Men's Swimming Championship Preview

Posted: Feb 19, 2020

The 27th annual Centennial Conference men's swimming championship begins Thursday at Gettysburg College. The event will open with the 200 medley relay and 800 freestyle relay on Thursday night. Action will continue through Sunday, with prelims set for 10 a.m. each morning and finals beginning at 6 p.m. inside Bullets Pool.

A trio of teams figure to be in the mix for the team championship in what could prove to be one of the closer meets in recent history. Franklin & Marshall, ranked 21st in the latest College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) national poll, swept through all 12 of its dual meets this winter, including all five Centennial duals. The Diplomats are seeking their first title since 2010 and ninth overall.

Defending champion Swarthmore, which has claimed two of the last three CC titles, will aim for a repeat crown after only falling to F&M by a 133-128 in a dual meet on Nov. 1. The host Bullets will also contend for the team title after a strong 8-2, 4-2 CC regular season dual record. Gettysburg owns more Centennial titles (15) than any other team, with its most recent championship coming in 2018.

Five individual defending champions return - F&M's Chris Schiavone (50 and 200 free in 2019) and Tom Graminski (200 breast in 2019), Washington College's Andrew Feeley (200 back in 2018 and 2019), Swarthmore's Alec Menzer (200 and 500 free, 200 fly in 2018), and Dickinson's Will Freeman (400 IM in 2018).

500 Freestyle (CC record: 4:29.30, Meet record: 4:30.70)
The opening individual race of the championship will feature F&M's Willem Stoll with the top seed time of 4:37.58. Gettysburg's Duncan Proxmire (4:38.42) will challenge Stoll for top honors.

200 Individual Medley (CC/Meet: 1:50.53)
Three-time champion Jeff Tse of Swarthmore is gone, leaving the door open for a new champion in this event. F&M's Tom Graminski (1:52.11) owns the best time this season by nearly a second, with teammate Cameron Mehta (1:52.89) also a name to watch for in medal contention.

50 Freestyle (CC/Meet: 19.80)
F&M's Chris Schiavone is the favorite in the sprint freestyle. The defending champ, Schiavone's (19.96) top time of the season is approaching record-breaking territory, and ranks third in Division III prior to this weekend's championship. Gettysburg's Oliver Yancey (20.56) has the 24th-best time in the nation and will look to challenge Schiavone for gold, while F&M's Brendan Cline (20.84), McDaniel's Jose Pac (21.15) and Gettysburg's Sam Nonemaker (21.17) are also medal-stand candidates.

400 Individual Medley (CC/Meet: 4:01.32)
A pair of freshmen are the favorites in the longer IM, with F&M's Mehta (4:08.97) and Swarthmore Alex Hatzikos boasting the top seed times this season. F&M's Jack Sinton (4:13.02), Gettysburg's Oliver Pickering (4:14.98) and 2018 champion Will Freeman (4:15.04) of Dickinson will also vie for gold.

100 Butterfly (CC/Meet: 48.49)
F&M's Cline (50.20) and Gettysburg's Jack Edelson (50.88) are the lone swimmers to break 51 seconds in th 100 fly this season. Swarthmore's Lonnie Chien (51.94) and Gettysburg's Aedan Collins (51.99) should also contend for medals.

200 Freestyle (CC/Meet: 1:38.95)
Teammates Alex Sang (1:41.41) and Schiavone (1:41.48) of F&M enter this race neck-and-neck in seed times, while Swarthmore's Ben Freeman (1:42.10) and Gettysburg's Proxmire (1:43.24) and Edelson (1:43.33) could also challenge for top medals. Keep an eye on 2018 champion Alec Menzer (1:44.53) of Swarthmore as well.

100 Breaststroke (CC/Meet: 55.64)
Graminski (F&M, 56.75) is the favorite in this event, with Yancey (Gettysburg, 57.90), Swarthmore's Horace Shew (58.07) and Nonemaker (Gettysburg, 58.17) also looking to make a push for the podium.

100 Backstroke (CC/Meet: 48.19)
Three-time champion Tse is gone from this event, again opening the door for a new gold medalist. F&M's Alec Wahl (51.07) enters as the favorite, but also keep an eye on Gettysburg's Jeff Ragatz (51.50) and Shew (Swarthmore, 51.69).

1650 Freestyle (CC: 15:31.60, Meet: 15:42.82)
Similar to the 500 freestyle, F&M's Stoll (9:39.73) and Gettysburg's Proxmire (9:41.82) are the clear-cut favorites in this event. Swarthmore's Freeman (9:54.21) also broke 10 minutes in the 1,000 this season.

200 Backstroke (CC: 1:48.61, Meet: 1:48.74)
Washington College's Andrew Feeley (1:55.53) is the two-time defending champion, but enters as the No. 2 seed behind Gettysburg's Ragatz (1:53.02). F&M's Wahl (1:56.82) and Gettysburg's Nick Cox (1:57.22) will also be in the mix for medals.

100 Freestyle (CC: 43.97, Meet: 44.05)
Defending champ and both championship and conference record-holder Schiavone (44.55) of F&M is the favorite to capture gold. Schiavone's seed time ranks ninth nationally so far this season. Gettysburg's Yancey (45.49) owns the 40th-best time in the nation and will be Schiavone's biggest challenger.

200 Breaststroke (CC: 2:01.66, Meet: 2:02.74)
Graminski (2:03.79) is the defending champion and prohibitive favorite with the season's top time by nearly four seconds. Swarthmore's Shew (2:07.52), Dickinson's Freeman (2:08.30) and F&M's Mehta (2:08.44) will content for podium positions.

200 Butterfly (CC/Meet: 1:51.17)
Gettysburg's Edelson (1:54.38) and F&M's Sinton (1:54.70) enter with the top times in the 200 fly by over a seecond, with Gettysburg's Pickering (1:55.78), Swarthmore's Chien (1:55.92) and F&M's Ryan Lawlor (1:55.96) as medal contenders.