Eastern Michigan Athletics
Thursday, December 5
Granville, Ohio
10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
at
Denison Invitational
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
Swim & Dive Readies for Denison Invitational
12/3/2024 1:45:00 PM | Swimming & Diving
The meet will run 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Thursday-Saturday, Dec. 5-7
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Off to its first 3-1 start since the 2019-20 season, the Eastern Michigan University swim & dive team is set to attend its mid-season invitational with the Denison Invitational, hosted by Denison University, at the Trumbull Aquatic Center, in Granville, Ohio Thursday-Saturday, Dec. 5-7. The meet will begin at 10 a.m. each day, with finals starting at 6 p.m.
Eastern will face teams from Denison, Emory University, Washington University-St. Louis, and the University of Indianapolis. A full meet schedule can be found below. Those looking to attend can find all meet information here.
AT DENISON INVITATIONAL UNDER PERKINS
2024-25 will mark the fifth time in Head Coach Derek Perkins' six-year tenure that the team will attend the Denison Invitational. Eastern's best finish at the meet under Perkins came in the 2019-20 season, when it won the invitational with 2,223 points. Moreover, the team has finished in the top-three three times under Perkins. After winning in 2019-20, Eastern slotted second in 2021-22 (1,924 points), and third in 2022-23 (1,753 points). Last season, EMU placed fourth with 1,235.5 points.
3-1 FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2019-20
Eastern is 3-1 for the first time since Perkins' first season (2019-20). 2019-20 also serves as the last time the Eagles started 3-1 in dual meets and won their mid-season invitational, as they triumphed at the Denison Invitational with 2,223 points, Dec. 7, 2019. That season, the eagles finished third at the MAC Championships with 485 points.
DIVER OF THE WEEK
Rebekah Knapp (Mesa, Ariz./Skyline) was named MAC Co-Diver of the Week, Nov. 27. The award marks her second of the season and third of her career. She earned the award earlier this season, Oct. 23, after achieving her 3m NCAA Zone Diving Championships cut with a personal-best 317.25 score, finishing first in a win over Cleveland State, Oct. 18.
Against Oakland, Nov. 21, Knapp earned her second first-place finish of the season in the 3m dive, tying a personal-best with a score of 317.25 in the Eagles' 161-139 win. Her score ranks as the best in the conference thus far according to Swim Cloud. She went on to place third in the 1m dive with a score of 267.00, earning her second NCAA Zone Diving Championships cut of the season. Overall, Knapp led all Eastern divers with 12 points in the meet.
LAST TIME OUT: VS. OAKLAND, NOV. 21
The Eagles captured their third win of the 2024-25 season, topping the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, 161-139, at Jones Natatorium Thursday, Nov. 21. Senior Abby Szadorski (Oswego, Ill./Oswego East) earned three event wins (200y medley relay, 100y breaststroke, 200y breaststroke) and swept the breaststroke events for the third time this season. On the boards, Knapp paced the Eagles, earning her second NCAA Zone Diving Championships cut of the season while leading the Eastern divers with 12 points in the meet.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES: VS. OAKLAND, NOV. 21
Outside of Knapp and Szadorski, the Eagles had strong showings from Nehir Oz (Istanbul, Turkey/Cevre), who earned the first event wins of her career with a personal-best 1:54.09 swim in the 200y freestyle to go with a first-place showing in the 500y freestyle (5:05.57). Malia Maire (San Luis Obispo, Calif./San Luis Obispo) also earned an NCAA Zone Diving Championships cut in the 1m dive with a career-best 270.45 points.
Previously Noted
VS. INDIANA STATE, NOV. 9
The Eagles fell in their home-opener against Indiana State, 187-113, Nov. 9. In the pool, Eastern was led by Azra Umut (Istanbul, Turkey/Fenerbahce School), who finished in first-place in the 200y backstroke in 2:04.50, and second in the 100y backstroke in 57.51. Both marked personal-bests for the freshman. On the boards, Maire paced the Green and White, winning the 3m dive with a season-best 266.93 points and placing third in the 1m with a personal-best 256.88 points. Sophomore Tristen Mina (Santa Clara, Calif./The King's Academy) also swam a lifetime-best in the 100y butterfly, touching the wall in 56.16.
