The women's team takes first place at the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships. Photos by Josh Brown.
The Kenyon women's swimming and diving team over the weekend achieved the ultimate goal of any program — capturing an NCAA Championship — while the men’s team’s silver showing added more shine to the College’s dynasty.
Kenyon women claim their 25th national title
On the women’s side, the No. 1-ranked Owls ended their 2023-24 campaign atop the national standings, holding off defending champion and North Coast Athletic Conference rival Denison University on the final day of the 2024 NCAA Division III Women's Swimming and Diving Championship. The team tallied 448 points to secure the program's 25th NCAA crown. That mark extends Kenyon's lead over all women's programs in any sport and any division of the NCAA.
Right behind Kenyon in the team standings was Denison, who led at the midway point but trailed the Owls over the final two days. The Big Red finished with 430 points, taking second in the closely-contested rankings. New York University secured bronze with 374 points, edging out Williams College (360) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (344.5).
The Owls reached the podium in three of the four individual races on the fourth and final day, strengthening their hold on first place after each race. Bengisu Caymaz started the national finale by winning an NCAA championship in the meet's first individual event on Wednesday, and the first-year started Saturday the same way when she won the 1,650-yard freestyle title. Caymaz clocked in at 16:34.67 to clinch her second national title.
Molly Haag and Sarah Hoffman each added points in the mile, helping Kenyon extend its three-point, three-day lead to five, 349-344, after the final day's first event. Haag, a sophomore, stopped the clock at 16:47.24 to secure First Team All-America honors. Hoffman, a senior, posted a season-best time of 17:13.22, earning a spot on the All-America Second Team.
Lisa Torrecillas-Jouault finished seventh in the 100-yard freestyle with a career-best 50.53 mark, adding eight points to Kenyon's lead. The sophomore was busy at the Championship, adding six All-America awards by the end of the meet.
Another career-best swim helped the Owls gain more separation. Caleigh Wukitch brought home a bronze medal in the 200-yard backstroke, clocking in at 1:58.98. The senior ends her career as a four-time First Team All-American, with all four awards coming this week.
Kenyon paced the field by 22 points heading into the final individual swimming event, the 200-yard breaststroke. The race was a substantial one for the Owls, who more than doubled that edge to 48 with three scoring finishes. First up was senior Sydney McCallie, who finished 13th with a career-best time of 2:19.16. Classmates Jennah Fadely and Gabrielle Wei battled it out in the final, and the duo contributed to an electric finish. Fadely, last year's champion in the event, posted a season-best time of 2:12.71. However, her season-best swim was bested by Wei's career-best showing. Wei stopped the clock at 2:11.70, just 0.48 seconds behind Fadely's Kenyon record, to claim her first NCAA crown.
The 1-2 finish in the event put Kenyon in prime position to maintain their lead, but the contest still came down to the last event. Three Denison divers combined to score 32 points in the three-meter diving finals, the penultimate event, cutting Kenyon's advantage to 16 with one event remaining.
The Owls had the inside track on clinching the NCAA title heading into the final event, the 400-yard freestyle relay. Kenyon's quartet of Haag, Gwen Eisenbeis, Torrecillas-Jouault, and Sydney Geboy, seeded second coming into the race, needed to finish sixth or better if the Big Red paced the field to hold on to the lead. The Owls did more than the minimum as the team clocked in at 3:23.38, placing fourth, one spot ahead of the Big Red, to secure the team title.
Throughout the 2024 NCAA Championship, Kenyon swimmers finished with four national titles, secured three silver medals, brought in three bronze medals, compiled 44 All-America awards, and posted two program-record times.
Kenyon men earn runner-up finish on quest for 35th title
For the men, an impressive attempt to claim a record 35th national championship came up just short Saturday night, as the team, with a roster of 11, took the runner-up spot to Emory University, with a roster of 18, as the 2024 NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championship came to a close at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.
The finish added to a Kenyon dynasty that's spanned more than four decades. Since 1979, the Kenyon men have participated in 44 NCAA Championships and they finished either first or second in 41 of those Championships.
The Owls wrapped up the 2024 meet with 391 team points, while Emory tallied 434 points to claim its third consecutive team title. Third place went to University of Chicago with 309 points. Rounding out the top five were New York University in fourth place with 282 points and Williams College in fifth place 269.5 points.
At the start of Saturday's session, senior Max Nonnenmacher got the scoring started for the Owls. He claimed 15th place in the 1,650-yard freestyle, clocking in at 15:50.29 and registering his first career All-America award.
Kenyon's big push came in the 100-yard freestyle and was directed by sophomore Djordje Dragojlovic, who claimed the event title with a winning time of 43.26, a personal best and just a tenth of a second off the Kenyon record. The title was his second in a row in the event and his fourth of five titles gained throughout the 2024 Championship.
Following up on that performance, Kenyon had three more swimmers ring up points in the 100-yard freestyle. Alongside Dragojlovic in the championship final, junior Aleksa Dobric placed sixth with a personal best 43.84. In the consolation final, senior Marko Krtinic placed ninth in 44.32 and classmate Daniel Brooks took 10th place in 44.40.
That surge from the Kenyon sprinters whittled down a 53-point deficit to 19 points.
Emory had four swimmers rack up points in the next event, the 200-yard backstroke, but Kenyon countered with senior Yurii Kosian's second career runner-up finish in the race. He clocked in at 1:43.92 for his 15th career All-America award. In the consolation final, sophomore Ethan Manske claimed 10th place in 1:47.60. When the event was over, Emory nudged its lead over Kenyon to 23 points.
The final individual event of the 2024 Championship was the 200-yard breaststroke and Kenyon had just one evening participant, first-year Noel Tumbasz. He earned his first career All-America award by finishing the race in 13th place with a time of 1:59.48. Emory responded with three scoring swimmers who combined to push the Eagles lead to 55 points, securing the team title with one event remaining.
That last event, the 400-yard freestyle relay, was won by Kenyon, giving the Owls a total of seven event wins for the meet. Kenyon's relay team of Dragojlovic, Krtinic, Brooks and Dobric blitzed the field with a winning time 2:54.52, taking the event title for the second straight year. Dragojlovic, Krtinic and Brooks were all members of the winning team one year ago.
At the conclusion of the meet, Israel Zavaleta, a senior who swept the one- and three-meter competitions, was voted the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America NCAA Division III Diver of the Year, making him the only three-time recipient in the history of the award.
Browse the gallery below and view more photos at athletics.kenyon.edu:
