Eastern Michigan Athletics
Thursday, April 15
Jones Natatorium
10:30 a.m.
Eastern Michigan University
vs
MAC Championship Day 1 Prelims
Swim & Dive Set to Host MAC Championships
4/13/2021 1:17:00 PM | Swimming & Diving
Eastern Michigan serves as the women's swim & dive championship host for the first time since the 2014-15 season
| Swimming & Diving at MAC Championships | |
| Date | Thursday-Saturday, April 15-17 | 10 a.m. (Prelims) & 6:30, 6, & 6:10 p.m. (Finals) |
| Venue | Jones Natatorium | Ypsilanti, Mich. - No Spectators Permitted |
| Preview Info | EMU Notes |
| Meet Information | 2021 MAC Women's Swim & Dive Championships |
| Live Results | EMUEagles.com | MeetMobile |
| @EMUSwimDive | @EMUAthletics | |
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University swimming and diving team will close out its 2020-21 season at the Mid-American Conference Championships, Thursday-Saturday, April 15-17. The Eagles will host the conference meet at Jones Natatorium for the first time since the 2014-15 season. The schedule and additional information for the meet can be found on EMUEagles.com.
The meet will be streamed via Eagle All-Access. In addition, live results will be available via MeetMobile and EMUEagles.com. Links to access the stream and stats can be found on the swim and dive schedule page of EMUEagles.com.
2020 MAC CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP: The 2020 MAC Championships saw Eastern Michigan claim third place, totaling 485 points over the four-day event held in Buffalo, N.Y. The Eagles had 13 top-five finishes at the meet, highlighted by two individual MAC titles from Alyssa Shugarman in the 500 and 1,650 freestyle. Then-senior Claire Young also posted a runner-up finish in the 200 back to tie her best finish in the event at MACs.
1-meter diving saw the most Eagles finish in the top-five, with Micaela Schempf, Sophia Tsafantakis, and Bethany Berger finishing third, fourth, and fifth, respectively.
Shugarman and Young were named First Team All-MAC, while Tsafantakis and then-junior Ali Staver were named Second Team All-MAC. For the 11th time in his career, Buck Smith was named the Diving Coach of the Year.
LAST MACS AT JONES: Eastern Michigan finished second at the 2015 Mid-American Conference Championships after accumulating 555 points over four days of action. The runner-up finish was the best for the Green and White since the 2006-07 season, when the Eagles won the MAC title with 665 points.
While EMU had no individual champions, it did see five members selected to the All-MAC teams: Carly Jackson was named first team, while Jessie Godlewski, Becky Deacon, Sara Ghaffari, and Mary Kate MacLean earned second team honors.
Buck Smith was named the league's Diving Coach of the Year.
BERGER MAKES IT TO THE NATIONAL STAGE: After an impressive 2020-21 regular season, Eastern Michigan senior Bethany Berger punched her ticket to the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships with a sixth-place finish in 1-meter diving at the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships, scoring 551.10 to earn her bid.
Prior to the Zone C Championships, Berger exceeded the Zone C qualifying standard in each of her regular-season outings in 2020-21, while also achieving Zone C 'A' cuts (295.00 or higher) at both the UB Diving Invite, Feb. 19, and the EMU Last Chance Meet, Feb. 26. The Batavia, Ohio native scored 310.30 and 307.15 in the prelims and finals at Buffalo, respectively, while achieving 310.15 at Eastern's meet.
At the NCAA Championships, Berger finished 46th with a score of 243.25.
EMU AT NCAA'S: With her appearance at the 2021 NCAA Swim & Dive Championships, March 18, Bethany Berger became the 15th Eagle in program history to qualify for the sport's marquee event. In addition, she became the ninth diver, and first since Alli Shereda in 2018 (3-meter), to compete at the meet.
The last diver to represent the Green and White in 1-meter was All-American Kelly Hendricks in 2013. That year, Hendricks finished in 11th place with a 315.50 mark.
FINISHING UP IN OHIO: Concluding its regular season dual meets, March 6, Eastern Michigan competed against Ohio at the Ohio Aquatic Center in Athens, Ohio. Despite falling to the Bobcats, 191-108, Eastern picked up individual wins from senior Riley Hofmann in the 200 butterfly (2:05.26) and sophomore Keira Veltigian in both 1-meter and 3-meter diving (297.60 and 298.20, respectively), while adding a 200 medley relay win on the day. The Eagles also added 11 additional top-three finishes during the meet.
HOME AT JONES: Hosting its first invitational-style meet since the 2017-18 season, the Eagles welcomed Bowling Green, Oakland, and Toledo to Jones Natatorium for the EMU Last Chance Meet, Feb. 26-27.