AT BUFFALO, OCT. 26
The Eagles escaped enemy territory with a 149.5-148.5 win over Buffalo, Oct. 26. In the pool, they were led by Abby Szadorski (Oswego, Ill./Oswego East), who swept both breaststroke events, winning the 100y in 1:04.12, shaving one second off her previous season-fastest time (1:05.12), and the 200y in 2:20.13. The senior went on to improve her time in the 200y IM, touching the wall in 2:10.05 compared to her 2:11.32 she swam against Cleveland State, Oct. 18. On the boards, Ciara Wheeler (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston) led the team with a fourth-place outing in the 1m dive as she posted 251.85 points in the six-dive format.
BIG SEASON-OPENING WIN
The Eagles opened the season with a 190-108 win over Cleveland State, Oct. 18. The win marked the largest margin of victory (82 points) in a season-opening victory in the Perkins Era. The win also went down as his fourth win to start a season in his six years at the helm of the program. Six Eagles won multiple events, as the team won nine of the 12 individual swimming events in the meet, and 12-of-16 total events.
ENTERING YEAR SIX UNDER PERKINS
The program is entering its sixth year under Perkins. Overall, Perkins holds a 12-19 record, and 9-10 mark in Mid-American Conference (MAC) competition. The program has seen 64 Academic All-MAC selections and four College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-America teams.
THE SEASON AHEAD
Eastern is set to compete in nine regular season meets in 2024-25, culminating in the MAC Championships, Feb. 26-March 1. The Eagles will attend meets in the states of Michigan, Ohio, New York, Florida, and Washington.
TOM GIMM – HEAD DIVING COACH
Perkins announced the hiring of Tom Gimm as the Eagles' Head Diving Coach, June 20. He brings extensive club coaching experience and has also coached in the MAC, as he served as the Head Diving Coach at Ohio University from 2016-18. Gimm most recently served as the Head Diving Coach/Director of Diving Operations for Moss Farms Diving, a junior diving powerhouse with a state-of-the-art facility in Moultrie, Ga. Most recently, his Flying Tigers placed second in the 2024 USA Diving Zone B Championships held at the Moss Farms Diving Facility. Gimm also coached high school standout Tuck Gregory to a Georgia High School Association Individual State Championship in 2024.
RETURNERS/NEWCOMERS
This year's Eagles team returns 23 letterwinners from the 2023-24 squad, and welcome nine newcomers to the team, all of which are freshmen, including Riess Estep (Smyrna, Ga./Whitefield Academy), Aisling Gutierrez (New Kent, Va./New Kent), Nehir Guven (Istanbul, Turkey/Istek Atanur Oguz Okullari), Rose Kendrick (Geneva, N.Y./Geneva), Megan Lupa (Campden, Ontario/West Niagara Secondary), Oz, Taityn Speier (Fairfax, Va./WT Woodson), Azra Umut (Istanbul, Turkey/Fenerbahce School), and Adley Zamore (Tampa, Fla./H.B. Plant).
DIVING LEADER
On the boards, the Eastern squad is led by Knapp who earned a second-place finish in the 3m dive at the MAC Championships last season, with a score of 301.15.
SWIMMING LEADERS
In the pool, the Eagles return Kiersten Russell (Clinton, Mich./Saline), who clocked the fifth-fastest 100y backstroke time in program history in 54.33. Joining Russell is Nina Larosa (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay), who notched the program's eighth-best 100y breaststroke time in 1:03.00 as a freshman last season. Among Russell and Larosa is Szadorski, who bettered her eighth-best program time in the 200y breaststroke, completing the event in 2:16.60.
MAC COACHES PRESEASON POLL
In a poll with the MAC's eight head coaches, the Eagles' team was picked to finish sixth in the MAC standings for the upcoming 2024-25 campaign.
UP NEXT
The Eagles will have the remainder of the month off and resume competition Jan. 10-12, as the divers will compete at the UB Diving Invite.
FOLLOW US
For the latest in EMU swimming & diving, stay tuned to EMUEagles.com, and follow the team on Instagram, X, and Facebook
Eastern will face teams from Denison, Emory University, Washington University-St. Louis, and the University of Indianapolis. A full meet schedule can be found below. Those looking to attend can find all meet information here.
