Findlay Extends Lead Heading into Final Day of G-MAC/MEC Championships

2.12.26

CANTON, Ohio — The 2026 Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) and Mountain East Conference (MEC) Swimming and Diving Championships kicked off on Tuesday, February 10, at the C.T. Branin Natatorium. The championships will continue through Friday, February 13.

The University of Findlay swimming and diving teams continued their impressive run at the 2026 Great Midwest Athletic Conference and Mountain East Conference Championships, widening their lead in both the men's and women's standings on Thursday evening at C.T. Branin Natatorium. With one day of competition remaining, Findlay is positioned to sweep the conference titles, while Hillsdale College and Ashland University continue to battle for top positioning.

Team Standings Update

The team scores after Day 3 show Findlay with a commanding advantage:

  • Women's Standings: The University of Findlay leads with 1427 points. Hillsdale College remains in second with 1116 points, followed by Ashland University with 831 points. Frostburg State University holds fourth with 619 points, and Malone University sits in seventh with 301 points.

  • Men's Standings: The University of Findlay leads the field with 1487 points. Ashland University follows in second with 1113.5 points. Davis & Elkins College is third with 693.5 points, and Malone University is currently eighth with 236 points.

Findlay Highlights and NCAA Cuts

The Oilers showcased their depth and speed, collecting multiple victories and NCAA B cuts throughout the evening:

  • Sebastian Dav Camacho Gomez won the Men's 500 Yard Freestyle with a time of 4:22.55, earning an NCAA B cut.

  • In the Women's 100 Yard Backstroke, Olivia Scheibelhoffer took the title in 55.78, securing an NCAA B cut.

  • Randy Keener II claimed victory in the Men's 100 Yard Backstroke with a time of 47.38, also achieving an NCAA B cut.

  • Helmi Kakela won the Women's 100 Yard Breaststroke in 1:01.23, an NCAA B cut performance.

  • Arnaldo Cezario Guimaraes took the top spot in the Men's 100 Yard Breaststroke with a time of 55.38.

  • Emily Mears-Bentley continued her strong meet, winning the Women's 200 Yard Butterfly in 2:04.63 (NCAA B cut).

  • Camilo Andres Marrugo won the Men's 200 Yard Butterfly with an NCAA B cut time of 1:46.47.

  • The Oilers swept the 800 Yard Freestyle Relays to cap the night. The women's team (Reckard, Kakela, Grubbs, Mears-Bentley) won in 7:33.83, and the men's team (Arteaga Restrepo, Washington, Sever, Beratz) touched first in 6:31.24.

Hillsdale Highlights

Hillsdale College maintained its strong second-place standing in the women's division with several podium finishes:

  • Avery May finished second in the Women's 500 Yard Freestyle with a time of 5:01.28, earning an NCAA B cut.

  • Sasha Babenko took second place in the Women's 100 Yard Backstroke with a time of 56.07, also securing an NCAA B cut.

  • Lauren Kamp finished third in the Women's 100 Yard Breaststroke with a time of 1:06.32.

  • The Women's 800 Yard Freestyle Relay team (Schafer, Babenko, Early, May) secured a second-place finish with a time of 7:35.81.

  • In the Women's 200 Yard Butterfly, Inez McNichols finished fourth (2:12.12).

Ashland Highlights

Ashland University continued to perform well, particularly on the men's side where they hold a solid second place:

  • In the Men's 800 Yard Freestyle Relay, the team of Falk, Collins, Mohler, and Olquin finished third with a time of 7:02.00.

  • Jason Basile finished sixth in the Men's 500 Yard Freestyle with a time of 4:47.05.

  • Colin Pham placed fifth in the Men's 100 Yard Backstroke (50.73), while William R Collins won the consolation final to place seventh overall (52.22).

  • Nick Girz took sixth place in the Men's 100 Yard Breaststroke with a time of 56.16.

  • Nick Olquin and Cole Huebner finished sixth and seventh, respectively, in the Men's 200 Yard Butterfly.

  • On the women's side, Juliana Pignato finished fifth in the Women's 200 Yard Butterfly with a time of 2:12.95.

