Eastern Michigan Athletics
Photo by: Steven King/Steve King Studios
10 Eagles Qualify for Saturday's Championship Heats
3/2/2019 12:42:00 PM | Swimming & Diving
Eagles recorded seven top-10 program marks in Day Four's preliminary heats
AKRON, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University swimming and diving team qualified 10 swimmers for championship heats Saturday, March 2, at the Mid American Conference Championships inside Ocasek Natatorium on the campus of the University of Akron.
EMU began the morning with the 200 Backstroke preliminary heats, as the junior pair of Casey Gavigan (East Setauket, N.Y.-Ward Melville) and Claire Young (Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.-Grosse Pointe South) notched spots in tonight's championship final, swimming the second and fourth-fastest prelim swims with season-best times of 1:56.03 and 1:57.25, respectively. Representing the Eagles in the consolation finals will be senior Dora Vrcic (Dubrovacka, Split, Croatia) and sophomore Avrie Stewart (Menominee, Mich.-Menominee), who both swam collegiate-best efforts in the preliminary heats. Vrcic tapped in with a time of 2:00.34, good for the ninth-fastest prelim swim and the fifth-best swim in program history, while Stewart finished in 2:02.03 for 15th overall and the eighth-fastest effort by a swimmer donning the Green and White.
The Eagles continued the morning with a strong showing in the 100 Freestyle as both junior Amelia Armstrong-Grant (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Saline (Iowa)) and sophomore Meike Staffeldt (Niedersachen, Germany) registered efforts that will send them to tonight's consolation finals. Armstrong-Grant matched her career-best swim in the event, touching the wall in a season-best 50.10, while Staffeldt recorded a new lifetime-best of 50.61, the ninth-fastesttime in EMU history. Also earning career-best times were senior Stephanie Johnston (Holland, Mich.-Hamilton) and junior Rachel Stark (Avon, Ohio-Avon), as Johnston's top-collegiate time of 50.81 gave her the 17th-best swim in preliminary heats, and will act as tonight's alternate swimmer for the championship heats, while Stark touched the wall with a time of 50.94, good for 19th in the morning's swims.
Senior Delaney Duncan (Galesburg, Ill.-Galesburg) began her final day of conference championship competition with the top finish in the 200 Breaststroke preliminary heats. Duncan touched the wall with a time of 2:09.40, almost two seconds faster than her 2018 championship heat silver medal finish of 2:11.13. Sophomore Elli Machado (Reading, Pa.-Exeter Township) was once again stellar in the preliminary heats, racking up a new personal-best effort of 2:17.23 for a spot in tonight's consolation finals and seventh-fastest swim in EMU laurels.
Closing out the Green and White's morning performances were senior Emilie Desnoyers (St. Albert, Alberta) and sophomore Ali Staver (Betterdorf, Iowa-Pleasant Valley), who qualified to swim in the 200 Butterfly championship heat and consolation heat, respectively. Desnoyers recorded the seventh-best preliminary swim with a career-best effort of 2:01.35, moving her into sixth on EMU's top performance list, while Staver finished with a season-best time of 2:03.14 for the 12th-fastest performance in prelims and 10th-fastest swim in Eastern Michigan history.
The preliminary heats of the 1650 Freestyle will begin at 4:30 p.m., followed by all championship heats, set to start at 6:30 p.m. Coverage of tonight's events will be broadcast on ESPN3.