MEET SCHEDULE (Women's events are followed by men's events)
Thursday, Dec. 5 - 10 a.m. (Prelims) | 6 p.m. (Finals)
- 200 Free Relay, 500 Free, 200 IM, 50 Free, 400 Med. Relay
Friday, Dec. 6 - 10 a.m. (Prelims) | 6 p.m. (Finals)
- 200 Med. Relay, 400 IM, 100 Fly, 200 Free, 100 Breast, 100 Back, 800 Free Relay (Finals Only)
Saturday, Dec. 7 - 10 a.m. (Prelims) | 6 p.m. (Finals)
- 1,650 Free (fastest heat only), 200 Back, 100 Free, 200 Breast, 200 Fly, 400 Free Relay
AT DENISON INVITATIONAL UNDER PERKINS
2024-25 will mark the fifth time in Head Coach Derek Perkins' six-year tenure that the team will attend the Denison Invitational. Eastern's best finish at the meet under Perkins came in the 2019-20 season, when it won the invitational with 2,223 points. Moreover, the team has finished in the top-three three times under Perkins. After winning in 2019-20, Eastern slotted second in 2021-22 (1,924 points), and third in 2022-23 (1,753 points). Last season, EMU placed fourth with 1,235.5 points.
3-1 FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2019-20
Eastern is 3-1 for the first time since Perkins' first season (2019-20). 2019-20 also serves as the last time the Eagles started 3-1 in dual meets and won their mid-season invitational, as they triumphed at the Denison Invitational with 2,223 points, Dec. 7, 2019. That season, the eagles finished third at the MAC Championships with 485 points.
DIVER OF THE WEEK
Rebekah Knapp (Mesa, Ariz./Skyline) was named MAC Co-Diver of the Week, Nov. 27. The award marks her second of the season and third of her career. She earned the award earlier this season, Oct. 23, after achieving her 3m NCAA Zone Diving Championships cut with a personal-best 317.25 score, finishing first in a win over Cleveland State, Oct. 18.
Against Oakland, Nov. 21, Knapp earned her second first-place finish of the season in the 3m dive, tying a personal-best with a score of 317.25 in the Eagles' 161-139 win. Her score ranks as the best in the conference thus far according to Swim Cloud. She went on to place third in the 1m dive with a score of 267.00, earning her second NCAA Zone Diving Championships cut of the season. Overall, Knapp led all Eastern divers with 12 points in the meet.
LAST TIME OUT: VS. OAKLAND, NOV. 21
The Eagles captured their third win of the 2024-25 season, topping the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, 161-139, at Jones Natatorium Thursday, Nov. 21. Senior Abby Szadorski (Oswego, Ill./Oswego East) earned three event wins (200y medley relay, 100y breaststroke, 200y breaststroke) and swept the breaststroke events for the third time this season. On the boards, Knapp paced the Eagles, earning her second NCAA Zone Diving Championships cut of the season while leading the Eastern divers with 12 points in the meet.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES: VS. OAKLAND, NOV. 21
Outside of Knapp and Szadorski, the Eagles had strong showings from Nehir Oz (Istanbul, Turkey/Cevre), who earned the first event wins of her career with a personal-best 1:54.09 swim in the 200y freestyle to go with a first-place showing in the 500y freestyle (5:05.57). Malia Maire (San Luis Obispo, Calif./San Luis Obispo) also earned an NCAA Zone Diving Championships cut in the 1m dive with a career-best 270.45 points.
Previously Noted
VS. INDIANA STATE, NOV. 9
The Eagles fell in their home-opener against Indiana State, 187-113, Nov. 9. In the pool, Eastern was led by Azra Umut (Istanbul, Turkey/Fenerbahce School), who finished in first-place in the 200y backstroke in 2:04.50, and second in the 100y backstroke in 57.51. Both marked personal-bests for the freshman. On the boards, Maire paced the Green and White, winning the 3m dive with a season-best 266.93 points and placing third in the 1m with a personal-best 256.88 points. Sophomore Tristen Mina (Santa Clara, Calif./The King's Academy) also swam a lifetime-best in the 100y butterfly, touching the wall in 56.16.
