Swimming Travels to SPIRE Institute for BIG EAST Championships

Wednesday, February 21

Geneva, Ohio

6 PM

Xavier University

BIG EAST Championships

Swimming Travels to SPIRE Institute for BIG EAST Championships

02.20.18 | Swimming

2018 Championship Schedule SPIRE Institute BIG EAST Championships

Four day meet starts in Geneva, Ohio on Wednesday, Feb. 21 and runs through Saturday, Feb. 24

By: Hayley Schletker, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier men's and women's swimming will head to the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio for the 2018 BIG EAST Swimming & Diving Championships presented by Jeep. The meet kicks off Wednesday, February 21 at 6:00 p.m and runs through Saturday, February 24.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday will each feature a morning prelims session, beginning at 10:00 a.m., and an evening finals session.

MEET INFO

All-session tickets can be purchased for $40 for adults and $25 for seniors (65+) and children/students (7-18). The all-session tickets are good for all seven sessions, Wednesday through Saturday.

Parking will cost $5 per vehicle, per day at the championship and will be payable on each day. Single-session tickets will be available at the championship.

Single-session tickets will be available also.

MEET SCHEDULE

Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Diving Prelims: 4 P.M.; Finals: 6 P.M.

1	800 Yard Freestyle Relay	Women
2	800 Yard Freestyle Relay	Men
3	3 Meter Diving FINALS	Women
4	200 Yard Medley Relay	Women
5	200 Yard Medley Relay	Men
Thursday, February 22, 2018
Prelims: 10 A.M. (Diving: Noon); Finals: 6 P.M.
6	500 Yard Freestyle	Women
7	500 Yard Freestyle	Men
8	200 Individual Medley	Women
9	200 Individual Medley	Men
10	50 Yard Freestyle	Women
11	50 Yard Freestyle	Men
12	1 Meter Diving FINALS	Men
13	200 Yard Freestyle Relay	Women
14	200 Yard Freestyle Relay	Men
Friday, February 23, 2018
Prelims: 10 A.M. (Diving: Noon); Finals: 6 P.M.
15	400 Individual Medley	Women
16	400 Individual Medley	Men
17	100 Yard Butterfly	Women
18	100 Yard Butterfly	Men
19	200 Yard Freestyle	Women
20	200 Yard Freestyle	Men
21	100 Yard Breaststroke	Women
22	100 Yard Breaststroke	Men
23	100 Yard Backstroke	Women
24	100 Yard Backstroke	Men
25	1 Meter Diving FINALS	Women
26	400 Yard Medley Relay	Women
27	400 Yard Medley Relay	Men
Saturday, February 24, 2018
Prelims: 10 A.M. (Diving: Noon); Finals: 6 P.M.
5:35 P.M. Senior Recognition Ceremonies
28	1,650 Yard Freestyle	Women
29	1,650 Yard Freestyle	Men
30	200 Yard Backstroke	Women
31	200 Yard Backstroke	Men
32	100 Yard Freestyle	Women
33	100 Yard Freestyle	Men
34	200 Yard Breaststroke	Women
35	200 Yard Breaststroke	Men
36	200 Yard Butterfly	Women
37	200 Yard Butterfly	Men
38	3 Meter Diving FINAL	Men
39	400 Yard Freestyle Relay	Women
40	400 Yard Freestyle Relay	Men

WOMEN'S PREVIEW

Xavier's women will face off with five squads, including defending champions Villanova, as well as Georgetown, Seton Hall, Providence and Butler. The Wildcats have posted the top qualifying time in 10 of 13 individual racing events as well as all five relays. Georgetown posted the top time in the other three events.

Last season, Xavier finished fourth as a team and collected an event championship in the 100 fly for Caroline Gaertner. Nine Musketeers earned All-BIG EAST honors, including Gartner, Paxtyn Drew and Emily Conners who each earned All-BIG EAST in six events, including two individual events each.

Additionally, the Musketeers placed in the top three, and set new school records, in all five relays during the four-day event.

FREESTYLE
In the 50 free, Xavier has 12 women who posted qualifying times for the BIG EAST Championships this season, led by Emily Conners' time of 23.28, which is the second fastest qualifying time in the conference this season. Paxtyn Drew's time of 23.76 is also among the top eight in the conference.

Conners, who was named BIG EAST Swimming and Diving Athlete of the Week twice this season, also leads 12 Musketeers who have posted qualifying times in the 100 free, posting a time of 50.49 at the Magnus Cup, the second fastest time in the BIG EAST.

