A Tight Team Race Develops and Six New Records Fall on Day One
Ocala, FL – The CSCAA National Invitational Championship, presented by Myrtha Pools and hosted at the FAST facility in Ocala, Florida, kicked off with thrilling races and standout performances. Swimmers from nearly 60 institutions across the nation delivered exceptional results in the first evening of finals.
After the first night of racing, the University of Akron women’s team leads the way with 209.5 points. Queens University of Charlotte is in second with 193.5 points, and Florida International University is third with 172.5 points. On the men’s side, Ohio State holds first place with 241 points, followed by Queens with 223 points. Grand Canyon University sits third after Thursday night’s events with 205 points.
Event Winners and Highlights below:
Men’s 200-Yard Freestyle Relay:
Queens dominated the Men’s 200-Yard Freestyle Relay, securing first place with a time of 1:17.41. The team, consisting of Matej Dusa, Nien Levy, Daniel Meszaros, and Conner Wang, narrowly out-touched Grand Canyon University (1:17.58) and Drexel University (1:18.03) in a tightly contested race.
Women’s 200-Yard Freestyle Relay
The University of Akron claimed victory in the Women’s 200-Yard Freestyle Relay with a time of 1:30.15, led by Ada Szwabinska, Aislinn Holder, Hannah Trainer, and Callie Parkes. Queens finished close behind in 1:30.59, while Florida International University rounded out the top three with 1:31.79.
Men’s 50-Yard Backstroke:
Kentucky’s Devin Naoroz took first place in the Men’s 50-Yard Backstroke, clocking 21.54. Alex Volkov of Grand Canyon University finished second in 21.62, and Ganesh Sivaramakrishnan of George Washington University secured third in 21.74.
Women’s 50-Yard Backstroke:
Florida Gulf Coast University’s Izzy Ackley delivered a strong performance to win the Women’s 50-Yard Backstroke in 24.32. Ohio State’s Allie Fenska and Rice University’s Abigail King tied for second at 24.83, while Akron’s Maddy Gatrall followed closely with 24.84.
Men’s 500-Yard Freestyle:
University of Utah’s Jones Lambert dominated the Men’s 500-Yard Freestyle, setting a new CSCAA record with a time of 4:18.02. His teammate, Nick Chirafisi, finished second in 4:21.52, while Caue Gluck of Kentucky placed third in 4:22.15.
Women’s 500-Yard Freestyle:
The Women’s 500-Yard Freestyle saw a thrilling finish, with Lydia Hart of the University of New Hampshire edging out Ohio State’s Lucy Malys by just 0.01 seconds, touching the wall in 4:43.78. Madi McGlothen from Kentucky rounded out the podium in 4:45.05.
Men’s 50-Yard Butterfly:
George Washington University’s Elliott Irwin secured gold in the Men’s 50-Yard Butterfly, stopping the clock at 20.52. Queens’ Conner Wang followed with 20.91, and UMBC’s Oliver Gassmann claimed third with 21.01.
Women’s 50-Yard Butterfly:
The University of Akron’s Felicia Klintemar won the Women’s 50-Yard Butterfly with a time of 23.82, holding off Anna Keen of Ball State University (23.93) and Logan Kuehne of Illinois (24.04).
Men’s 200-Yard Individual Medley:
Ohio State’s Alex Metzler captured first place in the Men’s 200-Yard IM with a time of 1:45.89. Aaron Gasiewicz of Kentucky secured second in 1:47.25, while Queens’ Matheus Teixeira Przewalla finished third with 1:47.60.
Women’s 200-Yard Individual Medley
Queens University Charlotte’s Abigail Zboran won with a time of 1:59.18, followed by Hayden Penny from Kentucky at 1:59.24 and Illinois’ Sara Jass at 1:59.46
Men’s 50-Yard Breaststroke
Pacific ‘s Mattia Giurgevich secured first place with a time of 24.39, followed by Noah Beladi representing Queens at 24.48 and Luke Vickers from Ohio State at 24.65.
Women’s 50-Yard Breaststroke
Frida Loebersli from Florida International dominated the race, setting a new CSCAA record with a time of 27.21. Erin Palmer of Utah followed in 27.85, with Grand Canyon’s Beth Young securing third at 27.91.
Men’s 50 Yard Freestyle
Matej Dusa from Queens claimed victory with a time of 19.46, just shy of his CSCAA record of 19.13. George Washington’s Elliott Irwin finished second in 19.52, while Mario Perez from Grand Canyon took third with 19.75.
Women’s 50-Yard Freestyle
Utah’s Erin Palmer secured victory with a CSCAA record time of 22.38. Ryley Heck from Queens finished second in 22.49, while Ada Szwabinska from Akron claimed third at 22.53.
Men’s 400-Yard Medley Relay
Drexel’s team of Theo Andreopoulos, Kacper Karnik, Kuba Kwasny and Sebastian Smith claimed victory in the Men’s 400-Yard Medley Relay, setting a CSCAA record with a time of 3:08.82. Grand Canyon University followed closely in 3:09.29, while Queens University Charlotte secured third with 3:10.40.
Women’s 400 Yard Medley Relay
Akron’s relay team of Maddy Gatrall, Madelyn Bosler, Felicia Klintemar, Dominika, Kossakowska claimed the title on the women’s side clocking in at 3:36.61. Queens touched second at 3:37.91 while Buffalo finished third with a 3:38.69.
Looking Ahead
The championship continues with more thrilling races ahead. Stay tuned for updates as the nation's top collegiate swimmers compete for national titles!
For full results, updates, and livestream details, visithttps://www.cscaa.org/nic