Malone Highlights

  • Landon Sutter finished 13th in the Men's 100 Yard Backstroke with a time of 54.24.

  • Seth McMillen placed 14th in the Men's 100 Yard Breaststroke, clocking in at 59.34.

  • In the distance events, Leander W Stuart placed 21st in the Men's 500 Yard Freestyle (5:09.01), and Danielle Ketler finished 24th in the Women's 500 Yard Freestyle (5:33.08).

  • The Men's 800 Yard Freestyle Relay team (Hawk, Stuart, Anderson, Porter) finished eighth with a time of 7:57.85.

Other Notable Performances

  • Genevieve Rippeon of Frostburg State University won the Women's 500 Yard Freestyle with an NCAA B cut time of 5:00.94.

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The Oilers claimed victory in six of the evening's events, while Hillsdale College and Ashland University continued to post strong podium finishes to solidify their positions in the team standings.

Team Standings Update

Heading into Day 3, the team scores reflect a competitive battle for the upper rankings:

  • Women's Standings: The University of Findlay remains in control with 939 points. Hillsdale College holds a firm second place with 695 points, followed by Ashland University in third with 579 points. Malone University is currently in sixth place with 227 points.

  • Men's Standings: The University of Findlay leads the men's side with 977 points. Ashland University sits in second with 693.5 points, while Davis & Elkins College rounds out the top three with 468 points. Malone University is currently eighth with 155 points.

Findlay Highlights

  • Emily Mears-Bentley secured two individual victories for the Oilers. She won the Women's 100 Yard Butterfly in 54.26, earning an NCAA B cut. Later, she claimed the Women's 200 Yard Freestyle title with a time of 1:51.20, also an NCAA B standard.

  • In the Men's 100 Yard Butterfly, Camilo Andres Marrugo took first place with an NCAA B cut time of 46.24, followed closely by teammate Randy Keener II, who also earned a B cut with a time of 47.03.

  • The Oilers swept the podium in the Men's 200 Yard Freestyle, with all three top finishers earning NCAA B cuts. Sebastian Dav Camacho Gomez won in 1:38.42, followed by Santiago Arteaga Restrepo (1:38.64) and Nick Beratz (1:39.18).

  • Helmi Kakela added a runner-up finish in the Women's 200 Yard Freestyle with an NCAA B cut time of 1:51.85.

  • Matteo Filippi captured the Men's 400 Yard IM title, touching the wall in 4:03.90.

  • Findlay capped the night by sweeping the 400 Yard Medley Relays. The women's team of Reckard, Susi, Scheibelhoffer, and Grubbs won in 3:46.96, while the men's squad of Keener II, Guimaraes, Marrugo, and Blandon Torres took first in 3:12.83.

Ashland Highlights

Ashland University maintained its position in the top three for both men and women with consistent finals performances:

  • The Ashland men's 400 Yard Medley Relay team of Colin Pham, Jack Elliott, Cole Huebner, and Andrew Oates secured a second-place finish with a time of 3:24.50.

  • The women's 400 Yard Medley Relay team (Tomita, Cox, Yemec, O'Toole) finished third with a time of 3:54.56.

  • In the Men's 200 Yard Freestyle, Robin Falk (1:40.48) and Nick Girz (1:41.01) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

  • Colin Pham won the B Final of the Men's 100 Yard Butterfly, placing 9th overall with a time of 51.01.

  • Yasmim Tomita placed 11th overall in the Women's 200 Yard Freestyle with a time of 1:55.33.

Hillsdale Highlights

Hillsdale College solidified its runner-up position in the women's standings with several podium appearances:

  • The Women's 400 Yard Medley Relay team of Sasha Babenko, Lauren Kamp, Ella Malone, and Ella Schafer finished second with a time of 3:52.26.

  • Avery May delivered a runner-up performance in the Women's 400 Yard IM, clocking in at 4:31.95.

  • In the Women's 200 Yard Freestyle, Ella Schafer took third place (1:52.90) and Matilyn Wilhelmsen finished fourth (1:52.98).

  • Sasha Babenko and Ella Malone finished third and fourth, respectively, in the Women's 100 Yard Butterfly, with Babenko touching in 57.04.

