SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The 2023 #SummitSD Championships will be hosted Wednesday, Feb. 22 through Saturday, Feb. 25 at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center in Minneapolis, Minn., on the campus of the University of Minnesota. This is the first year The Summit League Swimming & Diving Championships will be hosted at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center.
 
Need to know
Date: Wednesday-Saturday, Feb. 22-25
Location: Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center
Host: The Summit League
Schedule of Events: Here
Online championship merchandise: Here
Live Stream ($): Here
Live Results (Meet Mobile): Here
 
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For anything and everything regarding The Summit League Swimming & Diving Championships, visit the official championship website here.
 
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Swimming & Diving Title IX Championship Ambassador
The Summit League is excited to join the NCAA and its member institutions in a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Title IX, the landmark federal law signed in 1972 that has provided education and athletic opportunities for women since its inception. To continue the celebration throughout the year at our championships we are giving the hosts an opportunity to recognize individuals who have been influential in Title IX or other gender equity initiatives by naming them Title IX Championship Ambassadors. 

The Summit League will be recognizing Megan Jacobson as the Swimming & Diving Title IX Ambassador. Jacobson served 17 years in various administration, fundraising, coaching and instructor roles at St. Thomas. During her last decade at UST, Jacobson served as Senior Associate Athletic Director, Administration, and oversaw all athletic budgets and purchasing, as well as all other financial aspects surrounding Tommie Athletics. She was one of the leaders who helped start St. Thomas' direct transition from Division III to Division I.

With her balanced resume and skill sets, St. Thomas relied on her to help ensure that equity and fairness were regularly considered in department decisions. Both formally and informally, she shined a light on key Title IX issues and opportunities and built a reputation as a difference maker who helped shape policy and ideas.

During her time, Jacobson was an instructor and Assistant Women's Basketball Coach on campus. From 2007 to 2009, she taught Foundations of Fitness, then a graduation requirement of all students that included topics of wellness, nutrition, health, stress management, weight control, fitness base and several others.
 
The Importance of Title IX to Jacobson
Why do you feel Title IX is important?
"What makes Title IX so incredibly important is the profound impact it has had on both the growth and trajectory of women and girls in sports. Title IX will continue to be instrumental as the work for gender equality in sports continues."
 
What impact did Title IX have on you specifically?
"Title IX has provided accessible and limitless opportunities for me in sports both as a student-athlete and professionally. Women before me have paved the way to remove barriers and I thank them. Being a former student-athlete and having a professional career in athletics has shaped who I am today."

Top 10 All-Time League Marks
An impressive 20 student-athletes (11 women, 9 men) along with one women's relay team, etched their names on the League's all-time top ten marks.

Women
Denver
Jessica Maeda – 100 breast (6^th, 1:01.85), 200 breast (7^th, 2:13.27 – NCAA B Cut)
Sophia Bricker – 100 breast (8^th, 1:02.09)
Gaby Antonini – 100 back (9^th, 53.83 - altitude adjusted – NCAA B Cut)
Ines Marin – 200 free (8^th, 1:47.88)
Mia Moulden – 200 fly (5^th, 1:57.97)
Mina Ada Solaker – 400 IM (9^th, 4:18.61)

Lindenwood
Kornelia Buszka – 50 free (7^th, 22.70 – NCAA B Cut)
Elle Christie – 1-meter Dive (5^th, 307.05 – Zone Cut)

Omaha
400 Medley Relay (Theil, Altmaier, Khalil, Kuck) – T3rd (3:36.16)

South Dakota
Emily Kahn – 50 free (5^th, 22.68 – NCAA B Cut); 100 free (8^th, 49.73)
Taylor Buhr – 100 IM (5^th, 56.73)

South Dakota State
Elisabeth Timmer – 50 free (8^th, 22.77)

Men
Denver
Kieran Watson – 500 free (9^th, 4:23.44), 1650 free (6^th, 15:13.97 – NCAA B Cut)
Brandon Chapman – 200 fly (4^th, 1:45.40)
Alex Lynch – 200 breast (6^th, 1:57.44 – NCAA B Cut)
Zyad Morsy – 3-Meter Dive (2^nd, 398.15 – Zone Cut)

Lindenwood
Elliott Irwin – 100 fly (1^st, 46.73 – NCAA B Cut)
Johan Cue Carrillo – 100 breast (10^th, 53.59 – NCAA B Cut)