EMU Individual Results
*Denotes season-best
#Denotes career-best
200 Back
2. Casey Gavigan- 1:56.03*
4. Claire Young- 1:57.25*
9. Dora Vrcic- 2:00.34*#
15. Avrie Stewart- 2:02.03*#
x. Amelia Kinnard- 2:05.85
100 Free
11. Amelia Armstrong-Grant- 50.10*
16. Meike Staffeldt – 50.61*#
17. Stephanie Johnston- 50.81*#
19. Rachel Stark- 50.94*#
x. Marissa Marion- 51.77*#
200 Breast
1. Delaney Duncan - 2:09.40*
13. Elli Machado- 2:17.23*#
200 Fly
7. Emilie Desnoyers- 2:01.35*#
12. Ali Staver- 2:03.14*
18. Kylie Sutherlin- 2:05.19*
x. Anna Stephan- 2:06.41*#
EMU began the morning with the 200 Backstroke preliminary heats, as the junior pair of Casey Gavigan (East Setauket, N.Y.-Ward Melville) and Claire Young (Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.-Grosse Pointe South) notched spots in tonight's championship final, swimming the second and fourth-fastest prelim swims with season-best times of 1:56.03 and 1:57.25, respectively. Representing the Eagles in the consolation finals will be senior Dora Vrcic (Dubrovacka, Split, Croatia) and sophomore Avrie Stewart (Menominee, Mich.-Menominee), who both swam collegiate-best efforts in the preliminary heats. Vrcic tapped in with a time of 2:00.34, good for the ninth-fastest prelim swim and the fifth-best swim in program history, while Stewart finished in 2:02.03 for 15th overall and the eighth-fastest effort by a swimmer donning the Green and White.
The Eagles continued the morning with a strong showing in the 100 Freestyle as both junior Amelia Armstrong-Grant (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Saline (Iowa)) and sophomore Meike Staffeldt (Niedersachen, Germany) registered efforts that will send them to tonight's consolation finals. Armstrong-Grant matched her career-best swim in the event, touching the wall in a season-best 50.10, while Staffeldt recorded a new lifetime-best of 50.61, the ninth-fastesttime in EMU history. Also earning career-best times were senior Stephanie Johnston (Holland, Mich.-Hamilton) and junior Rachel Stark (Avon, Ohio-Avon), as Johnston's top-collegiate time of 50.81 gave her the 17th-best swim in preliminary heats, and will act as tonight's alternate swimmer for the championship heats, while Stark touched the wall with a time of 50.94, good for 19th in the morning's swims.
Senior Delaney Duncan (Galesburg, Ill.-Galesburg) began her final day of conference championship competition with the top finish in the 200 Breaststroke preliminary heats. Duncan touched the wall with a time of 2:09.40, almost two seconds faster than her 2018 championship heat silver medal finish of 2:11.13. Sophomore Elli Machado (Reading, Pa.-Exeter Township) was once again stellar in the preliminary heats, racking up a new personal-best effort of 2:17.23 for a spot in tonight's consolation finals and seventh-fastest swim in EMU laurels.
Closing out the Green and White's morning performances were senior Emilie Desnoyers (St. Albert, Alberta) and sophomore Ali Staver (Betterdorf, Iowa-Pleasant Valley), who qualified to swim in the 200 Butterfly championship heat and consolation heat, respectively. Desnoyers recorded the seventh-best preliminary swim with a career-best effort of 2:01.35, moving her into sixth on EMU's top performance list, while Staver finished with a season-best time of 2:03.14 for the 12th-fastest performance in prelims and 10th-fastest swim in Eastern Michigan history.
The preliminary heats of the 1650 Freestyle will begin at 4:30 p.m., followed by all championship heats, set to start at 6:30 p.m. Coverage of tonight's events will be broadcast on ESPN3.
EMU Individual Results
*Denotes season-best
#Denotes career-best
200 Back
2. Casey Gavigan- 1:56.03*
4. Claire Young- 1:57.25*
9. Dora Vrcic- 2:00.34*#
15. Avrie Stewart- 2:02.03*#
x. Amelia Kinnard- 2:05.85
100 Free
11. Amelia Armstrong-Grant- 50.10*
16. Meike Staffeldt – 50.61*#
17. Stephanie Johnston- 50.81*#
19. Rachel Stark- 50.94*#
x. Marissa Marion- 51.77*#
200 Breast
1. Delaney Duncan - 2:09.40*
13. Elli Machado- 2:17.23*#
200 Fly
7. Emilie Desnoyers- 2:01.35*#
12. Ali Staver- 2:03.14*
18. Kylie Sutherlin- 2:05.19*
x. Anna Stephan- 2:06.41*#
Players Mentioned
Free
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Free
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Breast
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Back
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Free
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Breast
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Free
/ Swimming & Diving
Free/Back
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Fly/IM
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Free/Fly
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Back/Fly/IM
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Fly/IM
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Free/Back
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Back/IM
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