Malone Highlights

  • The Malone men's 400 Yard Medley Relay team (Sutter, McMillen, Thompkins, Yoder) finished seventh with a time of 3:37.19.

  • The women's 400 Yard Medley Relay team (Rickel, Burns, Ebersole, Lane) placed eighth in 4:11.27.

  • Individually, Ashtyn Rickel placed 14th in the Women's 400 Yard IM with a time of 4:54.83, and Lincoln Rickleff placed 23rd in the Men's 400 Yard IM.

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Team Standings Recap

Following the first day of competition, the team scores highlight a strong start for several programs:

  • Women's Standings: The University of Findlay leads with 495 points. Hillsdale College follows in second place with 362 points, and Ashland University is currently third with 270 points. Malone University sits in seventh place with 134 points.

  • Men's Standings: The University of Findlay tops the men's leaderboard with 491 points. Ashland University holds second place with 431 points, while Wheeling University is in third with 253 points. Malone University is currently in eighth place with 99 points.

Record-Breaking Performances and NCAA Cuts

The opening day saw impressive individual and relay performances, including broken records and NCAA qualifying times:

  • In the Men's 1000 Yard Freestyle, Sebastian Dav Camacho Gomez from the University of Findlay won the event with a time of 9:03.88, setting a new Pool Record and achieving an NCAA B cut. Matteo Filippi, also from Findlay, secured an NCAA B cut in the same event with a time of 9:21.80.

  • The Women's 200 Yard IM saw Emily Mears-Bentley of the University of Findlay win with a time of 2:04.53, achieving an NCAA B cut.

  • In the Men's 200 Yard IM, Randy Keener II from the University of Findlay won with a time of 1:47.34, achieving an NCAA B cut and clearing the previous Meet Record of 1:48.21.

  • Troie Grubbs of the University of Findlay won the Women's 50 Yard Freestyle with a time of 22.97, achieving an NCAA B cut and dipping under the previous Meet Record of 23.21. Olivia Scheibelhoffer, also from Findlay, secured second place with a time of 23.19, also going under the previous Meet Record.

  • In the Men's 50 Yard Freestyle, Camilo Andres Marrugo of the University of Findlay claimed victory with a time of 19.84, securing an NCAA B cut. Teammate Juan David Blandon Torres also earned an NCAA B cut with a time of 20.32.

  • The University of Findlay's Men's 200 Yard Freestyle Relay team (Blandon Torres, Arteaga Restrepo, Keener II, Marrugo) set a new Meet Record and achieved an NCAA Provisional time with a winning mark of 1:19.78.

Highlights from Ashland, Hillsdale, and Malone

  • Ashland University had a stellar opening day, particularly in the relay events. The Eagles finished second in the Women's 200 Yard Medley Relay (Tomita, Cox, Yemec, O'Toole) with a time of 1:46.28, and second in the Men's 200 Yard Medley Relay (Pham, Girz, Falk, Oates) with a time of 1:31.79. In the 200 Yard Freestyle Relays, the Ashland women (Cox, Pichola, Pignato, O'Toole) secured second place in 1:37.69, while the men (Huebner, Oates, Elliott, Girz) also took second with a 1:23.21.

  • Hillsdale College had a strong showing on the women's side, currently holding second place. In the Women's 1000 Yard Freestyle, Avery May placed second with a time of 10:22.25, surpassing the NCAA B standard of 10:22.42. Matilyn Wilhelmsen placed third in the same event with a time of 10:32.29. In the Women's 200 Yard IM, Ella Schafer and Alyson Early placed third and fourth, respectively. Hillsdale's Women's 200 Yard Medley Relay team finished third with a time of 1:46.42.

  • Malone University's efforts included a sixth-place finish in the Women's 200 Yard Medley Relay (Rickel, Burns, Ebersole, Lane) with a time of 1:51.18. Elizabeth Lane placed tenth in the Women's 50 Yard Freestyle with a time of 24.48. The Men's 200 Yard Medley Relay team (Sutter, Kassan, McMillen, Thompkins) finished eighth with a time of 1:38.57