UPDATES FROM 2024 KCAC SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

MISHAWAKA, Ind. – The Olivet Nazarene University men's and women's swimming & diving teams are taking on the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) Championships this weekend. Follow along below as the Tigers vie for their third-consecutive title on the men's side and fifth-straight crown on the women's side.

Thursday, Feb. 8

The ONU Tigers opened the 2024 KCAC Championships by sweeping every single event in the pool on both sides and setting conference records in seven different events, including five new individual KCAC bests. 

The Purple & Yellow Gold opened the meet with wins in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Julie Vega, Taylor King, Mia Points, and Halle Briner teamed up to win the women's race with a conference-record time of 1:36.26 while the quartet of Jack Fries, Ollie Shead, Timothy Braun, and Porter Hoffman took the win for the men at 1:23.76.

Mason Beall and Katelyn Inman both set new KCAC records and were conference champions in their respective 500-yard freestyle races at 4:38.46 and 5:06.80, respectively. Halle Briner notched a new conference-record time of 2:06.80 to win the 200-yard IM while Julie Vega blitzed out a 23.63 to take down the 50-yard freestyle, setting a new KCAC record in the process.

Fries, the reigning KCAC Male Swimmer of the Year from 2023, kicked off this year's championships with a title and conference record in the 200-yard IM at 1:50.61. Timothy Braun closed out the individual events sweep with a win in the 50-yard freestyle on the men's side at  20.57.

The Tigers wrapped the dominant day with wins in both 400-yard medley relays. Inman, Vega, Ashley Parry, and Briner took the title on the women's side with a conference-record mark of 3:51.35, while the men's team of Fries, Holwerda, Shead, and Braun touched the wall first at 3:23.48.

Women's Top-3 Finishes (Thursday)
1st - Katelyn Inman - 500 freestyle - 5:06.80*
1st - Halle Briner - 200 IM - 2:06.80*
1st - Julie Vega - 50 freestyle - 23.63*
1st - 200 Freestyle Relay - 1:36.26*
1st - 400 Medley Relay - 3:51.35*
2nd - Kayla Parry - 200 IM - 2:09.23

Men's Top-3 Finishes (Thursday)
1st - Mason Beall - 500 freestyle - 4:38.46*
1st - Jack Fries - 200 IM - 1:50.61*
1st - Timothy Braun - 50 freestyle - 20.57
1st - 200 Freestyle Relay - 1:23.76
1st - 400 Medley Relay - 3:23.48
2nd - Porter Hoffman - 50 freestyle - 21.01
3rd - Ethan Holwerda - 200 IM - 1:57.21

*New KCAC Record

Return to this story for daily updates on the Tigers competing at the 2024 KCAC Swimming & Diving Championships.

--ONU—

*Contact: Evan Wild, Sports Information Director, ewwild@olivet.edu