RESULTS

HOLLAND, Mich. – The Calvin men's swimming and diving team produced a pair of event champions at the MIAA Championships, presented by Collegiate Credit Union Thursday night at the Holland Aquatic Center.

Senior Charles Platt (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North HS) captured a league title in the 50 freestyle with a season-best and NCAA B' cut qualifying time of 19.97.

Platt then led off Calvin's winning 400 medley relay team with a leadoff 100 backstroke leg of 47.19 that was a season best and NCAA B' cut qualifying time. The backstroke split ranks third nationally. Sophomore Andrew Taulbee (Reynoldsburg, Oh./Reynoldsburg HS) followed with a 100 breaststroke split of 54.99 with freshman David Gabrielle (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty HS) clocking a 48.12 in the 100 butterfly split with senior Jacob Ziegler (Toledo, Oh./St. John's Jesuit HS) finishing the relay with a 100 free split of 45.32. Calvin finished with a time of 3:15.62. Hope's top relay touched Calvin out at the wall by a hundredth of a second but was disqualified for a jumped exchange on an earlier leg in its relay, allowing the Knights to win the relay and pick up a 46 point swing.

Calvin's B' relay added 10^th place finish, taking second in the consolation final with a season-best time of 3:21.32. The relay was made up of junior Ryan Halberg (Novi, Mich./Northville HS), senior Caleb Gemmen (Mentor, Oh./Home School), freshman Antoine Douguet (Paris, France/Ecole Diagonale) and senior Zachary Logan (Byron Center, Mich./Byron Center HS).

Calvin started off the night with the 200 freestyle relay. The Calvin A' relay team of freshman David Gabrielle, Platt, freshman Jackson Merkel (Grandville, Mich./Grandville HS) and freshman Kellen Morford (Medina, Oh./Medina HS) took second, narrowly missing the top spot, finishing with a season-best and NCAA B' cut qualifying time of 1:20.94. Calvin's B' relay team of Taulbee, Logan, Ziegler and sophomore Carter Detweiler (Farmington Hills, Mich./Council Rock North) took second in the consolation final and 10^th overall in a season-best time of 1:23.64.

Platt led a 1-4-7-8 Calvin finish in the 50 freestyle with Merkel fourth (20.59), Gabrielle seventh (20.80) and Morford eighth (21.06) with Logan adding a 10^th place swim (21.20).

Calvin placed three in the championship finals of the 500 freestyle with Halberg fourth (4:35.76), freshman Evan Haney (Goshen, Ind./Northridge HS) fifth (4:36.59) and junior Andrew Stimpert (Normal, Ill./Normal West HS) sixth (4:41.77). Sophomore Alex Bergsma (Carmel. Ind./Carmel HS) won the consolation final for ninth place overall, blocking in with a season-best time of 4:40.06 that lopped more than eight seconds off his previous best time.

Ziegler just missed an NCAA B' cut time in the 200 IM, taking second with a career-best time of 1:50.49 with junior Logan Yakubowski (Hazleton, Pa./Hazleton Area HS) sixth (1:55.03) and Douguet seventh (1:55.57). Gemmen won the consolation final in 1:55.25 for ninth place overall with freshman Evan Nelson (Ada, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian HS) 10^th (1:55.63) and Detweiler 11^th (1:56.74). The times by Gemmen, Nelson and Detweiler were all season-best performances.

In the one-meter diving competition, freshman Miles Lee (Chicago, Ill./Home School) reached the championship finals and placed seventh (325.35). Sophomore Carson McIntire (Hamilton, Mich./Hamilton HS) was 11^th (277.20) and Josh "Tater" Ring was 13^th (212.80).

The Knights are currently in second place in the team standings with 369.85 points with rival Hope leading with 423 points.

TEAM SCORES AFTER DAY TWO

Hope 423
Calvin 369.5
Kalamazoo 178
Albion 175
Alma 164.5
Olivet 2

COACHES COMMENTS: "We swam lights out," said Calvin head swim coach Dan Gelderloos. "We moved up spots (nationally) in our relays with lots of season and lifetime bests. We had good moods, good energy and we are looking forward to competing the next two days."

NEXT UP: Action continues on Friday with prelims set for 10 a.m. and championship finals to follow at 5 p.m.