GRANVILLE, Ohio (March 8, 2022) – Coming off its recent North Coast Athletic Conference Championship run and with five NCAA Division III national championships in the last nine years under its belt, including the two most recent titles in 2018 and 2019, the Denison University men's swimming & diving team will look to add to its list of national championship accomplishments by winning its third straight this season.
The Denison men are currently ranked No. 4 in the last CSCAA Division III Poll, but defeated the new No. 1-ranked team in the country, Kenyon, to claim their 13th NCAC Championship last month. The Big Red won 11 of the 21 events at the conference championship, including swimming a new varsity and pool record time of 2:56.23 to win the very final event, the 400 freestyle relay, and win the meet in walk-off fashion.
In addition to seeking their third straight national championship and their sixth title since 2011, the Big Red are currently riding a 14-year streak of top-three national championship finishes.
Men's National Team Roster: Representing Denison at nationals will be eight seniors,
Ethan Bevill,
Brendan Downey,
Lukas Gately,
Noah Houskeeper,
Richie Kurlich,
Liam Picozzi,
Liam Simmons and
Kyle Verstandig; along with juniors
Eric Chimes,
Chase Fisher,
Trey Ike and
Luke Landis; lone sophomore
Sam Myaard; and freshmen
Lucas Conrads,
Patrick Daly and
Gavin Jones.
Picozzi will carry the brunt of the work for the Big Red by competing in seven total events while Ike will compete in six total events, Kurlich will compete in five, and Houskeeper and Verstandig will both compete in four. Both Picozzi and Ike will compete in the 200 medley, 200 freestyle, 400 medley and 400 freestyle relays.
Below are which events each member of Denison's men's national team roster will be competing in:
Ethan Bevill: 200 medley relay
Eric Chimes: 400 IM, 200 butterfly
Lucas Conrads: 400 IM, 1,650 freestyle
Patrick Daly: 800 freestyle relay, 400 freestyle relay
Brendan Downey: 3-meter diving, 1-meter diving
Chase Fisher: 200 freestyle relay
Lukas Gately: 500 freestyle, 1,650 freestyle
Noah Houskeeper: 200 IM, 400 medley relay, 200 butterfly, 100 breaststroke
Trey Ike: 50 freestyle, 200 medley relay, 200 freestyle relay, 400 medley relay, 100 freestyle, 400 freestyle relay
Gavin Jones: 200 breaststroke
Richie Kurlich: 200 IM, 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay, 200 butterfly, 200 breaststroke
Luke Landis: 500 freestyle, 1,650 freestyle
Sam Myaard: 800 freestyle relay, 1,650 freestyle
Liam Picozzi: 50 freestyle, 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay, 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke, 400 freestyle relay
Liam Simmons: 3-meter diving, 1-meter diving
Kyle Verstandig: 200 freestyle relay, 800 freestyle relay, 100 freestyle, 400 freestyle relay
Seedings: In the relays, Denison is seeded second in both the 200 freestyle relay (1:19.73) and the 400 freestyle relay (2:56.23). The Big Red are also seeded third in the 200 medley relay (1:27.74) and are fifth in the 400 medley relay (3:13.73). At the 2022 NCAC Championship, Denison won the title in all four events.
Denison's top individual seeding comes in the 50 freestyle where Ike (19.97) is third and Picozzi (20.24) is 14th.
In the 200 butterfly, Kurlich (1:46.96) is seeded fourth and leads a trio of Big Red swimmers in the top-12 as Chimes (1:47.74) is also seeded eighth while Houskeeper (1:48.32) is seeded 12th. At the NCAC Championship, however, it was Chimes that won the conference title in the 200 butterfly.
Denison has four swimmers seeded in the top-14 in the 1,650 freestyle, led by NCAC Champ Landis (15:27.94) in seventh, Conrads (15:29.57) in ninth, Gately (15:34.73) in 13th and Myaard (15:35.64) right behind him in 14th.
Others seeded in the top-10 individually for Denison include Picozzi in the 200 backstroke (1:45.97; eighth), Conrads in the 400 IM (3:54.87; eighth), Ike in the 100 freestyle (44.25; ninth), Kurlich in both the 200 breaststroke (1:58.73; ninth) and the 200 IM (1:49.04; 10th), and Houskeeper in the 100 breaststroke (54.36; 10th).
In all, Kurlich is seeded in the top-10 in three different individual events while Conrads and Ike are both seeded in the top-10 in two events. Additionally, Ike will look to carry his momentum from winning conference titles in the 50 freestyle, 200 freestyle relay, 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay into nationals.
NCAA Diving Regionals: At the NCAA Division III Diving Regional hosted by Calvin College on February 25-26, Simmons finished in second place on both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving boards while Downey was sixth on the 1-meter board.
To view the complete list of participating individuals and teams, please see the Official Psych Sheet below.
The 2022 NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships will take place March 16-19 at IUPUI's IU Natatorium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Franklin College and the Indiana Sports Corp will serve as hosts. Live video and results will be provided by the NCAA throughout the championship. Follow DenisonBigRed.com for daily recaps.
2022 NCAC Swimming & Diving Championship Links:
2022 Denison Championship Central
Live Video
Psych Sheet
Schedule
