GRANVILLE, Ohio (March 8, 2023) – Coming off its recent North Coast Athletic Conference Championship run, the No. 3-ranked Denison University women's swimming & diving team will enter the 2023 NCAA Division III National Championship with aspirations of making a run at the title after it was announced that the Big Red will be bringing the maximum number of competitors to the championship. The four-day event will take place on March 15-18 at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.
The Denison women are coming off of winning their 11th NCAC Championship in February. The Big Red posted the second highest point total in NCAC women's swimming championship history with 2,007 points. Over the four-days of competition, Denison swimmers logged 10 event wins at the championship out of 21 total events, collected 31 all-conference finishes and recorded 51 national "B" cut times.
The Big Red have logged 13 consecutive top-four finishes at nationals and are coming off a third-place finish in 2022 that saw then-freshman
Taryn Wisner win the 51st national championship in program history with her effort in the 500 freestyle. In addition, the Big Red totaled 29 All-American performances and 20 top-eight finishes at the national championships a year ago. Denison's last national championship on the women's side occurred in 2001. It was the University's very first national title.
Women's National Team Roster: More than half of Denison's national team roster in 2023 will be comprised of freshmen and sophomores. In all, the national roster for the Big Red will feature four seniors, two juniors, eight sophomores, and four freshmen.
Representing Denison at nationals will be seniors
Emma Berdelman,
Christina Crane,
Tara Culibrk and
Savannah Sargent along with juniors
Tara Witkowski and
Esme Wright; sophomores
Amber Croonquist,
Kerstyn Johnson,
Grace Kadlecik,
Claire Moody,
Maja Palmroos,
Annie Pfeufer,
Emma Pritchett, and
Taryn Wisner; and freshmen
Quinn Brown,
Phoebe Ferguson,
Emily Harris and
Drue Thielking,
Culibrk will compete in seven different events, including the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 200 freestyle relay, 400 freestyle relay, 400 medley relay and 800 medley relay, while Crane with take on five total events and Brown, Croonquist, Ferguson, Moody, Wisner and Wright will all compete in four. At the 2023 NCAC Championship, Wisner won the 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle and 1,650 freestyle while Culibrk won the 100 freestyle and Johnson won both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives.
Below are which events each member of Denison's women's national team roster will be competing in:
Emma Berdelman: 200 IM
Quinn Brown: 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle, 1,650 freestyle, 800 freestyle relay
Christina Crane: 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke, 200 IM, 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay
Amber Croonquist: 100 butterfly, 50 freestyle, 200 freestyle relay, 200 medley relay
Tara Culibrk: 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 200 freestyle relay, 400 freestyle relay, 800 freestyle relay, 400 medley relay
Phoebe Ferguson: 100 butterfly, 200 IM, 200 freestyle relay, 400 freestyle relay
Emily Harris: 500 freestyle
Kerstyn Johnson: 1-meter dive, 3-meter dive
Grace Kadlecik: 50 freestyle, 200 freestyle relay, 200 medley relay
Claire Moody: 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke, 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay
Maja Palmroos: 100 butterfly, 400 medley relay
Annie Pfeufer: 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle, 400 freestyle relay
Emma Pritchett: 100 butterfly
Savannah Sargent: 200 breaststroke, 200 IM, 400 IM
Drue Thielking: 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke
Taryn Wisner: 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle, 1,650 freestyle, 800 freestyle relay
Tara Witkowski: 500 freestyle, 1,650 freestyle, 400 IM
Esme Wright: 200 breaststroke, 200 IM, 400 IM, 800 freestyle relay
Top Seedings:
Event 1 – 500 freestyle:
Taryn Wisner (2nd),
Tara Witkowski (3rd),
Quinn Brown (7th),
Emily Harris (12th), Annie Pfuefer (13th),
Event 3 – 200 IM:
Christina Crane (7th),
Savannah Sargent (11th),
Phoebe Ferguson (14th),
Emma Berdelman (17th),
Esme Wright (21st)
Event 5 – 50 freestyle:
Tara Culibrk (6th),
Amber Croonquist (11th),
Grace Kadlecik (14th)
Event 8 – 200 medley relay: Denison (5th)
Event 10 – 200 freestyle relay: Denison (1st)
Event 12 – 400 IM:
Savannah Sargent (6th),
Esme Wright (7th),
Tara Witkowski (8th)
Event 14 – 100 butterfly:
Maja Palmroos (8th),
Emma Pritchett (10th),
Amber Croonquist (14th),
Phoebe Ferguson (21st)
Event 16 – 200 freestyle:
Taryn Wisner (1st),
Tara Culibrk (2nd),
Annie Pfeufer (7th),
Quinn Brown (16th)
Event 19 – 400 medley relay: Denison (6th)
Event 23 – 100 backstroke:
Claire Moody (23rd)
Event 25 – 100 breaststroke:
Christina Crane (5th),
Drue Thielking (9th)
Event 28 – 800 freestyle relay: Denison (1st)
Event 30 – 1,650 freestyle:
Taryn Wisner (2nd),
Tara Witkowski (3rd),
Quinn Brown (9th)
Event 32 – 100 freestyle:
Tara Culibrk (2nd)
Event 34 – 200 backstroke:
Claire Moody (20th)
Event 36 – 200 breaststroke:
Drue Thielking (9th),
Christina Crane (16th),
Savannah Sargent (17th),
Esme Wright (19th)
Event 39 – 400 freestyle relay: Denison (4th)
NCAA Diving Regionals: At the 2023 NCAA Division III Diving Regional hosted at the University of Chicago on February 24-25,
Kerstyn Johnson finished in fifth place on the 1-meter board with an 11-dive score of 387.90 and was sixth with a score of 395.85 in the 3-meter dive. In addition,
LuSi Minnich was chosen as a second alternate on the diving boards for nationals after recording a 10th-place finish with a score of 368.45 in the 1-meter dive and taking 14th with a score of 369.65 in the 3-meter dive.
To view the complete list of participating individuals and teams, please see the Official Psych Sheet below.
The championships will be held March 15-18 at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Old Dominion Athletic Conference and Greensboro Aquatic Center will serve as hosts. Live video and results will be provided by the NCAA throughout the championship. Follow DenisonBigRed.com for daily recaps.
2023 NCAC Swimming & Diving Championships Links:
2023 Denison Championship Central
Live Video
Tickets
Psych Sheet
Schedule