South Dakota
Mack Sathre – 100 IM (1^st, 49.18)
Parker Sonnabend/Grant Wolner – 100 IM (T8th, 50.14)

Season Review
Denver
• The Denver women's squad enter this year's championship having won the last nine team titles. A year ago, the Pioneer women won 16 of the 19 swimming races and 17 Pioneer women collected All-League honors.
• The reigning Swimmer of the Year, Natalie Arky, will return to the championships as she leads the league in the 200 backstroke (1:56.41), ranks second in the 100 backstroke (53.99) and fourth in the 100 butterfly (55.14). Last season's Newcomer of the Championship, Jessica Maeda, will be a threat this weekend as the sophomore sits first in the 100 breaststroke (1:01.85), 200 breaststroke (2:13.27), and 200 Individual Medley (1:02.59) along with seventh in the 200 freestyle (1:51.12).
• On the men's side, the Pioneers have won eight of the last nine team titles and will be led by Zyad Morsy will look to join former Denver All-League divers Ross Edfort (2015) and Ammar Hassan (2022) in sweeping the 1-meter and 3-meter dives. Morsy ranks second all-time in League history in the 3-meter dive with a score of (398.15) posted at the Air Force Diving Invite. Fourteen All-League honors return to the championships from a year ago, including Swimmer of the Year Marco Nosack and Newcomer of the Championship Dylan Wright. Nosack ranks second in the 400 IM (3:54.97), fifth in the 200 breaststroke (2:00.87) and fifth in the 200 Individual Medley (1:49.46). Wright sits second in the 500 freestyle (4:24.97) and fourth in the 200 freestyle (1:39.00).

Eastern Illinois
• Camryn Lewis will be the top returning Panther at the League's championships as the junior sits ninth in the 50 freestyle (23.50) and placed fourth at last year's championship in the same event with a time of 23.14. Junior Kennedy Darensbourg will look to join the podium and earn an All-League honor from two years ago as she will compete in the 1650 free and currently sits 10^th in the league with a season-best time of 17:40.01.
• On the men's side, Dismas Dillon earned the season's first Peak Swimmer of the Week after he helped the Panthers post a pair of top-five finishes, including a runner-up showing in the 50 freestyle with a time of 21.39. He has since improved his time with a season-best mark of 21.04.

Lindenwood
• Lindenwood will compete in its first #SummitSD Championship as a Division I member. On the men's swimming side, Elliott Irwin broke a 16-year League record in the 100 butterfly with a time of 46.73, besting former league leader Chris Sullivan of Oakland by 0.03 seconds. Irwin sits first in the season stats in the 50 freestyle (19.63), first in the 100 freestyle (43.23) and sixth in the 200 freestyle (1:39.06). Patryk Winiatowski will be another swimmer to look out for as the junior ranks first in the 200 freestyle (1:38.40), second in the 100 freestyle (44.31), tied for second in the 100 Individual Medley (50.14), third in the 200 Individual Medley and fourth in the 200 butterfly (1:49.46). David Molina-Fregenal will look to outshine Denver's Morsy in the diving events as the sophomore diver ranks third in both the 1-meter (318.97) and 3-meter dives (332.25).
• On the women's side, Elle Christie will be the favorite to claim the Women's Diving Championship MVP after her top-five mark in League history in the 1-meter dive with a score of 307.05. She sits second in the 3-meter dive (311.15) behind Denver's Olivia Gordon (311.55). Kornelia Buszka, who ranks seventh all time in League history in the 50 free, posted a season-best time of 22.70. She also sits seventh in the league rankings this season in the 100 freestyle (50.89) and seventh in the 100 butterfly (48.87).

Omaha
• Omaha, who made it men's championship debut last season, returns three All-League honorees in Luke Asbury, Elijah Clements and Owen Hoak. Hoak ranks 10^th in the league standings this season in the 100 Individual Medley (52.30). Mason Schroeder sits third in the 200 backstroke (1:47.64) and fourth in the 100 backstroke (48.93).
• On the women's side, the 400 Medley Relay team that consists of Olivia Theil, Jillian Altmaier, Sadie Khalil and Halle Kuck posted tied for the third best time in League history at 3:36.16 and all four of them will be in Minneapolis. All nine All-League members from a season ago will be in Minneapolis including Annika Harthoorn, who placed first in an event (100 fly) for the first time in the championships in program history.

