Men's Recap:
SCAD Savannah’s (Ga.) Joel Ax set a new NAIA record, while Olivet Nazarene won three events to lead the team standings after three days of competition at the 2017 NAIA Swimming and Diving Championships Thursday night at the Columbus Aquatic Center.
Ax broke the NAIA record in the 200 freestyle by 0.01 seconds as he touched the wall in 1:34.89. Ax broke he own NAIA record that he set at last year’s championships.
Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) won both the 400 individual medley, the 100 butterfly, and the 100 back to tally 428.5 points. Daniil Kuzmin pulled away from the field to win the national title in the 400 IM with a time of 3:55.88. Magnus Poulsen earned two national titles tonight winning both the 100 butterfly and the 100 back, swimming 47.63 and 49.22, respectfully. Olivet Nazarene also had a runner-up finish in the 3-meter dive.
SCAD Savannah is in second place with 303.5 points. In addition to Ax’s win in the 200 free, the Bees also came from behind to win the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:29.51. Joel Thatcher finished second in the 200 free with a time of 1:36.12. Anton Arvidsson also earned a runner-up finish in the 100 breaststroke.
Lukas Macek of Keiser (Fla.) and Shane Brinson of Biola (Calif.) won the final two individual national title of the day. Macek earned Keiser’s first individual national champion with a first place finish in the 100 breaststroke. Brinson won the 3-meter dive competition to earn his first national title of the meet.
Women's Recap:
Lisa Tixier of Biola (Calif.) set a new NAIA record, while Olivet Nazarene leads the team standings after three days of competition at the 2017 NAIA Swimming and Diving Championships Thursday night at the Columbus Aquatic Center.
Tixier set a new NAIA record in the 100 butterfly as she won the event with a time of 53.70. That time broke the previous NAIA record of 54.25 set by Christine Tixier in 2015. This is Tixier’s second national title of the championships as she also won the 50 free.
Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) won the 200 medley relay, 400 individual medley, 100 back and the three-meter dive to finish the day with 458 points to lead the team standings. Tiffany Ray won the 400 IM touching the wall in 4:25.90 to earn her second individual national title of the meet. Ray also won the 200 IM on Thursday. Vanessa Van Oost also earned her second national title of the meet winning the three-meter dive with 195.70 points. Amanda Moran won the Tigers final event of the night with a first place finish in the 100 yard back with a time of 55.19.
SCAD Savannah (Ga.) is in second place with 434 points. The Bees also garnered a pair of national champions in the 200 free and the 100 breast. Abigail Richey defender her 200 free title as she swam 1:52.21 to finish first. This is Richey’s second national title of the meet as she won the 500 free on Thursday. Sara Lacusky led four Bees finishers in the 100 breast with a winning time of 1:03.25. The Bees also had runner up finishes in three events.
The NAIA Championships will continue Saturday, March 4, with the final day of competition. Prelims will begin at 9 a.m., while finals will start at 5 p.m.