Senior Riley Hofmann swept the 400 IM, winning the preliminary (4:23.53) and final (4:21.86) heats, while adding a career-best swim in the 500 free (5:01.03). Fellow senior Ali Staver won the prelims in the 200 butterfly with a time of 2:03.08, while also recording a new personal standard in the 200 back at 2:05.04.
Classmate Meike Staffeldt won the 50 free prelims with a season-best time of 23.58, while sophomore Abigail Wenger swam a career-best 1:06.09 in the finals of the 100 breaststroke.
Three-time MAC Diver of the Week Bethany Berger continued her strong showing in 1-meter, posting scores of 288.10 and 310.15 to claim both the prelim and finals crown for her eighth win of the season. In 3-meter, freshman Camryn Hughes claimed her first collegiate victory, winning the prelims with a mark of 293.10, and setting a new personal-best with a score of 300.15 in the finals.
NOT ONE, NOT TWO, BUT THREE: For the third time in four weeks, the Mid-American Conference announced that Eastern Michigan senior diver Bethany Berger as the Diver of the Week, Feb. 24.
The Batavia, Ohio native swept the award in back-to-back weeks, Feb. 3 and 10, after sweeping the diving events in consecutive meets (at Bowling Green - Jan. 29, at Oakland - Feb. 5). Feb. 19 at the UB Diving Invite, Berger finished at the top of the conference field in 1-meter, while placing second in 3-meter to notch her third award of the season.
OUTING IN OAKLAND: Eastern's outing at Oakland, Feb. 5, saw four wins and seven new season or career-best times or marks from the Green and White. On the springboard, senior Bethany Berger won both diving events (288.75 & 302.93, respectively), while sophomore Keira Veltigian set then-career-bests in 1-meter and 3-meter (286.65, 283.35).
Senior Avrie Stewart (2:05.46) set a new season standard in the 200 backstroke, while classmate Kaitlynd Scanlan finished the 500 free in 5:13.74 to mark a season-best. Senior Abby Rapien swam 1:56.10 in the 200 free, followed by classmates Riley Hofmann and Carlee Jones finishing the 200 IM in 2:08.15 and 2:12.72, respectively, to round out the season-best showings for EMU.
SENIORS SHOW OUT AGAINST FALCONS: A quintet of seniors paved the way for Eastern Michigan, Jan. 29, as it downed Bowling Green, 188.5-179.5, for its first conference win in 2021. Bethany Berger kicked things off, sweeping the diving events and posting her first NCAA Zone C qualifying mark of the season in 3-meter. Riley Hofmann posted career-best performances in the 200 and 500 free to win the pair of events, while Meike Staffeldt won the 100 free. Abby Rapien took the top spot in the 1000 free and Ali Staver won the 200 fly title to round out the individual wins.
The meet will be streamed via Eagle All-Access. In addition, live results will be available via MeetMobile and EMUEagles.com. Links to access the stream and stats can be found on the swim and dive schedule page of EMUEagles.com.
2020 MAC CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP: The 2020 MAC Championships saw Eastern Michigan claim third place, totaling 485 points over the four-day event held in Buffalo, N.Y. The Eagles had 13 top-five finishes at the meet, highlighted by two individual MAC titles from Alyssa Shugarman in the 500 and 1,650 freestyle. Then-senior Claire Young also posted a runner-up finish in the 200 back to tie her best finish in the event at MACs.
1-meter diving saw the most Eagles finish in the top-five, with Micaela Schempf, Sophia Tsafantakis, and Bethany Berger finishing third, fourth, and fifth, respectively.
Shugarman and Young were named First Team All-MAC, while Tsafantakis and then-junior Ali Staver were named Second Team All-MAC. For the 11th time in his career, Buck Smith was named the Diving Coach of the Year.
LAST MACS AT JONES: Eastern Michigan finished second at the 2015 Mid-American Conference Championships after accumulating 555 points over four days of action. The runner-up finish was the best for the Green and White since the 2006-07 season, when the Eagles won the MAC title with 665 points.
While EMU had no individual champions, it did see five members selected to the All-MAC teams: Carly Jackson was named first team, while Jessie Godlewski, Becky Deacon, Sara Ghaffari, and Mary Kate MacLean earned second team honors.
Buck Smith was named the league's Diving Coach of the Year.
BERGER MAKES IT TO THE NATIONAL STAGE: After an impressive 2020-21 regular season, Eastern Michigan senior Bethany Berger punched her ticket to the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships with a sixth-place finish in 1-meter diving at the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships, scoring 551.10 to earn her bid.
Prior to the Zone C Championships, Berger exceeded the Zone C qualifying standard in each of her regular-season outings in 2020-21, while also achieving Zone C 'A' cuts (295.00 or higher) at both the UB Diving Invite, Feb. 19, and the EMU Last Chance Meet, Feb. 26. The Batavia, Ohio native scored 310.30 and 307.15 in the prelims and finals at Buffalo, respectively, while achieving 310.15 at Eastern's meet.
