CANTON, Ohio — The Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Swimming & Diving Championships will begin Tuesday, Feb. 10, in conjunction with the Mountain East Conference (MEC), with Malone University serving as host.
The four-day meet will run Tuesday through Friday, Feb. 13, concluding with the crowning of team champions and the announcement of meet-specific individual award winners.
Preliminary and finals sessions will be streamed live on the Great Midwest Digital Network and Mountain East TV.
This marks the ninth consecutive year the championships have been held at C.T. Branin Natatorium in Canton.
Competing for the Great Midwest will be Ashland, Findlay, Hillsdale and Malone. Representing the Mountain East Conference are Davis & Elkins, Fairmont State, Frostburg State, Salem, West Virginia Wesleyan and Wheeling.
Tuesday evening’s schedule includes preliminaries for the 200 individual medley, 50 freestyle and 1,000 freestyle, followed by women’s 3-meter diving prelims.
Both Findlay’s men’s and women’s teams enter the meet nationally ranked in the latest College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) polls. The Oiler men are ranked No. 9, while the women sit just outside the top 10 at No. 13.
On the men’s side, Findlay will look to secure its ninth consecutive G-MAC title under 2024 Coach of the Year Diego Santos. Graduate student Camilo Marrugo headlines the roster, having earned All-American honors in previous seasons. Marrugo holds three G-MAC records and aims to cap his collegiate career with another dominant performance. Freshman Sebastian Camacho of Cali, Colombia, will also be a key contributor, as he currently owns four G-MAC records in the 200, 500, 1,000 and 1,650 freestyle events.
The Findlay women boast one of the deepest lineups in the conference, led by senior Emily Mears-Bentley, who holds five G-MAC records. A first-team All-American in five events last season, Mears-Bentley looks to continue building her standout résumé. The Oilers’ relay squads also hold every G-MAC relay record, from the 200 freestyle relay to the 400 medley relay. Findlay returns seven first-team All-Conference swimmers Katie Susi, Sofia Lesmes Montes, Troie Grubbs, Emily Mears-Bentley, Olivia
Scheibelhoffer, Macee Reckard and Sophie Busby as the program looks to capture its fourth consecutive conference title.
Hillsdale enters the championship seeking its fourth conference crown and is led by freshman Sasha Babenko, who set new school records earlier this season in the 100 (56.21) and 200 (2:03.06) backstroke. The Chargers will also rely on Ella Schafer, winner of the California (Pa.) Winter Frenzy 50-yard freestyle in 25.48.
Tickets for the championship are available online through the Championship Central page.