Conners' time of 1:51.38 leads eight Musketeers who posted qualifying times. Katie Kerr's time of 1:52.37 from the CSU Magnus Cup also ranked in the top eight of qualifiers.

Kerr also posted strong qualifying time in the distance free events, leading four Musketeers in the 500 free with a time of 4:59.53. Emma Kauffeld's time of 17:11/00 in the mile leads four Musketeers who qualified and ranks fifth in the conference.

BACKSTROKE
Xavier's women look to post a strong showing in the 100 back again, following up a 2017 performance that saw three Musketeers, Caroline Gaertner, Paxtyn Drew and Ali Fort, finish in the top six in the conference in the Championship heat. The same three rank among the top four in the conference based on qualifying times, led by Caroline Gaertner's NCAA B-Cut time of 55.03. Additionally, five other Musketeers have qualified for the event.

In the 200 back, Paxtyn Drew leads the was among seven qualifying Musketeers, posting a time of 2:03.91 at the CSU Magnus Cup.

BREASTSTROKE
Xavier's newcomers have added a boost to the Musketeer women's breaststroke, with four of the five qualifiers in the 100 breast, and all four qualifiers in the 200 breast coming from X's freshman class.

Samantha White's time of 1:07.03 at the Magnus Cup leads the way for Xavier in the 100 breast.

Delaney Sprague's time of 2:25.28 in the 200 breast leads the way for Xavier, followed closely by White's time of 2:25.62, both set at Magnus Cup.

BUTTERFLY
The reigning BIG EAST Champion in the 100 fly, Caroline Gaertner, leads seven Musketeers who posted qualifying times. Gaertner posted a time of 54.90 at the USA Winter Nationals, where she became the first woman in program history to earn a spot in a finals heat. She also earned BIG EAST Athlete of the Week honors for her performance at the meet.

In the 200 fly, Taylor Hogan's school record performance, set in her first meet as a Musketeer, leads four Xavier women. Hogan's time of 2:01.79, set at the Butler Double Dual, ranks fourth in the conference. Annie Cummins' time of 2:05.77 also ranks in the top eight.

IM
Freshman Alison Herman leads four Musketeers who qualified for both the 200 IM and the 400 IM. Her time of 2:06.02 in the 200, set at Magnus Cup, ranks in the top eight in the conference.

Herman also posted a time of 4:31.84 in the 400 IM, leading three Musketeer freshman who have posted top-16 times in the event this season.

RELAYS
In the 200 free relay, Xavier's women posted the second-fastest qualifying time in the conference at the USA Swimming Nationals in Columbus, Ohio in December. Emily Conners, Abigail Garner, Caroline Gaertner and Paxtyn Drew posted a time of 1:33.80 at the meet.

The same squad also posted a time of 3:23. 93 at the USA Nationals in the 400 free relay, also standing as the second fastest qualifying time by a BIG EAST squad.

At the CSU Magnus Cup in November, Emma Kauffeld, Emily Conners, Abigail Garner and Katie Kerr posted a time of 7:35.05 in the 800 free relay, again the second fastest time among BIG EAST conference teams.

Paxtyn Drew, Samantha White, Caroline Gaertner and Emily Conners time of 1:44.75 in the 200 medley relay at the Magnus Cup stands as the fastest time by a Xavier squad this season.

Xavier also posted its fastest time in the season in the 400 medley relay at the Magnus Cup, with the same squad finishing in 3:48.42, the second fastest time in the BIG EAST this season.

MEN'S PREVIEW

Xavier's men will face four squads, including last season's champion, Seton Hall, as well as Georgetown, Villanova and Providence.

Xavier returns seven of last years's 10 All-BIG EAST honorees, including defending event champions Sam Johanns (100 back) and Matthew Dyer (100 breast, 200 breast). Johanns and Dyer also took part in last season's winning 200 medley relay and 400 medley relay. All-BIG EAST honoree David Bunnell also took part in the 400 medley relay win.

Bunnell also earned all-conference honors in the 100 free and 100 back. Nathan Runyon also earned All-BIG EAST in the 100 back, as Xavier swept the top three spots.

Additionally, Xavier returns All-BIG EAST honoree Alex Wolfred who placed second in the mile, as well as Enrique Hernandez, Tony Miller and Robert Snader who each earned the honor as part of relays as the Musketeers finished in the top three in four of five relays during the four-day event.

