Eastern Michigan Athletics
Wednesday, February 26
Amherst, N.Y.
10 a.m. Prelims/6 p.m. Finals
Eastern Michigan University
vs
Mid-American Conference
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
Swim & Dive Seeks Third MAC Title at MAC Championships, Wednesday-Saturday
2/24/2025 5:01:00 PM | Swimming & Diving
The Eagles are in search of their first conference title since 2007
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University swim & dive team will compete for its third Mid-American Conference title at the MAC Swimming & Diving Championships, hosted by the University at Buffalo, Wednesday-Saturday, Feb. 26-March 1. Wednesday will include one finals session starting at 6 p.m., Thursday and Friday's action will start with 10 a.m. prelims followed by 6 p.m. finals. Saturday's competition will begin with prelims at 10 a.m. and finals starting at 3:40 p.m.
A live stream of each session each day can be accessed on the swim & dive schedule page here. There, fans can access a full schedule of events and the MAC Championships Central Page. Also, stay posted to EMUEagles.com for a post-meet recap and the team's social media accounts on Instagram, X, and Facebook for EMU swim & dive content.
EMU AT MACS
Eastern has captured two MAC crowns in its history, coming in consecutive seasons in 2006 and 2007, under former head coach Peter Linn.
The Eagles took home the 2006 MAC title, its first MAC Championship, besting second-place finisher, the University of Miami, by 11 points. Eastern ended the meet scoring 637.5 points with seven All-MAC honorees (two first team selections and five second team nods). Linn was named the MAC Swimming Coach of the Year while former diving coach Buck Smith was named Diving Coach of the Year. One of the most decorated swimmers in Eagles' history, Madeline Pilchard was tabbed Swimmer of the Year by the conference.
Pilchard raked in three individual MAC titles in the meet, winning the 100y freestyle (50.48), 200y freestyle (1:48.74), and 500y freestyle (4:51.99). She also swam the anchor leg of EMU's first-place 400y freestyle team, a race the Eagles swam in 3:24.97.
The Eagles repeated as champs in the 2007 season, scoring 665 points to edge second-place Ohio University (618 points) by a margin of 47 points inside Eastern's Jones Natatorium.
Pilchard won swimmer of the year for the second consecutive season and Sarah Chrzanowski earned the Diver of the Year Award with her first-place finish in the 1m dive (293.60 points). Eastern saw nine individuals named to All-MAC teams (four to first team and five to second team), while claiming gold in eight events throughout the meet.
LAST TIME AT MACS
The Eagles scored 273 points for a sixth-place finish. Their performances were highlighted by Rebekah Knapp (Mesa, Ariz./Skyline), who placed second in the 3m dive, scoring 317.25 points. Nina Larosa (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay) and Kiersten Russell (Clinton, Mich./Saline) each swam one program top 10 mark as Larosa finished ninth in the 100y breaststroke in 1:03.00, the seventh-best time in program history while Russell placed ninth in the 100y backstroke 54.33, the fifth-best time in program annals.
EMU AT MACS UNDER PERKINS
Eastern's highest finish at the MAC Championships under Derek Perkins came in his first season when the Eagles placed third with 485 points. His Eagles placed fifth in the 2021-22 season (354 points), and finished sixth in 2020-21 (305 points), 2022-23 (302 points), and 2023-24 (273 points).
LAST TIME OUT: AT MICHIGAN FIRST CHANCE MEET, FEB. 16.
Lupa and Speier each earned NCAA Zones cuts in the 1m dive as the team totaled 18 season-best and five collegiate personal-best marks.
DIVERS QUALIFIED FOR NCAA ZONE DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Five Eagle divers have qualified for the NCAA Zone Diving Championships, hosted by Ohio State, in Columbus, March 10-12. Taityn Speier (Fairfax, Va./WT Woodson) most recently qualified for the first time in her career in the 1m dive with a score of 281.90 at the Michigan First Chance Meet, Feb. 15. Megan Lupa (Campden, Ontario/West Niagara Secondary) also qualified at Michigan, this time in the 1m dive, scoring 280.70, after doing so in the 3m with her collegiate personal-best 284.25 points against Ohio, Jan. 31-Feb. 1. She previously earned a cut in the platform dive with a score of 229.90 at the UB Diving Invite, Jan. 12. She will join teammates, Malia Maire (San Luis Obispo, Calif./San Luis Obispo), Knapp and Ciara Wheeler (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston) at the competition. Maire previously qualified in the 1m with a score of 270.45 against Oakland, Nov. 21, while Knapp qualified in the 3m after posting a score of 317.25, against Cleveland State, Oct. 18, and in the 1m with a 267.00 performance versus Oakland, Nov. 21. Wheeler punched her ticket via a 267.38 outing in the 1m against Indiana State, Nov. 9.
