The NMU Women’s Swim team won both of their meets last weekend while the men’s team lost their first meet but reclaimed victory the next day against Saginaw Valley State.
The women’s team won their match on Nov. 4 with 12 first place victories and a score of 181-116. Sophomore Rachel Helm claimed three individual victories of the 100-yard butterfly and 100 and 200-yard backstroke. She also won with junior Becca Arakelian, sophomore Madelyn Irelan and freshman Lena Soulas in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:47.27. On Nov. 5 the women’s team defeated Saginaw Valley State University with a score of 152-87. This tenth straight victory put the women’s team eighth on the latest collegeswimming.com poll and Soulas won the 200-yard freestyle in 1:52.79, qualifying for an NCAA B-Cut qualification time.
Head coach Heidi Voigt attributed the women’s team’s consecutives successes to two things.
“We have a combination of excellent upperclassmen leadership and strong talented freshmen,” she said.
The men’s team lost to Grand Valley State with a score of 171-129 on Nov. 4. The team did not leave unaccomplished, however, as junior Renars Bundzis won the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:47.52, which is a pool record and the second-best time in of all NCAA Division II.
“Grand Valley has a strong men’s team,” Voigt said. “Our team swam well but Grand Valley’s team was really deep and dominated that day.”
The next day the Wildcats claimed victory over Saginaw Valley State with nine wins. Junior Ryan Knox-Leonard won the 200-yard freestyle race with a time of 1:44.17 and the 400 freestyle relay with sophomore Lajos Budai, junior Joshua Cosgrove and sophomore Jonas Reinhold in a time of 3:05.06.
The dive team visits University of Wisconsin-Green Bay this Friday and the swim teams return to the PEIF pool to face University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point on Saturday.
