Conference championship wrap ups: American Rivers Conference and the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

The latter is a guest post, something new for us.

Something a little different today. We have two conference championship wrap ups to share. The post on the American Rivers Conference championship is below. We may get a guest post on the NEWMAC. If that comes through, we will post it separately.

And here is a great piece on the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) conference championship, written by Jackson Uyl, Hope '23, and originally posted on the MIAA subreddit, and sampled here with his permission. To read the full post, which is written in a different style than you normally find on d3so, you will have to follow the link to the subreddit.

Another MIAA’s has come and gone and all that is left is to pick through the wreckage for whatever to write about, both with analysis and snark if it appears. Fortunately for me, there was an abundance of both. The MIAA has not been as nationally viable in a long time from both the men’s and women’s sides and given the talent that is soon to depart, we may not see it again for a few seasons. The national meet will be covered in a premier at a later date where we will discuss in full the MIAA’s Jon Snow resurrection as a national challenger (please finish the books George, I’m beyond famished). For now, let’s dive into all that transpired at the meet. Let’s start with the women:

Women Records:

• Laurel Wasiniak - 100 free

• Hope 2 free

• Hope 4 free

• Hope 4 med

• Hope 2 med

Very successful week from a records standpoint from the Hope women, who put on a tour de force in the A relays. Wasiniak had an incredible meet and was .05 from the legendary Rebecca Weima from Calvin from 06 in the 200 free. Zoe Poe was barely off of Weima’s 500 record time herself. As fast as the MIAA has gotten, it remains incredible that Weima’s freestyle records have survived an unprecedented time of speed in the conference. Colleen Orwin’s 400 IM record still somehow stands by 3 full seconds over Sara Kraus’ excellent 4 IM time, which is beyond ridiculous at this point. Ryle v Smith offered some great breaststroke races and the two will meet again in a few weeks. Despite an individual DQ from a Hope swimmer, the meet was never in doubt as Hope seized the meet early after the 800 and never relinquished it. A true testament of Dutch Domination that featured a presidential swan dive into a Calvin pit lane.

Veronica Skipper took home diving MVP as per prediction and Sara Kraus took MVP home comfortably after being the only woman to hit the 60 point threshold. Kraus was able to fend off serious challengers in both the 4 IM and 1 back despite her doubling and put herself back on the pedestal. I’ll be curious to see if Hannah Fathman can hit her midseason times at the nationals meet in a few weeks as her times disappointed at the meet, leaving the MVP obvious after Gidley and Farrell canceled each other out. Wasiniak and Poe will be strong challengers for the award next season. Side note, pronunciation being Zoey Poe is mind boggling to me. Either have the long annunciation for both or for neither. Zoe Poe or Zoey Poey, please pick one. This ends the MIAA etymology corner, everyone’s favorite part of this AI/Gooner/Glazing/Clash of Clans reddit page that occasionally features swimming.

Now for the men:

• Men Records:

• David Bajwa - 100 Free

• Charles Platt - 100 back

• Luke Newcomb - 100 breast

• 800 Free - Calvin

• 400 Free - Calvin

Calvin proved to be up to the task, building a strong lead that was insurmountable for the Hope Saturday point comeback. Bajwa and Platt were both deserving MVP finalists and the tie going to the senior seems to have been the logical solution. The sneaky Calvin MVP was Josh Seidelman. While Hope did essentially lose the meet on an at best dubious relay DQ, the meet was won with Seidelman’s time drops in the relays. Even adding back the DQ relay points, Hope’s chances in the meet hinged on winning just one A relay and Seidelman’s performance on the 800 and 200 relays prevented Hope from stealing a necessary win. Despite a roller coaster season that saw him leave his former distance partners in the cold rain of a dominant Hope mile, his sprint performance was the x factor. The 2 IM and 200 Breast offered some incredible races and the B final of the 400 IM was an affront to the eyes of swimmers everywhere. Kalamazoo please spend some money and get a real coach to get this program back, we are desperate for some pulses in the conference. I’ll stop making fun of your NCAA violations for at least three weeks…

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America Rivers Conference

We love Nebraska Wesleyan.

A few things about Nebraska Wesleyan University

We don’t try to hide it. We think they are doing a great job recruiting, preparing and competing in high-level, exciting meets.

Pioneers enter a strange land, encounter the Norse

We also have a ton of respect for their conference rivals, the Luther Norse, and consider these battles for supremacy in the American Rivers Conference to be captivating D3 competition. Also, in a confusing development we embrace, the other teams in the A-R-C are starting to make this a bit more interesting.