CSCAA NIC CUTS
Along with Abby Szadorski (Oswego, Ill./Oswego East) in the 400y IM (4:29.09), teammates Russell, and Nehir Oz (Istanbul, Turkey/Cevre) also earned CSCAA NIC cuts at the Denison Invitational, Dec. 5-7. Russell did so in the 50y backstroke, swimming the distance in 26.17, while Oz punched her ticket via a 4:28.97 400y IM time. Both Oz and Russell's times serve as the fastest from the team in their respective events. Oz most recently qualified to compete in the 1000y freestyle, as she earned a B cut with her first-place finish in 10:20.00 against Toledo, Jan. 17. Her 10:20.00 time serves as the fastest on the team and ninth fastest in the MAC in the event this season. Siporah Sang (London, Ontario/Sir Frederick Banting Secondary) and Azra Umut (Istanbul, Turkey/Fenerbahce) recently earned B cuts against Ohio, Jan. 31-Feb. 1. They both did so in the 50y backstroke, as Sang clocked a time of 26.28 in the first leg of the 200y medley relay while Umut qualified with a 26.43 swim in the same event as a member of the Eagles' B team.
SCORING TIMES
Currently, the Eagles have 10 times that would rank inside the top 16 in the conference, meaning that each of those 10 times would score points at the MAC Championships.
Event Rank Name Time
500y Free 11 Azra Umut 4:57.80
500y Free 13 Nehir Oz 4:58.65
1000y Free 9 Nehir Oz 10:20.00
1650y Free 16 Morgan Hofmeister 17:29.12
50y Back 15 Siporah Sang 25.92
50y Breast 11 Nina Larosa 29.31
200y Breast 11 Abby Szadorski 2:18.88
100y Fly 13 Tristen Mina 54.94
400y IM 15 Nehir Oz 4:28.97
400y IM 16 Abby Szadorski 4:29.09
Previously Noted
LAST TIME OUT: SENIOR EXTRAVAGANZA
The program honored swimmers Olivia Clarino (Toronto, Ontario/Lawrence Park Collegiate), Ashley George (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha), Russell, Madelyn Sursi (Mooresville, N.C./Lake Norman), and Szadorski, along with divers Knapp and Wheeler at the annual Senior Extravaganza, Feb. 8.
TRISTEN MINA IN THE PROGRAM TOP 10
Sophomore fly/IM swimmer Tristen Mina (Santa Clara, Calif./The King's Academy) recently wrote her name into the program top 10 with a second-place finish in the 100y butterfly in 54.94 against Ohio, Jan. 31-Feb. 1. The time also qualified her for the CSCAA meet. Her swim marks the Eagles' first of the season landing inside the program top 10 leaderboards.
AT OHIO, JAN. 31-FEB. 1
The Eagles were last in action at Ohio, Jan. 31-Feb. 1, falling to the Bobcats, 272.5-79.5, shifting their record to 4-2 in dual meets this season. In the swimming events, they were led by Umut, who earned three top-three finishes and set three personal bests including a first-place outing in the 200y freestyle in 1:51.47. She went on to finish second in the backstroke in 56.21, and third in the 500y freestyle in 4:57.80. Lupa led the EMU divers as she placed second in the 3m dive in a collegiate personal-best 284.25 points, earning her second NCAA Zone Diving Championships cut of the season. She went on to earn bronze in the 1m, scoring 246.23.
VS TOLEDO, JAN. 17
The Eagles competed against Toledo, Jan. 17, a meet that resulted in a 175-117 win for EMU. Both Russell and Szadorski earned three event wins. Oz was also a bright spot in the pool, winning both the 1000y freestyle in a personal-best 10:20.00 and the 500y freestyle in 5:05.77. Oz also secured a personal-best time in the 200y IM, touching the wall in 2:09.93. Moreover, her 10:20.00 in the 1000y freestyle qualified her for the CSCAA meet. Speier earned the first win of her career with a score of 264.38 in the 3m dive before Knapp won the 1m with a score of 278.25.
4-1 FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2019-20
Before losing to Ohio, Jan. 31-Feb. 1, Eastern started the season 4-1 for the first time since Perkins' first season (2019-20). That season, the Eagles finished third at the MAC Championships with 485 points.
