Women's Swim/Dive Sets Three Meet Records, Surges into Lead at the MIAA Championships

Pictured, junior Greta Gidley

All season, the Hope College women's swimming and diving team envisioned its depth, versatility and balance in the pool as a strength.

On Thursday, those traits shined during Day 2 of the 2024 MIAA Championships.

The 12th-ranked Flying Dutch flourished in all six events and opened a commanding lead at the four-day meet at the Holland Aquatic Center.

Hope claimed three meet records, four event victories and points from multiple 'A' final swims en route to a first-place total of 441 points.

The Flying Dutch lead second-place and 15th-ranked Calvin University by 93 points. Hope is seeking a third consecutive MIAA championship.

"To have as many swims in the 'A' final that we did [was significant]," head coach Jake Taber said. "We had the opportunity to use that depth across the event profile here. It's got us in a good position."

Day 3 begins on Friday, Feb. 23, with preliminaries at 10 a.m. Finals follow at 5 p.m.

The Flying Dutch started the meet by setting meet and school records in the 200-yard freestyle relay.

Junior Lauren Ryle (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Catholic Central HS), senior Delaney Wesolek (Bay City, Michigan / John Glenn), sophomore Laurel Wasiniak (Northville, Michigan / Northville) and junior Sara Kraus (Rockford, Michigan / Rockford) recorded a winning time of 1:33.26. Calvin was second at 1:33.57.

Hope topped Calvin's 2023 MIAA record of 1:33.58 and Hope's 2023 record of 1:34.06 from Bella Turner, Kraus, Wasiniak and Greta Gidley.

"What a great way to start the meet: meet record and one of the top times in the country right now," Taber said. "Coming into the meet, we weren't sure what that relay was going to be. We liked what we saw in the 50 free [races] in the morning. We liked Lauren going out and trusted Delaney, Laurel and Sara to find a way to bring it home. That's exactly what they did."

The Flying Dutch's second 200 free relay took third. Turner (Chelsea, Michigan / Chelsea), freshman Paige Potter (Lake Orion, Michigan / Lake Orion), freshman Dillon Horsley (Indianapolis, Indiana / North Central) and freshman Anna Stolle (Fishers, Indiana / Hamilton Southeastern) clocked a time of 1:36.13.

In the next event, Hope qualified four swimmers in the 500 freestyle 'A' final.

Sophomore Ashlea Swingewood (Carmel, Indiana / Carmel) placed third at 5:06.61. Junior Norah Martin (Middleton, Wisconsin / Middleton) finished fourth at 5:11.45. Senior Jess Estabrook (Carmel, Indiana / Carmel) took fifth at 5:13.62. Freshman Natalie Pitera (Livonia, Michigan / Stevenson) was eighth at 5:18.92.

In the 200 individual medley, Gidley (Franklin, Michigan / Mercy) repeated as MIAA champion in record-setting fashion.

The junior broke MIAA and school records with a first-place swim of 2:00.79. Gidley passed her own meet record of 2:01.25 from last season and her own school record of 2:01.07.

Hope recorded five of the fastest six times in the 200 IM. Kraus clocked a runner-up swim of 2:04.68. Stolle took third at 2:05.49. Sophomore Katie Hermann (Canton, Michigan / Mercy) placed fourth at 2:05.71. Horsley was sixth at 2:11.78.

In the 50 freestyle, the Flying Dutch posted four 'A' swims.

Ryle touched the wall at 23.79 for fifth place. Wasiniak finished sixth at 23.91. Turner took seventh at 24.01. Wesolek was eighth at 24.07.

Hope recorded five of the top 3-meter dives.

Junior Abby Koops (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Forest HIlls Northern) led the pack by earning her third consecutive MIAA crown with 428.10 points.

"The last three days are usually the ones that make her the most nervous. Today, those were her most confident dives," diving coach Rebecca Garza said. "That set her a step up ahead."

Senior Cameron Hamilton (Libertyville, Illinois / Libertyville) followed in second with 344.45 points. Senior Sophia Farbarzhevich (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Forest Hills Northern) finished third with 375.80 points. Junior Michaela Sander (Muskegon, Michigan / Mona Shores) took fifth with 338.20 points. Freshman Laura Zupancic (Fort Collins, Colorado / Liberty Common) was sixth with 334.85 points.

Sophomore Hope Weeda (Grandville, Michigan / Calvin Christian) also scored with an 11th-place total of 330.00 points.

The Flying Dutch ended the meet with a thrilling and record-setting finish in the 400 medley relay.

Hermann, Ryle, Gidley and Wesolek delivered an MIAA-record time of 3:46.11. Hope touched out Calvin at the wall, winning by 0.10.

The relay passed Hope's 2022 MIAA record of 3:46.85 set by Kraus, Emma Schaefer, Alyssa Kerkman and Wesolek.

"We had Katie take us out and be in a very competitive position to hand it over to Lauren, who had the best split in her life by two seconds," Taber said. "That opened things up a little bit. We have two of the best butterflies in the country swimming right next to each other [in Gidley and Calvin's Maggie Farrell] and we know Calvin's anchor is an unbelievable talent.

"We just feel good when we've got Delaney at the end of the relay. She swims with as much heart as anyone I've ever coached and does a great job of knowing what she needs to do in the moment to rise to the occasion."

The Flying Dutch's second relay placed fourth. Freshman Emma Hartman (Mason, Ohio / Mason), Stolle, Swingewood and Turner clocked a time of 3:53.10.

Heading into Day 3, Albion College is in third with 183 points, followed by Kalamazoo College (162), Alma College (153) and The University of Olivet (82).

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