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Follow the footnote link to read a digression on diving.¹

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Nebraska Wesleyan’s Ava Hunt swept the 100 and 200 breaststroke, while Elena Lazzaretto won the 400 I.M. and took silver in the 200 I.M. Lydi O’Neil anchored four gold-medal relays and earned silver in the 50 and 100 freestyle, as the Prairie Wolves’ relay squads dominated, winning five events.

On the men’s side, Zachary Cantorna won the 500 and 1650 freestyle while contributing to two runner-up relays. Mattia Rosatelli won the 200 I.M., took silver in both breaststroke events, and was a key relay contributor. Jaryd Holton claimed gold in the 400 I.M., silver in the 1650 freestyle, and bronze in the 500 freestyle, while Nebraska Wesleyan’s relays secured five silver medals.

Luther’s men’s team reclaimed the A-R-C Championship with 681 points, fueled by Kevin Kretz, who won the 50 freestyle (20.87), 100 freestyle (45.98), and 100 butterfly (49.83), setting school and conference records. Mr. Kretz also anchored four championship relays, including the A-R-C record-setting 400 freestyle relay (3:07.85) with Drew Chamberlain, Nico Shrestha, and Noah Cochran. Mr. Chamberlain added wins in the 100 and 200 backstroke, while Mr. Shrestha and Mr. Cochran played pivotal roles across multiple relays.

The Luther women secured their third consecutive title, led by Mia Prater, who defended her 50 and 100 freestyle crowns, set a Coe pool record (23.47) in prelims, and anchored multiple top-three relays. Annabelle Pollock won the 500 freestyle, set a school record in the 200 butterfly (2:10.45), and was named Rookie of the Year, while Cassie Rounds won the 100 butterfly (57.72) and helped the 200 freestyle relay (1:36.17) set a meet record. Hayley Crosland defended her 1650 freestyle title, and Lillian McRoberts delivered top-three finishes in the 200 backstroke, 200 I.M., and 400 I.M.

Luther Head Coach Aaron Zander and staff were named Coaching Staff of the Year.

Honors

Loras College’s Anna Durak had a great meet, earning Most Valuable Swimmer honors with wins in the 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke, and 200 I.M. She added seven all-conference medals, anchoring three podium-finishing relays. Kevin Kretz, also from Luther, claimed Most Valuable Swimmer after winning the 50 and 100 freestyle, 100 butterfly, and leading four gold-medal relays, setting A-R-C Championship records in the 50 and 100 freestyle.

Colin Halverson sealed Luther’s diving dominance, earning Most Valuable Diver with a 510.50 in 3-meter, a new A-R-C Championship record, and an NCAA B-Cut performance in 1-meter. Ella Rowley of Luther College swept the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events, securing an NCAA B-Cut and the title of Most Valuable Diver.

1. We feel compelled to mention just how strange the role of diving has become in conference championship meets.

If we consider only the swimming events, NWU earned more points than any other team in the men’s competition. However, once diving was factored in, the Prairie Wolves slipped to second behind Luther in the men’s standings. Luther’s dominance in diving is a familiar storyline in the A-R-C, one that echoes across conferences.

In many conferences, scoring rosters are capped, limiting the number of athletes who can earn points. Extra swimmers race as exhibition entries. For roster purposes, three divers count as one scoring slot—a rule designed to ensure their inclusion since divers can compete (and score) in only two individual events, compared to a swimmer’s three individual events and four relays. Without this rule, teams might sideline divers entirely.

This system creates an uneasy balance between two vastly different sports that share little beyond “jumping into a pool.” With its distinct skill set, judging criteria, and energy, diving often (literally) takes place off to the side—yet it frequently reshapes team standings. Coaches and spectators regularly ask us whether we think the roster rules for diving in particular, or the role of diving in general, doesn’t feel a little… off.

We don’t know, but we do know that, unlike most swimming events, diving is often non-competitive. One team may send significantly more divers than another, making the outcome a foregone conclusion. Sometimes, a contending team has no divers at all, no diving program. You could fault those teams for not developing a diving program or for failing to counter their opponents’ strategy…we guess.

Across multiple conferences this year, complaints about gamesmanship in diving were a recurring theme. The complaints captured a sense that something about one team’s diving advantage felt unfair. The NJACs provided perhaps the most glaring example. And the loudest frustrations we heard? They came from Denison supporters in the NCAC. The specific concerns were different at NJACs and NCACs, but the core complaint—that there was something messed-up with the role of diving at conference championships—was the same.

In the A-R-C, the frustration is more muted—not so much outrage as perplexity. Luther’s divers are clearly excellent. But only two teams (of the five teams at the conference meet) competed in the 1 meter diving event, and only Luther competed in the 3 meter event. We did not hear any coaches or fans accusing anyone of rule-breaking. It was more like they were wondering, aloud, if the rules are really working.