WINNERS IN THREE STRAIGHT MAC DUALS
Dating back to last season, the Eagles won three consecutive MAC dual meets against Bowling Green (Jan. 26, 2024), Buffalo (Oct. 26), and Toledo (Jan. 17). This marked the longest MAC dual meet win streak since the team rattled off 19 straight from 2014-2020.
MEGAN LUPA NCAA ZONE DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS CUT IN PLATFORM DIVE
Lupa had a strong meet at the UB Diving Invite, hosted by Buffalo, Jan. 10-12. Lupa earned the first NCAA Zone Diving Championships cut of her career with a score of 229.90 on the platform dive for a second-place finish. On top of the zones cut, Lupa made the finals in all three events (1m: seventh, 3m: sixth, platform: second) and scored 42 points in the meet, the second-most of any diver competing.
AT UB DIVING INVITE, JAN. 10-12
The divers opened up the new year at the UB Diving Invite, Jan. 10-12. The meet was headlined by Lupa, who made the finals in all three events and earned an NCAA Zone Diving Championships cut in the platform dive, scoring 229.90 points for a second-place finish. Maire also made the finals in both events she competed in. Her top finish was in the 3m where she placed fourth with 277.90 points.
AT DENISON INVITATIONAL, DEC. 5-7
The Eagles finished fourth out of five teams at the Denison Invitational, hosted by Denison University, in Granville, Ohio, Dec. 5-7. Szadorski led the team with 99 points scored in the meet and totaled four top 10 finishes. The senior also swam two season-best times in the 400y IM (4:29.09) and the 100y breaststroke (1:03.85). Additionally, her 400y IM time qualified her for the CSCAA NIC in Ocala, Fla., March 13-15.
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. Szadorski 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, this time in the 1m dive (267.00) 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 Oz, 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). Maire also earned an NCAA Zone Diving Championships cut in the 1m dive with a career-best 270.45 points.
DIVER OF THE WEEK
Knapp 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. 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.
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 Umut 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 then season-best 266.93 points and placing third in the 1m with a personal-best 256.88 points. Sophomore Mina 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 Szadorski who swept both breaststroke events, winning the 100y in 1:04.12 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, Wheeler 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. Entering the 2024-25 season, 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 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 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 welcomes 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), Lupa, Oz, Speier, Umut, 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 Russell, 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
Select swimmers will compete at the CSCAA NICs, hosted by the CSCAA, in Ocala, Fla., Thursday-Saturday, March 13-15. Select divers will move on to the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships, hosted by Ohio State, Monday-Wednesday, March 10-12.
FOLLOW US
For the latest in EMU swimming & diving, stay tuned to EMUEagles.com, and follow the team on Instagram, X, and Facebook.
A live stream of each session each day can be accessed on the swim & dive schedule page here. There, fans can access a full schedule of events and the MAC Championships Central Page. Also, stay posted to EMUEagles.com for a post-meet recap and the team's social media accounts on Instagram, X, and Facebook for EMU swim & dive content.
EMU AT MACS
Eastern has captured two MAC crowns in its history, coming in consecutive seasons in 2006 and 2007, under former head coach Peter Linn.
The Eagles took home the 2006 MAC title, its first MAC Championship, besting second-place finisher, the University of Miami, by 11 points. Eastern ended the meet scoring 637.5 points with seven All-MAC honorees (two first team selections and five second team nods). Linn was named the MAC Swimming Coach of the Year while former diving coach Buck Smith was named Diving Coach of the Year. One of the most decorated swimmers in Eagles' history, Madeline Pilchard was tabbed Swimmer of the Year by the conference.
Pilchard raked in three individual MAC titles in the meet, winning the 100y freestyle (50.48), 200y freestyle (1:48.74), and 500y freestyle (4:51.99). She also swam the anchor leg of EMU's first-place 400y freestyle team, a race the Eagles swam in 3:24.97.
The Eagles repeated as champs in the 2007 season, scoring 665 points to edge second-place Ohio University (618 points) by a margin of 47 points inside Eastern's Jones Natatorium.
Pilchard won swimmer of the year for the second consecutive season and Sarah Chrzanowski earned the Diver of the Year Award with her first-place finish in the 1m dive (293.60 points). Eastern saw nine individuals named to All-MAC teams (four to first team and five to second team), while claiming gold in eight events throughout the meet.
LAST TIME AT MACS
The Eagles scored 273 points for a sixth-place finish. Their performances were highlighted by Rebekah Knapp (Mesa, Ariz./Skyline), who placed second in the 3m dive, scoring 317.25 points. Nina Larosa (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay) and Kiersten Russell (Clinton, Mich./Saline) each swam one program top 10 mark as Larosa finished ninth in the 100y breaststroke in 1:03.00, the seventh-best time in program history while Russell placed ninth in the 100y backstroke 54.33, the fifth-best time in program annals.
