CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State University men's and women's swimming & diving teams will be back in action this weekend with a dual at Ashland.
The meet is the first action for CSU since hosting the annual Magnus Cup and will close the squad's slate in the 2017 calendar year. The meet will get underway at 1:00 p.m.
The Viking men won the Magnus Cup in the program's last action on the weekend before Thanksgiving. CSU took home the crown on the men's side for the fourth consecutive season with 1,432 points, as its margin of victory over second place was the largest in the history of the event.
Junior Jason van der Touw earned his second weekly honor of the season from CollegeSwimming after the Magnus Cup, as he won two individual events and swam on three winning relays during the meet. He won the 100 and 200 freestyle, the former in a new personal best, and is among the top six in the Horizon League this season in the 100, 200 and 500 freestyle along with the 100 backstroke. Freshman Dominik Niedzialek won the 200 backstroke at the Magnus Cup, and still holds the fastest time in the League this season, and was the runner-up in the 100 back and 500 free. Fellow rookie Matt Akers surpassed the NCAA Zones qualifying standard on the 1-meter board during the event as well.
The Cleveland State women finished fourth of 15 teams with 908 points, finishing a mere one point out of third place. It was the highest point total earned by the Viking women at the meet since 2013—a meet that only featured seven women's squads.
Junior Molly McNamara highlighted the Magnus Cup for CSU by breaking school and League records in winning the 200 butterfly in 1:58.65. She achieved NCAA 'B' cut times in both the 200 fly and the 100 fly, which she finished in 54.45 seconds, also the top time in the League this season. Sophomore Gabriella Marinelli posted four top-10 individual finishes, including top-four efforts in the 100 and 200 freestyle. Freshman Alana Cartwright also notched four top-10 individual finishes at the meet and reset personal best times in five traditional events over the course of the meet. Junior Cassandra Oltman, senior Tobie Zeller, McNamara and Marinelli just missed a school record in the 400 medley relay, as the group finished in 3:44.82.
Cleveland State has not met Ashland in dual action within the past decade. However, the Eagles have attended the Magnus Cup on two prior occasions, most recently in the 2014-15 season.
The Ashland men own a 3-2 mark in dual action while the women sit at 2-3. The Eagles were in action last weekend at the Total Performance Sports Camps Invitational that was hosted by Kenyon.
Cleveland State will open the New Year on the second weekend of January as it welcomes three Horizon League schools for dual action.