ELKHART, Ind. – Swimmers at the 2024 KCAC Women’s and Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships at the Aquatic Center at Elkhart Health and Aquatics continued to set multiple meet records on Friday, day two of the event as ten records were set. At the end of the second day of the three-day event, Olivet Nazarene University set itself at the front of the team scores in both the Women’s and Men’s Championships by setting 11 of the 17 records recorded in the meet so far.
Olivet Nazarene’s women’s 200 Yard Medley Relay of Paige Howell, Julieta Vega, Ashley Parry, and Halle Briner set the first meet record of the night in the first event of the night with a time of 1:45.98, beating the 2023 time of 1:46.04 set by Olivet Nazarene. Howell, Vega, and Briner would each go on to set a record in individual events during the evening.
Howell set the meet record in the 100 Yard Backstroke with a time of 57.35, improving on her own 2022 record of 57.87.
Vega also toppled her own record set in 2023 in the 100 Yard Breaststroke. The Tiger swimmer finished with a time off 1:02.46, toppling her own time of 1:02.84.
Briner’s record would come in the 200 Yard Freestyle with a time of 1:52.26, improving on her own 2023 record of 1:53.87.
The final women’s meet record set on the evening was in the 800 Yard Freestyle Relay by host Bethel University. The Pilot team of Aixa Recchioni, Dominique van Vuure, Josefina Gonzalez, and Jaylyn Harrison crushed the 2023 record of 7:45.97 set by Olivet Nazarene with a time of 7:43.44. Bethel finished almost five seconds ahead of the second-place Olivet Nazarene relay.
In the men’s events, Olivet Nazarene set three of the five records on the evening. Timothy Braun set the record in the 200 Yard Freestyle with a time of 1:40.45, beating the 2023 record that was held by teammate Jack Fries.
Fries would set an individual record on the night as well, but in the 100 Yard Backstroke. His time of 50.23 beat the 2023 record of Nicholas Klenner of Olivet Nazarene of 50.88.
Braun and Fries were both part of the 800 Yard Freestyle Relay for the Tigers, along with Oliver Shead and Mason Beall, who would set the record in that event with a time of 6:51.64. That time finished well ahead of the record of 6:58.00 set in 2023 by Olivet Nazarene.
Logan Berndt of Bethel would set the record in the 100 Yard Butterfly, turning in a time of 48.50 and toppling the 2022 record of 49.47 set by Morningside University’s James Camp.
The final record of the night was set in the diving well in the Men’s 1-Meter Dive by Evan Bennett of Aquinas College. Bennett’s score of 259.00 beat the 2023 record of 258.55 set by Bethel’s Nicholas Baum, who finished second in the event.
Women's Champions - Day 2
| Event |
Time |
Champion |
School |
| 200 YD Medley Relay |
*1:45.98 |
Howell, Vega, Parry, Briner |
Olivet Nazarene |
| 400 YD Individual Medley |
4:33.84 |
Kayla Parry |
Olivet Nazarene |
| 100 YD Butterfly |
56.72 |
Ayla Pierce |
University of Saint Mary |
| 200 YD Freestyle |
*1:52.26 |
Halle Briner |
Olivet Nazarene |
| 100 YD Breaststroke |
*1:02.46 |
Julieta Vega |
Olivet Nazarene |
| 100 YD Backstroke |
*57.35 |
Paige Howell |
Olivet Nazarene |
| 3-Meter Dive |
181.70 |
Jada Shorter |
Jamestown |
| 800 YD Freestyle Relay |
*7:43.44 |
Recchioni, van Vuure, Gonzalez, Harrison |
Bethel |
* Meet Record
Men's Champions - Day 2
| Event |
Time |
Champion |
School |
| 200 YD Medley Relay |
1:32.88 |
Fries, Holwerda, Hoffman, Braun |
Olivet Nazarene |
| 400 YD Individual Medley |
4:09.76 |
Jeremi Aubin |
Midland |
| 100 YD Butterfly |
*48.50 |
Logan Berndt |
Bethel |
| 200 YD Freestyle |
*1:40.45 |
Timothy Braun |
Olivet Nazarene |
| 100 YD Breaststroke |
55.46 |
Zander Livingston |
Midland |
| 100 YD Backstroke |
*50.23 |
Jack Fries |
Olivet Nazarene |
| 1-Meter Dive |
*259.00 |
Evan Bennett |
Aquinas |
| 800 YD Freestyle Relay |
*6:51.64 |
Braun, Shead, Beall, Fries |
Olivet Nazarene |
*Meet Record
Women's Team Standings
| Place |
School |
Points |
| 1 |
Olivet Nazarene University |
516 |
| 2 |
Bethel University |
393 |
| 3 |
Aquinas College |
233 |
| 4 |
University of Saint Mary |
227 |
| 5 |
Midland University |
196 |
| 5 |
College of Saint Mary |
196 |
| 7 |
University of Jamestown |
175 |
| 8 |
Morningside University |
104 |
| 9 |
Sterling College |
69 |
Men's Team Standings
| Place |
School |
Points |
| 1 |
Olivet Nazarene University |
460 |
| 2 |
Bethel University |
337 |
| 3 |
Aquinas College |
334 |
| 4 |
Midland University |
323 |
| 5 |
University of Saint Mary |
315 |
| 6 |
Morningside University |
260 |
| 7 |
Sterling College |
124 |
Before the Finals Session began, the KCAC announced the 2024 Team of Character for both Women’s and Men’s Swimming and Diving. Bethel University, led by Head Coach Deb Thompson, was named the Team of Character in both sports
Swimmers will return to the pool at the Aquatic Center at Elkhart Health and Aquatics on Saturday, February 10 at 9:00 a.m. EST/8:00 a.m. CST for the third and final day of the KCAC Swimming and Diving Championships. Champions will be crowned after the Finals Session, which begins at 5:00 p.m. EST/4:00 p.m. CST. Stream the event live on the KCAC Network at kcacnetwork.com.