At the NCAA Championships, Berger finished 46th with a score of 243.25.
EMU AT NCAA'S: With her appearance at the 2021 NCAA Swim & Dive Championships, March 18, Bethany Berger became the 15th Eagle in program history to qualify for the sport's marquee event. In addition, she became the ninth diver, and first since Alli Shereda in 2018 (3-meter), to compete at the meet.
The last diver to represent the Green and White in 1-meter was All-American Kelly Hendricks in 2013. That year, Hendricks finished in 11th place with a 315.50 mark.
FINISHING UP IN OHIO: Concluding its regular season dual meets, March 6, Eastern Michigan competed against Ohio at the Ohio Aquatic Center in Athens, Ohio. Despite falling to the Bobcats, 191-108, Eastern picked up individual wins from senior Riley Hofmann in the 200 butterfly (2:05.26) and sophomore Keira Veltigian in both 1-meter and 3-meter diving (297.60 and 298.20, respectively), while adding a 200 medley relay win on the day. The Eagles also added 11 additional top-three finishes during the meet.
HOME AT JONES: Hosting its first invitational-style meet since the 2017-18 season, the Eagles welcomed Bowling Green, Oakland, and Toledo to Jones Natatorium for the EMU Last Chance Meet, Feb. 26-27.
Senior Riley Hofmann swept the 400 IM, winning the preliminary (4:23.53) and final (4:21.86) heats, while adding a career-best swim in the 500 free (5:01.03). Fellow senior Ali Staver won the prelims in the 200 butterfly with a time of 2:03.08, while also recording a new personal standard in the 200 back at 2:05.04.
Classmate Meike Staffeldt won the 50 free prelims with a season-best time of 23.58, while sophomore Abigail Wenger swam a career-best 1:06.09 in the finals of the 100 breaststroke.
Three-time MAC Diver of the Week Bethany Berger continued her strong showing in 1-meter, posting scores of 288.10 and 310.15 to claim both the prelim and finals crown for her eighth win of the season. In 3-meter, freshman Camryn Hughes claimed her first collegiate victory, winning the prelims with a mark of 293.10, and setting a new personal-best with a score of 300.15 in the finals.
NOT ONE, NOT TWO, BUT THREE: For the third time in four weeks, the Mid-American Conference announced that Eastern Michigan senior diver Bethany Berger as the Diver of the Week, Feb. 24.
The Batavia, Ohio native swept the award in back-to-back weeks, Feb. 3 and 10, after sweeping the diving events in consecutive meets (at Bowling Green - Jan. 29, at Oakland - Feb. 5). Feb. 19 at the UB Diving Invite, Berger finished at the top of the conference field in 1-meter, while placing second in 3-meter to notch her third award of the season.
OUTING IN OAKLAND: Eastern's outing at Oakland, Feb. 5, saw four wins and seven new season or career-best times or marks from the Green and White. On the springboard, senior Bethany Berger won both diving events (288.75 & 302.93, respectively), while sophomore Keira Veltigian set then-career-bests in 1-meter and 3-meter (286.65, 283.35).
Senior Avrie Stewart (2:05.46) set a new season standard in the 200 backstroke, while classmate Kaitlynd Scanlan finished the 500 free in 5:13.74 to mark a season-best. Senior Abby Rapien swam 1:56.10 in the 200 free, followed by classmates Riley Hofmann and Carlee Jones finishing the 200 IM in 2:08.15 and 2:12.72, respectively, to round out the season-best showings for EMU.
SENIORS SHOW OUT AGAINST FALCONS: A quintet of seniors paved the way for Eastern Michigan, Jan. 29, as it downed Bowling Green, 188.5-179.5, for its first conference win in 2021. Bethany Berger kicked things off, sweeping the diving events and posting her first NCAA Zone C qualifying mark of the season in 3-meter. Riley Hofmann posted career-best performances in the 200 and 500 free to win the pair of events, while Meike Staffeldt won the 100 free. Abby Rapien took the top spot in the 1000 free and Ali Staver won the 200 fly title to round out the individual wins.
Players Mentioned
Diving
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Back/Free/IM
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Diving
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Breast/IM
/ Swimming & Diving
Fly/Free
/ Swimming & Diving
Free/ IM
/ Swimming & Diving
Diving
/ Swimming & Diving
Diving
/ Swimming & Diving
Free
/ Swimming & Diving
Free
/ Swimming & Diving
Fly/IM
/ Swimming & Diving
Back/Fly/IM
/ Swimming & Diving
Diving
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Diving
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Breast
/ Swimming & Diving
Back/IM
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