ALMA, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University swimming and diving teams earned a pair of decisive dual meet victories over Alma on Friday, with the Cardinal women winning 201-41 and the men earning a 197-33 victory at McClure Natatorium.
Saginaw Valley controlled the meet from the opening events, taking the top three spots in both 200-yard medley relays. The women's team of Amanda Feril (Franklin, Tennessee, Ravenwood HS), Mya Ketel (Nelson, New Zealand, Garin College), Asia Swiderska, andValentina Plaza (Panama City, Panama, Oxford International School) won in 1:52.67, while Lyon Hall (McFarland, Wis.), Alp Hacioglu (Istanbul, Turkey, Private Nazmi Arikan Fen Bilimleri Science HS), Emir Nigdelioglu, and Florian Quappill (Hildesheim, Germany, Humboldt Gymnasium) led the men's race with a time of 1:32.45.
The Cardinals swept the podium in both 1,000-yard freestyle events. Lena Lautscham (Leimen, Germany, Lowenrot Gymnasium) won the women's race in 10:44.27 ahead of Kira Sophie Luder (Bad Vilbel, Germany, Georg Buechner Gymnasium) and Livia Czata (Riverview, Mich., Riverview Communtiy HS). Ali Aygün took the men's event in 9:24.00, followed by William Hsiao in 9:29.50 and Scott Hassett (Birmingham, Mich., Seaholm HS) in 10:01.35.
Carolina Heinz (Porto Alegra, Rio Grande do Sul, Colégio Saber) captured the women's 200-yard freestyle in 1:56.52, while Lisandru Sbraggia won the men's race in 1:42.40. Swiderska and Anastasiia Krasilnikova (Kaliningrad, Russia, Secondary School No. 5) shared first place in the women's 50-yard freestyle after both touched the wall in 25.36 seconds, while Quappill won the men's sprint in 21.25.
SVSU also swept the top three spots in both 200-yard individual medleys. Marlene Lehmann (Bad Homburg, Germany, Kaiserin Friedrich Gymnasium) won the women's race in 2:14.12, edging Lexi Hieber (Wixom, Mich., Walled Lake Western HS) by nine-hundredths of a second, while Sammy Fowler (Wellington, New Zealand, St. Hildas School) placed third. Nathan Walker (Christchurch, New Zealand, Shirley Boys HS) led the men's race in 1:53.06 ahead of Kyan Harnum (Fairbanks, Alaska) and Hacioglu.
The Cardinals added victories on the diving boards. Layla Winklepleck (Hamilton, Mich., Hamilton HS) won the women's five-dive competition with 169.15 points before Reese Beauleaux (Adrian, MIch., Adrian HS) captured the six-dive competition with 226.05. Vincent Manas swept both men's diving events, scoring 154.75 points over five dives and 230.40 over six.
Swiderska added an individual victory in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 59.08, while Nigdelioglu led an SVSU sweep of the top five spots on the men's side in 50.17. Plaza won the women's 100-yard freestyle in 54.60, and Hall claimed the men's race in 47.08.
Hannah Martin Cook (Granada, Spain, IES Zaidin Vergeles) earned the women's 100-yard backstroke victory in 1:01.36, while Hadyn Gould (Adrian, Mich., ) won the men's event in 52.56.
Lautscham picked up her second individual swimming victory of the meet in the 500-yard freestyle, touching in 5:18.26. Hsiao won the men's 500 in 4:33.93 after finishing second in the 1,000 earlier in the meet.
Lautscham added another victory in the women's 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:09.74, giving her three individual wins on the night. Hacioglu captured the men's 100 breast in 55.31.
The Cardinals finished the meet by winning both 200-yard freestyle relays. Ella DesJean (Indianapolis, Ind., ), Lueder, Fowler, and Krasilnikova won the women's event in 1:42.84, while Juan Garcia, Hsiao, Sbraggia, and Quappill closed the men's meet with a winning time of 1:27.49.
Up Next: Saginaw Valley swimming and diving gets back in the pool on Saturday, October 17 when they head to Grand Rapids, Michigan to compete against Calvin and Grand Valley State. The meet starts at 1 PM in the Venema Aquatic Center.
