RESULTS

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Calvin captured its third straight MIAA title including its eighth overall on Saturday night at the Venema Aquatic Center, finishing the four-day MIAA Championships competition with a first place total of 1,103 points. The total was good enough for a 43-point margin of victory over rival Hope.

Calvin had a record-setting night led by senior David Bajwa (Bethesda, Md./The Heights School) who repeated as MIAA champion in the 100 freestyle, winning the race in an MIAA and Calvin-record time of 43.56 that ranks second nationally. He was part of a 1-2-6-7-8 Calvin finish in the race that allowed the Knights to help keep a strong cushion to hold off a determined charge from Hope in the overall team standings. Bajwa was part of a powerful 1-2 Calvin punch up front as senior Josh Seidelman (Northville, Mich./Northville HS) took second with an NCAA B' cut qualifying time of 44.38 Senior Jack Kulaga (Downers Grove, Ill. Downers Grove South) continued his outstanding conference meet by placing sixth (46.44) with graduate student Vlad Molin (Rolling Meadows, Il./Rolling Meadows HS) seventh (46.46) and junior Zachary Logan (Byron Center, Mich./Byron Center HS) eighth (46.89).

The evening began with gritty races from sophomore Ryan Halberg (Novi, Mich./Northville HS) and sophomore Andrew Stimpert (Normal, Il./Normal West HS) with Halberg placing fifth (16:25.06) and Stimpert seventh (16:30.00). Halberg finished right behind his older brother Conner Halberg who placed fourth competing for Hope.

Junior Charles Platt (Downers Grove, Ill. Downers Grove North) won the 200 backstroke in an NCAA B' cut time of 1:45.74 that ranks fourth nationally. He was part of a 1-3-5 Calvin finish in the race with junior Jacob Ziegler (Toledo, Oh./ St. John's Jesuit) third (1:52.32) and senior Logan Campbell (Yorkville, Ill. Yorkville) fifth (1:53.59).

The Knights hung strong with Hope in the 200 breaststroke, outscoring the Dutchmen 55-53 despite Hope taking first place in the race including four of the top eight spots. Calvin went 3-4-6-8 in the race. Junior Caleb Gemmen (Mentor, Oh./Home School) made an early bid for the win before settling in for third place (2:04.32). Senior Anthony Crudele (Aurora, Ill. Homeschool) had a big race, placing fourth (2:05.22) while freshman Andrew Taulbee (Reynoldsburg, Ohio Reynoldsburg) was sixth (2:05.89) and sophomore Logan Yakubowski (Hazleton, Pa. Hazleton Area) eighth (2:07.31).

Junior Timothy Hays (Arlington Heights, Il./Prospect HS) continued his outstanding conference meet by winning the 200 butterfly in an NCAA B' cut qualifying time of 1:49.26 as he powered home to win the race by three-and-a-half second margin. Hays led a 1-4-5 Calvin finish in the race with Ziegler placing fourth (1:54.10) and freshman Diego Herrera Mora (Liberty Hill, Tx. CTP de Belen) fifth (1:55.82).

Senior Wil Goodpaster (Hamilton, Mich./Hamilton HS) concluded his final MIAA Championship competition with a victory on the one-meter diving board with a score of 479.85 points. The league title was a repeat win for Goodpaster and was part of a 1-5 Calvin finish in the competition with freshman Zander Hartsuff (Chelsea, Mich./Chelsea HS) fifth (322.60).

In the final event of the competition – the 400 freestyle relay – the Calvin A' relay team of Bajwa, Molin, Seidelman and Platt cruised to a repeat win, clocking in with an MIAA-record time of 2:57.54, breaking the previous league mark of 2:58.00 set by Calvin in 2021.

At the conclusion of the competition, Bajwa was named the MIAA's Most Valuable Swimmer for the second straight year while Goodpaster was named the MIAA's Most Valuable Diver for the second straight year.

COACHES COMMENT: "Really happy to win a league championship," said Calvin head swim coach Dan Gelderloos. "It took a total team effort and I thought we received contributions from so many of our guys throughout this meet. David (Bajwa) had a fantastic meet and final night. It's pretty remarkable how much he has developed as a swimmer at Calvin. I'm also very proud of Wil Goodpaster for working hard and leading our divers. For both of those guys to repeat (as MVP's) is pretty special. We never take winning a league championship for granted. We know how much effort goes into a season preparing for a meet like this."