CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State University men's and women's swimming & diving teams open their 2019-20 campaigns this weekend as they make a short trip south for the Akron Zips Classic.
The two-day meet will be the first for the Vikings under the direction of first-year head coach Hannah Burandt.
The meet has three sessions—Friday evening (5:00 p.m.), Saturday morning (10:00 a.m.) and Saturday evening (5:00 p.m.). All traditional swimming events will be contested with the order of events listed at the bottom of this article. All events will be raced as timed finals.
In addition to the host Zips and Cleveland State, Denison, Miami (Ohio) and Xavier will be competing at the meet.
The CSU men return four of their top five, and six of their top nine, individual point scorers from last year's league championships. Junior Dominik Niedzialek returns after being the Vikings' top point-scorer as he netted a trio of top-three individual finishes, including runner-up showings in the 500 free and 200 back. Classmate Timothy Kubacki finished among the top three in both the 400 IM and the 200 back while senior Dominic Poletta, a 2018 HL champion, had top-five showings in the 50 free and 100 fly.
Senior Matthew Martin won the 100 butterfly at the league meet last year in his first season as a Viking and was also among the top five in the 200 fly. Junior Matt Akers is a two-time runner-up in the 1-meter event at the HL meet and also reached the 1-meter final at NCAA Zone Championships last year.
The CSU women return eight of their top 10 individual point scorers from last year's league meet, while six of those eight were either freshmen or sophomores last season. Sophomore Agnes Bahr totaled the most points at the league meet among CSU's returnees as she contributed a trio of top-eight individual finishes in her rookie season, including a third-place effort in the 400 IM. Junior Lexie Kostelnik finished in third place in the mile at the HL meet, after breaking the school record earlier in the season, and also was among the top eight in the 500 free. Classmate Alana Cartwright notched three top-eight individual finishes at the league meet.
Junior Libby Smith notched top-six finishes in both breaststroke at last year's league meet and reset personal best times in all three events she swam. Junior Erica Henrichsen qualified for both the 1-meter and 3-meter finals at the HL meet after posting a season-best score in the 3-meter prelims.
The CSU women have had an influx of youth as the Vikings welcomed 12 newcomers in the offseason, 10 of whom are freshmen. The Viking men have four freshmen who will be looking to make an impact in their first collegiate seasons.
Cleveland State will open dual meet action next weekend as it travels to a pair of Horizon League foes in Milwaukee and Green Bay.
Order of Events – Friday
400 Medley Relay
10-Minute Break
500 Freestyle
200 IM
50 Freestyle
15-Minute Break
800 Freestyle Relay
Order of Events – Saturday Morning
200 Freestyle Relay
10-Minute Break
400 IM
100 Butterfly
200 Freestyle
100 Breaststroke
100 Backstroke
Order of Events – Saturday Evening
200 Medley Relay
1650 Freestyle (fastest heat)
200 Backstroke
100 Freestyle
200 Breaststroke
200 Butterfly
15-Minute Break
400 Freestyle Relay