St. Thomas
• St. Thomas will be making its second appearance in the #SummitSD Championships as they made their Division I debut last year where they finished fifth for both the men and women. During last year's championship, Will Goldman placed third in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 55.50 and has a season best time of 57.73 in the event. Joe Rudd will look to make a name for himself this week as the sophomore sits second in the 200 breaststroke (1:59.34) and seventh in the 100 breast (54.98). Additionally, Rudd has earned himself a trio of Peak Swimmer of the Week accolades this season.
• The Tommie women's program have a stellar swimming duo in Elizabeth Bonneville and Grace Urkiel. Urkiel ranks fifth in the 100 breaststroke (1:03.11) and eighth in the League in the 200 breaststroke (2:20.34). Furthermore, Urkiel placed third in last year's championship in the 100 breast with a time of 1:03.30. Bonneville will look to up her 50 freestyle (24.47) and 100 backstroke (1:00.97) times this week and we could see her battle for a podium spot like she accomplished last season in the 100 freestyle where she placed sixth in the 100 freestyle (51.65).

South Dakota
• South Dakota brings back five All-Summit League recipients from a year ago on the men's side and have two swimmers that earned Swimmer of the Week honors in seniors Mack Sathre and Zachary Kopp. USD has 11 swimmers that rank among the league's top ten in their respective events. Among those is Sathre, who holds the top time in the 100 Individual Medley (49.18), fourth-best time in the 200 Individual Medley (1:48.59), sixth-best time in the 100 breaststroke (54.85), eighth-best time in the 500 freestyle (20.30) and 10^th-best time in the 200 butterfly (1:51.66). Kopp, the 2021 Summit League Swimmer of the Year, sits fifth in the 100 backstroke (49.03), fifth in the 100 Individual Medley (51.26) and sixth in the 100 butterfly (48.82).
• On the women's side for the Coyotes, a total of seven All-League honorees from a season ago will return to the championships this week. Among them is Emily Kahn, who not only etched her name in two of the top 10 marks in league history but is in the top ten among League swimmers in four events – the 50 freestyle (1^st, 22.68), 100 freestyle (1^st, 49.73), 100 butterfly (5^th, 55.28) and 100 Individual Medley (7^th, 58.50). Kahn and Cassie Ketterling earned multiple All-League recognitions together (400 Medley Relay, 200 Freestyle Relay, 400 Freestyle Relay) in the relay events last year and will look to do the same this time around. Stella Fairbanks, last year's Diving Championship MVP and Diver of the Year, sits fifth in both the 1-meter (261.65) and 3-meter (284.70). 

South Dakota State
• South Dakota State's Elisabeth Timmer is the top returning Jackrabbit as the senior swimmer was named an All-Summit League honoree in one individual event and a relay event during last season's championship. Timmer has been named the Peak Swimmer of the Week three times this season and currently ranks second among Summit League women swimmers in the 100 Individual Medley (57.49), third in the 50 freestyle (22.77), fourth in the 100 freestyle (50.63), fourth in the 200 freestyle (1:50.85), sixth in the 100 butterfly (55.28) and eighth in the 200 Individual Medley (2:05.46).
• SDSU men's diver Zach Boyd, the Men's Diving Championship MVP and Diver of the Year during the 2020-21 season, will team with Spencer Fritze to earn a podium spot as the former sits seventh in the 3-meter (278.63) and 10^th in the 1-meter (271.05) while the latter, who has earned four Peak Diver of the Week honors including three straight, sits fifth in the 3-meter (301.55) and sixth in the 3-meter (308.55).
• Austin Smith, who earned a Peak Swimmer of the Week award this season, will be vying for his second straight All-League honor in the 100 Individual Medley as he won the event three weeks ago in a school-record time of 50.53 at the Coyote Invite, breaking his own record by 0.36 seconds. That time currently ranks fourth among League swimmers this season.

Southern Indiana
• Southern Indiana will compete in its inaugural #SummitSD Championship as a program and a Division I member. Sarah-Catherine Dawson leads the Screaming Eagles in the 200 butterfly (2:09.50), 100 free (52.30) and 200 free (1:52.00) while Lane Pollock will lead a USI diving unit on the men's side at the championships.

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