PLEASANT PRAIRIE, Wis. -- The Augustana Vikings men's swimming teams made it four straight seasons with a top-three standing at the CCIW Championships over the weekend, ending the three-day event at the RecPlex with a third place finish and a team score of 661.5.
The Vikings were consistent all weekend with their performances, ending Thursday's events in third with a score of 197.5, behind Wheaton (231) and Carthage (284.5). There were only two teams who entered the swimming championships with points from the diving events the previous week, with Carthage being one of them. Illinois Wesleyan was the other team with points from the diving events, but Augustana maintained a lead over them all three days.
Day 1
The men's 200 freestyle relay made up of Terrin Boehmer, Nick Phillips, Albert Buvary, and Jack Blumenfeld took third with a time of 1:24.50. The team missed the school record by just .11. The B relay of Jack Brandt, Tommy Anderson, Dante Rinaldi, and Hunter Craft took 11th with a time of 1:27.51. In the 400 medley relay, Phillips (back) Kacper Cebula (breast), Boehmer, (fly), and Blumenfeld (free) took third with a time of 3:30.11.
Joseph Addison took third in the 500 (4:46.54), earning a spot on the all-conference team. Following Addison, Gavin McCorry took ninth (4:48.73), winning the B final. Aidan McConkey finished 13th with a mark of 4:54.26.
The Vikings also claimed eight of 16 spots in the 200 IM. In the A final, Cebula took 7th (1:57.35). In the B final, Augie secured the top seven spots. Hunter Craft (1:58.08), Boehmer (1:59.08), Co-Captain Isaiah Valentine (2:00.30), Holden Siena (2:01.05), Nathan Mesina (2:01.46), Jack Brandt (2:05.46), and Luc Diefenbach (2:06.38) finished in those spots, respectively. In the 50 freestyle, Blumenfeld took fourth (21.35), followed by Phillips who took fifth (21.43). Buvary rounded up the A final taking eighth (21.96).
Day 2
The top three in the standings remained unchanged after day two, with the Vikings in third trailing both Wheaton and Carthage. Augie shrunk the gap slightly with first-place Carthage, while keeping a similar distance within Wheaton. The Vikings also held a sizable advantage over fourth-place Illinois Wesleyan.
Phillips highlighted a successful Friday for the men, winning conference in the 100-yard backstroke with a final time of 51.92. Phillips was one of four Vikings in the top seven in the event as
Dante Rinaldi, Boehmer, and McConkey all earned top-seven spots. Craft was the top performer in the B final with a time of 53.98. He also took second in the 100-yard butterfly with a mark of 50.82. Boehmer led the B final at 53.13.
Jack Blumenfeld set a school record in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:42.65 to earn second place in the event.Â
Addison tallied another top-three performance on Friday in the 400-yard IM, securing a time of 4:10.96.
In the 800-yard freestyle relay, the team of Cebula, Addison, McConkey, and
Isaiah Valentine earned a fourth-place finish with a time of 7:07 even. earning 26 points for the team. The 200-yard medley relay finished in third with a time of 1:33.97.
Day 3
Blumenfeld led the efforts again on Saturday, winning the conference title in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 46.30. Other notable performances include McCorry taking fifth in the 200-yard backstroke (1:58.85), Cebula fourth in the 200-yard backstroke (2:13.36), and a top-three finish from the 400-yard relay team.
The Vikings closed out the championships maintaining their third-place standing and over 160 points than the next closest team in Illinois Wesleyan.
Head coach
Dan Lloyd notes that the entire performance was a team effort, mixing top-three finishes with a ton of success throughout numerous B finals.
"Our depth is what led us to this finish," Lloyd added. "It was a team effort top to bottom, with everyone doing their job. I am so proud of our guys for banding together and fighting through every race. Our team showed our commitment to excellence throughout this season paid off with how well we raced throughout the entire weekend."
Augie boasted four all-conference recipients throughout the CCIW Swimming & Diving Championships. Student-athletes who finish in the top three in each individual event and any first place relay teams are designated under this honor.
The Vikings have now finished in the top three in conference for the fourth straight season.