FREE
Sam Johanns led 10 qualifiers in the 50 free with a time of 21.15. Five Musketeers posted qualifying times that rank in the top-16 in the conference.

Johanns, who was All-BIG EAST in four events last season, also led the Musketeers in the 100 free with a time of 46.18, set at the USA Swimming Nationals in Columbus, Ohio in December. Robert Snader and David Bunnell, who both earned All-Conference honors last season, also posted qualifying times among the top-16.

Enrique Hernandez's time of 1:42.32 in the 200 free is the fastest among the nine Musketeers who posted qualifying times in the event.

Alex Wolfred and Nick Mahoney lead the way for the Musketeers in the distance free events. Wolfred, who has been named All-BIG EAST in each of his three previous season at Xavier, posted a time of 4:38.05 in the 500 free, an event that he hold the school record in. Mahoney's time of 4:38.65 stands just behind Wolfred in the conference standings, both ranking in the top eight.

In the mile, Mahoney's time of 15:57.36 set at CSU Magnus Cup stands as the fastest for the Musketeers, and third fastest in the conference. Wolfred, who took second in the event at last season's championship meet, posted a qualifying time of 16:02.41 which ranks in the top five in the conference.

BACK
After sweeping the top three spots in the 100 back last season, Xavier not only returns defending champion Sam Johanns, second place finisher Nathan Runyon and bronze medalist David Bunnell, but add freshman Alex Sironen to the mix. Sironen's time of 50.94 set at CSU Magnus Cup ranks among the top eight in the conference.

Sironen is also one of three Musketeers who posted top-eight qualifying times in the 200 back. Chase Baldwin's time of 1:50.63 leads the way for Xavier. Sironen posted a time of 1:50.83 and Ruynon's time of 1:51.95 at the USA Swimming National also puts him among the top-eight.

BREASTSTROKE
Matthew Dyer, who swept the championships for the breaststroke at last season's BIG EAST meet, leads the Musketeers in both the 100 and 200 this season.

In the 100, Dyer's time of 55.97 in the 100 breast is the second-fastest time among BIG EAST competitors this season and leads seven Musketeers who have posted qualifying times. Bobby Snader also posted a qualifying time that ranks among the top 16.

In the 200 breast, Dyer leads five Musketeers with qualifying times with a time of 2:04.01, third fastest so far this season. Cameron Weese also posted a qualifying time that ranks among the top 16 in the BIG EAST.

BUTTERFLY
Two of Xavier's three championship-heat participants from last season's 100 fly return. After losing two-time defending champion in the event, Knox Hitt, to graduation, David Bunnell, who finished fourth in the event last season, leads the Musketeers with a time of 49.80, which ranks second in the conference.

In the 200 fly, Landon Clark, who placed fourth at last season's championship, has a team-best time of 1:52.20 going into the championship meet. Brandon Abboud also posted one of the top-eight times in the conference, 1:52.32.

IM
Chase Baldwin, Landon Clark and Matthew Dyer each posted a qualifying time in the 200 IM that ranks among the top-16 in the conference. Baldwin's time of 1:54.18 leads the way for the Musketeers.

Dyer and Baldwin, along with Bradley Jackson, also posted qualifying times in the 400 IM that ranking the top 10 in the conference, led by Dyer's time of 4:05.65 set at the Magnus Cup.

RELAYS
Alex Sironen, Brandon Abboud, Robert Snader and Enrique Hernandez posted a qualifying time of 1:23.93 in the 200 free relay for Xavier at the CSU Magnus cup. At CSU, Xavier also posted a time of 3:06.12 in the 400 free relay with a squad of Sam Johanns, Robert Snader, David Bunnell and Alex Sironen.

Alex Wolfred, Enrique Hernandez, Jared Ritz and Matthew Dyer's time of 6:51.05 stands as the fastest time by a Musketeer squad in the 800 free relay this season.

Xavier has posted second fastest time in the conference so far this season in the 200 medley relay, with Alex Sironen, Matthew Dyer, David Bunnell and Enrique Hernandez finishing in 1:32.07 at the Magnus Cup.

The Musketeer men posted their top time in the 400 medley relay at the USA Swimming Nationals at Ohio State in December with Nathan Runyon, Matthew Dyer, David Bunnell and Sam Johanns finishing in 3:21.77.