Multiple All-Americans crowned at NAIA Championships
It was another successful trip to Nationals as St. Ambrose crowned multiple All-Americans at the NAIA Championships in Columbus, Ga.
Bram Mess earned All-American honors in two events for the second straight year, finishing sixth in the men's 3-meter diving finals with a score of 200.10 and taking eighth in the 1-meter event with a score of 180.30. Teammate Lane Otte was seventh in the 1-meter with a 182.05.
Mikhi Hassim and Jonas Friess also collected All-American honors in multiple events. Hassim repeated in the 100-yard butterfly, taking eighth in 49.27 seconds. He was also sixth in the 200-yard individual medley in 1:51.39. Friess finished sixth in the 500-yard freestyle in 4:34.98 and took eighth in the 1650-yard freestyle in 16:19.13.
Marat Usov also earned a top-eight finish as he placed sixth in the 400-yard individual medley in 4:02.58.
The Bee men scored team points in several other events. Friess was 10th in the 200-yard freestyle in 1:39.72. Usov finished 10th in the 200-yard butterfly in 1:51.74 and Nolan Deats was 14th in 1:53.87. Deats added an 11th-place effort in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 49.48 seconds. Usov also took 13th in the 200-yard IM in 1:52.83. Egoitz Munoz Moreno finished 13th in the 100-yard backstroke in 50.86 seconds. Cory Werrett ended 15th in the 50-yard freestyle in 20.83 seconds and Hassim was 15th in the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:05.52.
SAU was close to adding more points as Munoz Moreno (200-yard backstroke) and Juan Gomez (200-yard butterfly) each finished one spot out of the B finals.
All five men's relays earned All-American honorable mention. Gomez, Hassim, Usov and Friess were fifth in the 800-yard freestyle relay (6:44.69). Friess, Munoz Moreno, Werrett and Hassim were sixth in the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:02.10). Munoz Moreno, Hassim, Deats and Werrett were seventh in the 200-yard medley relay (1:31.41). Munoz Moreno, Werrett, Hassim and Friess were seventh in the 400-yard medley relay. And Werrett, Munoz Moreno, Deats and Hassim were eighth in the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:23.78).
The St. Ambrose women were led by Leyre Antonanzas, who earned All-American honors for the third straight year in the 200-yard individual medley. Her time of 2:09.08 placed her seventh overall, one spot better than her finish in both 2022 and 2023.
Bridget O'Grady had the top finish for the Bee women when she placed sixth in the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:04.81.
SAU also had several individuals in the B finals. O'Grady added a ninth-place showing in the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:19.97. Antonanzas was 10th in the 400-yard IM, touching the wall in 4:35.84, and 12th in the 200-yard butterfly in 2:11.70. Grace Bobeldyk (18:07.77) and Bryn Kiley (18:09.31) were 11th and 13th, respectively, in the 1650-yard freestyle. Kiley also finished 13th in the 500-yard freestyle in 5:12.03.
Kiley, Irene Artabe, Antonanzas and Bobeldyk finished ninth in the 800-yard freestyle relay in 7:51.90. Artabe, O'Grady, Antonanzas and Anna Gute also finished ninth in the 400-yard medley relay in 3:58.58. Artabe, Bobeldyk, Kiley and Gute were 12th in the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:38.80), and Artabe, Gute, Bobeldyk and Molly Duehr were 13th in the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:40.23).
The St. Ambrose men finished sixth overall and the women took 11th.