Men’s swimming/diving team maintains fifth, women’s team moves into sixth at MIAA Championships

JENISON, Mich. – The Olivet College men's swimming and diving team continues to sit in fifth-place at the 2013 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Championships, while the Comet women have moved into sixth-place. The fourth and final day of competition at the Jenison High School Aquatic Center is tomorrow. Preliminaries start at 10 a.m., followed by finals at 5:30 p.m.

Women

After 13 events, Olivet has collected 163 points and are 7.5 points ahead of seventh-place Saint Mary's (Ind.) College. Calvin College is in first with 531.5 points.

In the 400 individual medley, Kristin Long (Pemberville, Ohio/Notre Dame Academy) placed seventh with a time 4:49.24, which was a season-best swim. Kira Gates (Grosse Ile) posted a season-best and fourth-best time in school history with a seventh-place time of 1:00.82 in the 100 butterfly. Katie Dobis (Munster, Ind.) was 16th in 1:06.23.

In the 100 backstroke, Dobis placed 10th with a lifetime best time of 1:03.44, while Chelsea Mullins (Macomb/L'Anse Creuse North) was right behind her in 11th in 1:04.09. Swimming on the sixth-place 200 medley relay was Mullins, Jana Blodgett (Sturgis), Dobis and Milie Funk (Olivet), and their time was 1:58.47.

Men

After 14 events, the Comets have 261 points and have distanced themselves from sixth-place Alma, who has 160 points. Kalamazoo College tops the field with 623 points.

In the 400 individual medley, Georges Aoun (Barquisimeto, Venezuela/San Vicente de Paul) took sixth-place with a time of 4:17.72. Tyler Russell (Bay City/Central) won the consolation heat of the event to finish ninth at 4:22.69, while Phil Bielak (Brownstown/Woodhaven) was 15th with a time of 4:31.35.

Olivet had three swimmers compete in the consolation finals of the 100 butterfly. Joel Knight (Battle Creek/Lakeview) placed 12th at 53.14 seconds, followed by Nick Edgar (Lansing/Everett), 15th, :53.92; and Nick Aldrich (DeWitt/St. Johns), 16th, :54.47.

In the 200 freestyle, Ben Aldrich (DeWitt/St. Johns) scored 12th-place points with a time of 1:46.41. During the morning prelims, he recorded a lifetime best time of 1:45.91. In the 100 breaststroke, Adam Rhein (Leonard/Romeo), Nick Aldrich and Taylor Howard (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) finished 10th (1:00.25), 11th (1:00.68) and 12th (1:01.13), respectively.

Olivet also had three swimmers score points in the 100 backstroke, led by Edgar's fourth-place finish. He stopped the clock at 52.30 seconds. Eric Dawdy (Holt) placed 10th in 54.66 seconds, followed by Knight in 16th at 57.57 seconds.

The 200 medley relay – Edgar, Rhein, Aoun and Ben Aldrich – finished in fourth-place with a time of 1:35.53.

In the three-meter diving, Troy Wilkins (Lansing/Everett) scored 425.80 total points for a third-place performance. His total was less than two points (1.75) behind the runner-up finisher, and the third-best total in school history.