RESULTS

HOLLAND, Mich. – The Calvin men's swimming and diving team repeated as MIAA champion Saturday night with a final first place total of 1,002 points. Calvin finished 36 points ahead of second place Hope. The league title is Calvin's seventh in program history.

Saturday's meet had a unique conclusion after a medical emergency took place that involved an individual connected to both the Calvin and Hope swimming and diving community. The medical event took place prior to the second-to-the-last women's event – the one-meter diving competition. After a 45-minute delay, the diving competition took place followed by the 400 freestyle relay.

In a show of solidarity, the Calvin and Hope men's and women's swimming and diving teams chose to swim their relays as exhibition status with two Calvin swimmers and two Hope swimmers making up several of their respective 400 freestyle relays. The rest of the competing league schools swam with their normal squads for places and points.

"It was really a moving night full of emotions," said Calvin head swim coach Dan Gelderloos. "We went from counting points and places to thinking about things that were way more meaningful. I was really proud of our team for rallying together and I was proud of the league for the way everyone came together to show support. You could feel it in the stands to every swimmer and diver here at the Holland Aquatic Center. It puts things in perspective in a quick way."

Calvin entered Saturday's final in a tight fight for first place with rival Hope. The Flying Dutchmen picked up an early point swing in the 1,650 freestyle to draw to within a point at 791-790. Calvin's top finisher in the race was freshman Ryan Hallberg (Northville, Mich./Northville HS) who was fourth with a career-best time of 16:23.25 while junior Josh Seidelman (Northville, Mich./Northville HS) was fifth (16:31.59) and freshman Andrew Stimpert (Normal, Il./Normal West HS) eighth (16:47.39).

The Knights picked up a pack of points in the 200 backstroke led by senior David Bajwa (Bethesda, Md./The Heights School) winning the race in a time of 1:45.42. Earlier in the morning prelims, he set a new Calvin a and MIAA record with a time of 1:45.25. His prelims time shattered the previous MIAA record of 1:48.98 set by Hope's Colin Kalkman in 2023 and the Calvin record of 1:47.87 set by Tim Hays earlier this year. The Bajwa time was an NCAA B' cut time and ranks fourth nationally.  Owner of the school record earlier in the year, sophomore Charles Platt (Downers Grove, Il./Downers Grove North HS) took second in a time of 1:47.25. Sophomore Jacob Ziegler (Toledo, Oh./St. John's Jesuit School) was fifth in 1:54.34. The 200 backstroke bumped Calvin into an 842-818 lead.

Hope whittled into Calvin's advantage in the 100 freestyle, closing to within 19 at 900-881 with the Flying Dutchmen going 1-2-7 in the race. Calvin went 3-4-9-10 in the race led by senior Forrest Peterson (Middleton, Wisc./Middleton HS) taking third (44.84), senior Vlad Molin (Rolling Meadows, Il./Rolling Meadows HS) fourth (45.48), junior Jack Kulaga (Downers Grove, Il./Downers Grove South HS) eighth (46.41), junior Jazz Widney (Wellsville, NY/Jenks HS) ninth (47.04) and Campbell 10^th (47.11).

In the 200 breaststroke, Calvin received a clutch win from sophomore Caleb Gemmen (Mentor, Oh./Home School) who repeated as league champion in the race in a time of 2:00.71. Junior Anthony Crudele (Aurora, Il./Home School) was fourth (2:07.39). Calvin led by just nine points at 935-926 after the conclusion of the 200 breaststroke.

Calvin sealed the win with a 1-2-3-5 finish in the 200 butterfly. Senior Julien Camy (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian HS) captured the crown in an NCAA B' cut qualifying time of 1:47.45 that ranks fifth nationally. Graduate student Eric Chimes (Broadview Heights, Oh./Brecksville-Broadview HS) took second with a time of 1:49.16. In the morning prelim, Chimes set a Calvin and MIAA record of 1:47.44 that broke Camy's previous MIAA and Calvin record of 1:49.22 set in 2022. The morning prelim time (also an NCAA III B' cut time) ranks fourth nationally.  Sophomore Timothy Hays (Arlington Heights, Il./Prospect HS) was third in a time of 1:50.51. Senior Austin Martinson (Aurora, Il./Metea Valley HS) was fifth in 1:51.50.

The 1-2-3-5 Calvin finish boosted the Knights into a 36-point lead – an advantage that would prove the final margin of victory for the league title.

Although Calvin's 400 freestyle relay teams swam exhibition, the Knights put together a post-meet time trail 400 freestyle relay. That relay of Bajwa, Peterson, Molin and Platt produced a school-record and NCAA B' cut qualifying time of 2:57.46 that ranks fourth nationally. It broke the previous Calvin record of 2:57.88 set in 2022.

"We had some great times and performances tonight," said Gelderloos. "Just really proud of this group for competing as hard as it did but doing it as one unit and pulling for each other. That was no more evident than when we faced adversity in a different way tonight and kept our tight circle. It's been a roller-coaster ride over the last four days but I think when we look back, we will remember many lessons learned from this week."

The MIAA title by the Calvin men's swimming and diving team was the second earned by the Calvin athletics program this winter and the sixth overall during the 2023-24 Calvin athletics season, joining titles won the men's and women's soccer teams, men's and women's cross country teams and the men's basketball team.

FINAL MIAA TEAM STANDINGS

Calvin – 1,002
Hope 966
Kalamazoo 480
Albion 381
Alma 295
Olivet 213