INDIANAPOLIS – A handful of national qualification “B” standards were hit across the league as new Great Midwest Athletic Conference Men’s & Women’s Swimming & Diving Athletes of the Week were named on Tuesday. 

Three “B” standards alone were eclipsed by the Findlay women’s trio of Kendra Polewski, Christina McFarland and Amanda Stiegel, in the 50 free. 

Polewski, a two-time women’s swimming athlete of the week this season, also had another “B” time in the 500 freestyle. McFarland also had her second “B” time of the week in the 100 backstroke. 

Hillsdale’s Anika Ellingson had the best 100 breaststroke time from the combined Great Midwest/Mountain East efforts and Findlay junior Hanna Cederholm also had a “B” qualifying mark in the same event. 

Cederholm also had one of the nation’s best times in the 200 backstroke with another “B” standard. 

Men’s Athlete of the Week
Miguel Arroyo Garcia
Tiffin
Freshman
Seville, Spain (IES Juan de Mairena)

Arroyo Garcia posted a pair of NCAA “B” qualifying times in the 400 IM and the 200-yard breaststroke as Tiffin competed at the Miami University Invitational. 

Arroyo Garcia was the only men’s swimmer from the Great Midwest or Mountain East to swim with a “B” qualifying standard over the past week of competition. He was competing among swimmers from host Miami (OH), Ball State, Milwaukee and Cincinnati. 

He also had the best time from both leagues combined in the 100 and 200 butterfly events. 

Arroyo Garcia now ranks 9th in all of Division II in the 400-individual medley (3:56.12) and 24th in the 200 backstroke (1:49.16). 

This is the freshman’s second conference weekly honor of the 2018-19 season. 
 

Women’s Athlete of the Week
Christina McFarland
Findlay
Freshman
Northfield, OH (Nordonia HS)

McFarland enjoyed a breakthrough performance at the Calvin Winter Invite by achieving two of the best times in the country in both the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke with “B” standards. 

McFarland finished third in the 100-yard backstroke finals with a time of 55.62 and placed third in the 50 free with a 23.82. 

McFarland helped Findlay finish runner-up in the 200 medley relay in a time of 1:44.26. She also was eighth in the 100 butterfly with a time of 58.68. 

The Oilers would finish fourth, both men and women, in the team scoring at the three-day event. 

She is currently ranked 13th nationally in the 100 backstroke (55.62) and 42nd nationally in the field of 50-yard freestyle qualifiers.