Geneva, Ohio- The University of Findlay men's and women's swimming and diving teams competed on the third day of the NCAA Division II National Championships which are being held at the Spire Institute. Competition began in the morning on Thursday, March 14 with the preliminary rounds and concluded with finals in the evening session. Through three days, Findlay's men and women both are in eighth in the team standings.
"It's always very nice to see that all of the hard work and sacrifice is paying off for our athletes", said head coach Diego Santos. "Going 1-2 in the 100 fly for the boys was long due and came at the perfect time for them. Emily finished third was equally as exciting as she is still very young and keeps learning. I'm so excited for what Friday brings as we continue to try and improve and win!"
Thursday's highlight came from the one of the most decorated athletes in Findlay athletics history and unquestionably the greatest to ever do it in the pool for the Oilers. Graduate senior Tim Stollings won his first national title as a sophomore, taking the crown in the 100 butterfly in 2021. In his two tries since then, the Prichard, West Virginia native has been unable to defend, finishing runner-up in 2022 and fourth in 2023. But on Thursday night in Geneva, Ohio, in the final 100 fly of his collegiate career, Stollings earned his way to the top of the podium, recording a time of 45.96 seconds in the finals, and immediately became emotional in the pool.
What made the event even more special for the Oilers is that Stollings was joined on the podium by his teammate, junior Camilo Marrugo. Marrugo, a Soledad, California native, was the top qualifier in the 100 butterfly in the morning's prelims with a time of 45.86. In the evening session, the two Oilers went toe-to-toe in adjacent lanes and Marrugo would finish runner-up with a 45.99.
It was not the first time that the two shared the 100 fly podium together as Marrugo finished fourth in the event in 2022 and was fifth a season ago. But this one, this one was special.
"I owe everything to the people in my life who have supported and coached me to achieve something like this", said Stollings following the race. "Those close to me know this has been a dream for a long time. As soon as I touched the wall, all I could think about were the people who always believed in me. To be able to go 1-2 with my training partner by my side, it's surreal. We have talked about this for years. To finally make it happen, it's something I'll remember for the rest of my life. I couldn't have done it without (Camilo)."
Those two were not alone in having success in the 100 butterfly as, on the women's side, sophomore Emily Mears-Bentley earned her first all-American honor in the event. In the prelims, Mears-Bentley finished fourth with a 54.15, but the Leiscester, England native turned on the jets in the finals, setting a school record in the event with a 53.39 which was good for third in the country.
More all-American awards came in the evening's final races, the 400 medley relays.Â
Findlay's women were up first and came through in a big way. The team of junior Sasha Melnyk, sophomore Katie Susi, sophomore Emily Mears-Bentley, and sophomore Troie Grubbs flew through the water, finishing the event in a time of 3:40.89, a new program record. That time was good for fifth in the event and gave the squad first team all-American honors, Findlay's first women to be first team in that event since 2016.
Up next was the men's team who did not disappoint. Stollings, senior Luca Chiandussi, Marrugo, and senior Dags Bregis recorded a time of 3:09.44, missing out on the program record by one-hundredth of a second. That time gave the squad a fifth place finish and a third consecutive 400 medley relay first team all-American honor for the Oilers.
Competing in the morning was sophomore Matteo Filippi who participated in the 400 individual medley. In the prelims he finished with a time of 4:00.75 which was good for 25th in the event.
Findlay is back in the pool tomorrow where the first athlete in the water will be Sasha Melnyk in the women's 100 backstroke. Next will be Stollings in the 100 back, as well, where he is seeded second. Action in the morning will begin at 10:00 am.
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