season-best effort of 1:56.80. Both recorded times that are considered NCAA 'B' cut and will both be considered for the NCAA Championships held in Austin, Texas. The event saw the most Eagles record point-earning finishes, as both senior Dora Vrcic (Dubrovacka, Split, Croatia) and sophomore Avrie Stewart (Menominee, Mich.-Menominee) swam in the consolation final. Vrcic earned the top finish in the consolation heat with a career-best time of 2:00.03, good for ninth-overall, while Stewart snagged the fourth-best time of the heat with a personal-best effort of 2:01.34, registering a 13th-place finish.
The 100 Freestyle saw two Eagles swim in the consolation final, as junior Amelia Armstrong-Grant (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Saline (Iowa)) earned a 14th-place finish with a time of 50.27, while sophomore Meike Staffeldt (Niedersachen, Germany) recorded a career-best effort of 50.58 for a 16th overall finish.
Duncan successfully earned a sweep of the Breaststroke events with a season-best and NCAA "B" cut time of 2:07.38 to take home her second individual championship of the competition. Her effort also recorded a new conference championship record, besting the 2018 Champion Paloma Marrero of Akron's time by two seconds. Also earning a top finish was sophomore Elli Machado (Reading, Pa.-Exeter Township) as she tapped in first in the consolation final with a collegiate-best time of 2:14.64, improving her second-fastest time in EMU history set in the preliminary heats.
Senior Emilie Desnoyers (St. Albert, Alberta) bested her 200 Butterfly finish from a year ago Saturday night, earning seventh overall with a time of 2:02.67. Her effort was .14 seconds faster than her 2018 eighth-place effort of 2:02.81. Sophomore Ali Staver (Bettendorf, Iowa-Pleasant Valley) swam in the consolation final, earning an 11th-place finish with a season-best time of 2:02.36.
On the springboard, Eastern Michigan was the best-represented school with four of the championship heats' eight divers donning the Green and White. Tsafantakis grabbed the bronze medal finish with a season-best point total of 304.60, while senior Gabrielle Mace (Clinton, Mich.-Chippewa Valley), sophomore Bethany Berger (Batavia, Ohio-Glen Este), and junior Brielle Johnston (Ottowa, Ontario-Catholique Franco-Quest) earned sixth, seventh, and eighth place, respectively.
The Eagles closed out competition at the conference championships with a fourth-place finish in the 400 Freestyle Relay, registering a time of 3:21.52, besting their seed time by 4.34 seconds.
Team Standings
1. Akron- 867
2. Eastern Michigan- 583
3. Buffalo- 502
4. Miami- 486
5. Ohio- 421
6. Bowling Green- 305
7. Toledo- 171
8. Ball State- 148
Specialty Awards
Most Outstanding Swimmer of the Year
Delaney Duncan, Eastern Michigan
Most Outstanding Diver of the Year
Talisa Lemke, BGSU
MAC Diving Coach of the Year
Buck Smith, Eastern Michigan
MAC Coach of the Year
Brian Peresie
Freshman Swimmer of the Year
Sarah Watson, Akron
Co- Freshman Diver of the Year
Kami Goorick, Akron/Jae Sarkis, Buffalo
All-MAC First Team
Ragen Engel, Akron
Sadie Fazekas, Akron
Paulina Nogaj, Akron
Morgan Waggoner, Akron
Sarah Watson, Akron
Mackenzie Vargas, Akron
Talisa Lemke, Bowling Green
Daisy Platts, Bowling Green
Brittney Beetcher, Buffalo
Olivia Sapio, Buffalo
Delaney Duncan, Eastern Michigan
Nicole Swartz, Eastern Michigan
Camila Lins de Mello, Miami
Ella Moyniham, Miami
Hannah Schlegel, Ohio
All-MAC Second Team
Jessica Bonezzi, Akron
Paula Garcia, Akron
Kami Goodrick, Akron
Sofia Henell, Akron
Ellie, Nebraska, Akron
Jackie Pash, Akron
Andrea Ernst, Buffalo
Jae Sarkis, Buffalo
Casey Gavigan, Eastern Michigan
Sophia Tsafantakis, Eastern Michigan
Claire Young, Eastern Michigan
Beatriz Pimentel Dizotti, Miami
Hannah Fuchs, Miami
Izzy Herb, Miami
Kelsey Morgan, Ohio
Emilia Latinen, Ohio
Corrin Van Lanen, Ohio
EMU Individual Results
*Denotes season-best
#Denotes career-best
& Denotes program-best time
1650 Free
1. Nicole Swartz- 16:15.71*#
5. Kaitlynd Scanlan- 16:38.21*#
200 Back
2. Casey Gavigan- 1:55.33*#&
3. Claire Young- 1:56.80*
9. Dora Vrcic- 2:00.03*#
13. Avrie Stewart- 2:01.34*#
100 Free
14. Amelia Armstrong-Grant- 50.27
16. Meike Staffeldt- 50.58*#
200 Breast
1. Delaney Duncan- 2:07.38*#
9. Elli Machado- 2:14.64*#
200 Fly
7. Emilie Desnoyers- 2:02.67
11. Ali Staver- 2:02.36*
3-meter
3. Sophia Tsafantakis- 304.60*
6. Gabrielle Mace- 285.85
7. Bethany Berger- 283.50
8. Brielle Johnston- 254.90
15. Micaela Schempf- 242.75
Players Mentioned
Free
/ Swimming & Diving
Diving
/ Swimming & Diving
Free
/ Swimming & Diving
Breast
/ Swimming & Diving
Back
/ Swimming & Diving
Diving
/ Swimming & Diving
Diving
/ Swimming & Diving
Breast
/ Swimming & Diving
Free/ IM
/ Swimming & Diving
Diving
/ Swimming & Diving
Free
/ Swimming & Diving
Fly/IM
/ Swimming & Diving
Back/Fly/IM
/ Swimming & Diving
Free/IM
/ Swimming & Diving
Diving
/ Swimming & Diving
Free/Back
/ Swimming & Diving
Back/IM
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