EMU AT MACS UNDER PERKINS
Eastern's highest finish at the MAC Championships under Derek Perkins came in his first season when the Eagles placed third with 485 points. His Eagles placed fifth in the 2021-22 season (354 points), and finished sixth in 2020-21 (305 points), 2022-23 (302 points), and 2023-24 (273 points).
LAST TIME OUT: AT MICHIGAN FIRST CHANCE MEET, FEB. 16.
Lupa and Speier each earned NCAA Zones cuts in the 1m dive as the team totaled 18 season-best and five collegiate personal-best marks.
DIVERS QUALIFIED FOR NCAA ZONE DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Five Eagle divers have qualified for the NCAA Zone Diving Championships, hosted by Ohio State, in Columbus, March 10-12. Taityn Speier (Fairfax, Va./WT Woodson) most recently qualified for the first time in her career in the 1m dive with a score of 281.90 at the Michigan First Chance Meet, Feb. 15. Megan Lupa (Campden, Ontario/West Niagara Secondary) also qualified at Michigan, this time in the 1m dive, scoring 280.70, after doing so in the 3m with her collegiate personal-best 284.25 points against Ohio, Jan. 31-Feb. 1. She previously earned a cut in the platform dive with a score of 229.90 at the UB Diving Invite, Jan. 12. She will join teammates, Malia Maire (San Luis Obispo, Calif./San Luis Obispo), Knapp and Ciara Wheeler (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston) at the competition. Maire previously qualified in the 1m with a score of 270.45 against Oakland, Nov. 21, while Knapp qualified in the 3m after posting a score of 317.25, against Cleveland State, Oct. 18, and in the 1m with a 267.00 performance versus Oakland, Nov. 21. Wheeler punched her ticket via a 267.38 outing in the 1m against Indiana State, Nov. 9.
CSCAA NIC CUTS
Along with Abby Szadorski (Oswego, Ill./Oswego East) in the 400y IM (4:29.09), teammates Russell, and Nehir Oz (Istanbul, Turkey/Cevre) also earned CSCAA NIC cuts at the Denison Invitational, Dec. 5-7. Russell did so in the 50y backstroke, swimming the distance in 26.17, while Oz punched her ticket via a 4:28.97 400y IM time. Both Oz and Russell's times serve as the fastest from the team in their respective events. Oz most recently qualified to compete in the 1000y freestyle, as she earned a B cut with her first-place finish in 10:20.00 against Toledo, Jan. 17. Her 10:20.00 time serves as the fastest on the team and ninth fastest in the MAC in the event this season. Siporah Sang (London, Ontario/Sir Frederick Banting Secondary) and Azra Umut (Istanbul, Turkey/Fenerbahce) recently earned B cuts against Ohio, Jan. 31-Feb. 1. They both did so in the 50y backstroke, as Sang clocked a time of 26.28 in the first leg of the 200y medley relay while Umut qualified with a 26.43 swim in the same event as a member of the Eagles' B team.
SCORING TIMES
Currently, the Eagles have 10 times that would rank inside the top 16 in the conference, meaning that each of those 10 times would score points at the MAC Championships.
Event Rank Name Time
500y Free 11 Azra Umut 4:57.80
500y Free 13 Nehir Oz 4:58.65
1000y Free 9 Nehir Oz 10:20.00
1650y Free 16 Morgan Hofmeister 17:29.12
50y Back 15 Siporah Sang 25.92
50y Breast 11 Nina Larosa 29.31
200y Breast 11 Abby Szadorski 2:18.88
100y Fly 13 Tristen Mina 54.94
400y IM 15 Nehir Oz 4:28.97
400y IM 16 Abby Szadorski 4:29.09
Previously Noted
LAST TIME OUT: SENIOR EXTRAVAGANZA
The program honored swimmers Olivia Clarino (Toronto, Ontario/Lawrence Park Collegiate), Ashley George (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha), Russell, Madelyn Sursi (Mooresville, N.C./Lake Norman), and Szadorski, along with divers Knapp and Wheeler at the annual Senior Extravaganza, Feb. 8.
TRISTEN MINA IN THE PROGRAM TOP 10
Sophomore fly/IM swimmer Tristen Mina (Santa Clara, Calif./The King's Academy) recently wrote her name into the program top 10 with a second-place finish in the 100y butterfly in 54.94 against Ohio, Jan. 31-Feb. 1. The time also qualified her for the CSCAA meet. Her swim marks the Eagles' first of the season landing inside the program top 10 leaderboards.