AT BUFFALO, OCT. 26
The Eagles escaped enemy territory with a 149.5-148.5 win over Buffalo, Oct. 26. In the pool, they were led by Abby Szadorski (Oswego, Ill./Oswego East), who swept both breaststroke events, winning the 100y in 1:04.12, shaving one second off her previous season-fastest time (1:05.12), and the 200y in 2:20.13. The senior went on to improve her time in the 200y IM, touching the wall in 2:10.05 compared to her 2:11.32 she swam against Cleveland State, Oct. 18. On the boards, Ciara Wheeler (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston) led the team with a fourth-place outing in the 1m dive as she posted 251.85 points in the six-dive format.
BIG SEASON-OPENING WIN
The Eagles opened the season with a 190-108 win over Cleveland State, Oct. 18. The win marked the largest margin of victory (82 points) in a season-opening victory in the Perkins Era. The win also went down as his fourth win to start a season in his six years at the helm of the program. Six Eagles won multiple events, as the team won nine of the 12 individual swimming events in the meet, and 12-of-16 total events.
ENTERING YEAR SIX UNDER PERKINS
The program is entering its sixth year under Perkins. Overall, Perkins holds a 12-19 record, and 9-10 mark in Mid-American Conference (MAC) competition. The program has seen 64 Academic All-MAC selections and four College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-America teams.
THE SEASON AHEAD
Eastern is set to compete in nine regular season meets in 2024-25, culminating in the MAC Championships, Feb. 26-March 1. The Eagles will attend meets in the states of Michigan, Ohio, New York, Florida, and Washington.
TOM GIMM – HEAD DIVING COACH
Perkins announced the hiring of Tom Gimm as the Eagles' Head Diving Coach, June 20. He brings extensive club coaching experience and has also coached in the MAC, as he served as the Head Diving Coach at Ohio University from 2016-18. Gimm most recently served as the Head Diving Coach/Director of Diving Operations for Moss Farms Diving, a junior diving powerhouse with a state-of-the-art facility in Moultrie, Ga. Most recently, his Flying Tigers placed second in the 2024 USA Diving Zone B Championships held at the Moss Farms Diving Facility. Gimm also coached high school standout Tuck Gregory to a Georgia High School Association Individual State Championship in 2024.
RETURNERS/NEWCOMERS
This year's Eagles team returns 23 letterwinners from the 2023-24 squad, and welcome nine newcomers to the team, all of which are freshmen, including Riess Estep (Smyrna, Ga./Whitefield Academy), Aisling Gutierrez (New Kent, Va./New Kent), Nehir Guven (Istanbul, Turkey/Istek Atanur Oguz Okullari), Rose Kendrick (Geneva, N.Y./Geneva), Megan Lupa (Campden, Ontario/West Niagara Secondary), Oz, Taityn Speier (Fairfax, Va./WT Woodson), Azra Umut (Istanbul, Turkey/Fenerbahce School), and Adley Zamore (Tampa, Fla./H.B. Plant).
DIVING LEADER
On the boards, the Eastern squad is led by Knapp who earned a second-place finish in the 3m dive at the MAC Championships last season, with a score of 301.15.
SWIMMING LEADERS
In the pool, the Eagles return Kiersten Russell (Clinton, Mich./Saline), who clocked the fifth-fastest 100y backstroke time in program history in 54.33. Joining Russell is Nina Larosa (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay), who notched the program's eighth-best 100y breaststroke time in 1:03.00 as a freshman last season. Among Russell and Larosa is Szadorski, who bettered her eighth-best program time in the 200y breaststroke, completing the event in 2:16.60.
MAC COACHES PRESEASON POLL
In a poll with the MAC's eight head coaches, the Eagles' team was picked to finish sixth in the MAC standings for the upcoming 2024-25 campaign.
UP NEXT
The Eagles will have the remainder of the month off and resume competition Jan. 10-12, as the divers will compete at the UB Diving Invite.
FOLLOW US
For the latest in EMU swimming & diving, stay tuned to EMUEagles.com, and follow the team on Instagram, X, and Facebook
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