DIII Round-Up: Post-Conference Championships Check-In

By Laura Rosado on SwimSwam

All the Division III conferences have officially wrapped up as of this weekend. Unofficial psych sheets are set to release tomorrow (Wednesday, February 28), so we’re here to recap a few storylines ahead of the lead-up to NCAAs.

What Will Derek Maas Enter at NCAAs?

Emory has had a stranglehold on the University Athletic Association (UAA) team title since 1999 and this year was no different, but it was NYU’s Derek Maas who was awarded Swimmer of the Year for the men’s meet. The Alabama transfer went three-for-three in his individual events, winning the 200 IM (1:44.72), 100 back (46.78), and 200 back (1:42.40), the latter of which was a UAA record and personal best.

Maas now leads the nation in those three events, and is ranked in the top three in the 100 breast (52.78), 200 breast (1:57.35), 100 fly (47.13), and 200 fly (1:44.90) from his performances at the NYU Winter Invite just a week after UAAs. This presents one of the biggest questions that will soon be answered by the unofficial psych sheets: which events will Maas enter at NCAAs? He could chase Andrew Wilson’s legendary records in the 100 breast, 200 breast, and 200 IM, or he could continue to compete in backstroke as he did at conference and mid-season.

NYU swept the Swimmer of the Year honors, with Kaley McIntyre taking home the women’s award. She swept the 50 free (22.60), 100 free (49.47), and 200 free (1:46.87), setting personal bests in the 50 and 200 where she is the defending NCAA champion. Last year she opted for the 200 back over the 100 free on the final day, placing 9th overall, but hasn’t competed in a backstroke event this season indicating she’s all-in on freestyle.

Champions Emory were led by Megan Jungers for the women and Nick Goudie for the men. Both took home two individual titles apiece, with Jungers winning the 100 back (54.24) and 200 back (1:59.64) and Goudie sweeping the 100 free (44.23) and 200 free (1:37.76).

Kenyon Sweeps NCACs for the 23rd Time

Kenyon is back on top of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), sweeping the men’s and women’s team titles for the first time since 2008. This is the 23rd time they’ve won both meets in conference history. The Kenyon men are the defending NCAA runner-ups, while the women finished 3rd last year. Denison was the runner-up in both NCAC team races this year.

Kenyon freshman Bengisu Caymaz continues to improve in her debut yard season, sweeping the distance events with personal bests in the 500 free (4:49.26) and 1650 free (16:34.52).

In the men’s meet, defending 100 free champion Djordje Dragojlovic set what was, at the time, the top time in the division (43.51). He was overtaken a day later by James McChesney (College of New Jersey), who swam 43.48 at his conference meet, and a week later by MIT’s Tobe Obochi, the 2022 champion (43.40).

Pomona-Pitzer Powers Up

The Pomona-Pitzer women topped the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) for the 24th time in program history, led by senior Alex Turvey who took home Swimmer of the Meet honors for the third year in a row. She leads the nation in the 100 fly by four-tenths of a second (53.76) and is 3rd in the 50 (22.89) and 100 free (49.83) respectively.

Notably, Sagehens’ sprint free relays set the top times in the division, swimming faster than their performances from last season’s NCAAs. Sabrina Wang (23.60), Chesna Pelka (23.08), Francesca Coppo (23.11), and Valerie Mello (22.29) clocked 1:32.08 to undercut their 2023 NCAA final time by nearly a second (1:33.06) and getting within two-tenths of their team record from 2022 (1:31.93).

In the 400 free relay, Turvey (50.10) teamed up with senior teammate Katie Gould (50.75), Pelka (50.83), and Mello (49.96) to tie PP’s team record (3:21.64), set when they recorded a runner-up finish in the event at 2022 NCAAs. Notably, that time would have edged Tufts for the 2023 title by just two-hundredths.

CMS took home the men’s SCIAC title, led by defending 200 fly champion Frank Applebaum. Applebaum lowered his own D3 record in the 200 fly earlier this season and while he was off his time here (1:45.75), he still handedly took home the title. He also added conference titles in the 100 fly (47.55) and 200 IM (1:46.38).

Noteworthy in the NESCAC

The Williams women have landed a top 5 finish at NCAAs for the past 14 years, but we typically don’t get an idea of their form until the end of the season. The NESCAC already starts competition much later than most conferences, and Williams doesn’t compete in a typical mid-season invite.

The Ephwomen reclaimed the NESCAC title after falling to Tufts last year, with 2x national champion Sophia Verkleeren leading the way. The junior became the first in D3 this season to dip under the 2:00 barrier in the 200 IM, clocking 1:59.48. She also cracked 4:20 in the 400 IM (4:17.68) to top the rankings, and punched a personal best of 53.65 in the 100 back leading off Williams’ 400 medley relay to lead D3.

The only event Verkleeren swam that is no longer a #1 time is the 200 back (1:58.26), where she is the defending champ. MIT’s Kate Augustyn, the 2023 runner-up, swam 1:56.98 this past weekend at the NEWMAC Championships, setting up an exciting showdown come March.

The Williams men also won their meet a week later, but it was Connecticut College’s Justin Finkel who stole the show. He swept his individual events, establishing the top time in the 200 free (1:35.69) and 500 free (4:24.66), and #2 in the 200 fly (1:44.62). He recorded a pair of runner-up finishes at last season’s NCAAs in the 500 free and 200 fly.

Other leading times came from Bates’ Max Cory in the men’s 50 free (19.66) and Amanda Wager in the women’s 200 breast (2:12.61).

From D3 Podiums to ACC Runner-Ups

As seniors, Tanner Filion and Liam McDonnell finished 1-2 in the 100 back at last year’s D3 NCAAs. They both decided to use their fifth year of eligibility at Notre Dame.

Both Filion and McDonnell competed at ACCs last week, contributing points to ND’s runner-up finish. Filion made a pair of consolation final appearances in the 100 back (44.99) and 100 fly (45.47), recording personal bests in both. Notably, his 100 back time was the 2nd fastest time of the whole meet and ties him for 13th in D1 this season. He also placed 7th in the 200 back (1:41.50), just off his best time that stands as the D3 record (1:41.17). Filion also contributed to ND’s winning 400 free relay, splitting 41.61 on the second leg.

McDonnell also competed in the 100 back (47.16) and 100 fly (46.45), placing 21st and 22nd overall with a personal best in the 100 fly.

SwimSwam: DIII Round-Up: Post-Conference Championships Check-In