AT OHIO, JAN. 31-FEB. 1
The Eagles were last in action at Ohio, Jan. 31-Feb. 1, falling to the Bobcats, 272.5-79.5, shifting their record to 4-2 in dual meets this season. In the swimming events, they were led by Umut, who earned three top-three finishes and set three personal bests including a first-place outing in the 200y freestyle in 1:51.47. She went on to finish second in the backstroke in 56.21, and third in the 500y freestyle in 4:57.80. Lupa led the EMU divers as she placed second in the 3m dive in a collegiate personal-best 284.25 points, earning her second NCAA Zone Diving Championships cut of the season. She went on to earn bronze in the 1m, scoring 246.23.
VS TOLEDO, JAN. 17
The Eagles competed against Toledo, Jan. 17, a meet that resulted in a 175-117 win for EMU. Both Russell and Szadorski earned three event wins. Oz was also a bright spot in the pool, winning both the 1000y freestyle in a personal-best 10:20.00 and the 500y freestyle in 5:05.77. Oz also secured a personal-best time in the 200y IM, touching the wall in 2:09.93. Moreover, her 10:20.00 in the 1000y freestyle qualified her for the CSCAA meet. Speier earned the first win of her career with a score of 264.38 in the 3m dive before Knapp won the 1m with a score of 278.25.
4-1 FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2019-20
Before losing to Ohio, Jan. 31-Feb. 1, Eastern started the season 4-1 for the first time since Perkins' first season (2019-20). That season, the Eagles finished third at the MAC Championships with 485 points.
WINNERS IN THREE STRAIGHT MAC DUALS
Dating back to last season, the Eagles won three consecutive MAC dual meets against Bowling Green (Jan. 26, 2024), Buffalo (Oct. 26), and Toledo (Jan. 17). This marked the longest MAC dual meet win streak since the team rattled off 19 straight from 2014-2020.
MEGAN LUPA NCAA ZONE DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS CUT IN PLATFORM DIVE
Lupa had a strong meet at the UB Diving Invite, hosted by Buffalo, Jan. 10-12. Lupa earned the first NCAA Zone Diving Championships cut of her career with a score of 229.90 on the platform dive for a second-place finish. On top of the zones cut, Lupa made the finals in all three events (1m: seventh, 3m: sixth, platform: second) and scored 42 points in the meet, the second-most of any diver competing.
AT UB DIVING INVITE, JAN. 10-12
The divers opened up the new year at the UB Diving Invite, Jan. 10-12. The meet was headlined by Lupa, who made the finals in all three events and earned an NCAA Zone Diving Championships cut in the platform dive, scoring 229.90 points for a second-place finish. Maire also made the finals in both events she competed in. Her top finish was in the 3m where she placed fourth with 277.90 points.
AT DENISON INVITATIONAL, DEC. 5-7
The Eagles finished fourth out of five teams at the Denison Invitational, hosted by Denison University, in Granville, Ohio, Dec. 5-7. Szadorski led the team with 99 points scored in the meet and totaled four top 10 finishes. The senior also swam two season-best times in the 400y IM (4:29.09) and the 100y breaststroke (1:03.85). Additionally, her 400y IM time qualified her for the CSCAA NIC in Ocala, Fla., March 13-15.
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. Szadorski 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, this time in the 1m dive (267.00) 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 Oz, 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). Maire also earned an NCAA Zone Diving Championships cut in the 1m dive with a career-best 270.45 points.
DIVER OF THE WEEK
Knapp 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. 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.
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 Umut 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 then season-best 266.93 points and placing third in the 1m with a personal-best 256.88 points. Sophomore Mina 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 Szadorski who swept both breaststroke events, winning the 100y in 1:04.12 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, Wheeler 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. Entering the 2024-25 season, 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 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 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 welcomes 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), Lupa, Oz, Speier, Umut, 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 Russell, 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
Select swimmers will compete at the CSCAA NICs, hosted by the CSCAA, in Ocala, Fla., Thursday-Saturday, March 13-15. Select divers will move on to the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships, hosted by Ohio State, Monday-Wednesday, March 10-12.
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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2025 Swim & Dive MAC Championships Hype Video
Tuesday, February 25
2025 Swim & Dive Senior Extravaganza
Monday, February 10
Swim & Dive vs. Toledo Cinematic Highlights
Saturday, January 18
2024 EMU Swim & Dive Training Trip Highlights
Sunday, January 05