By Eddie Young
Sports Editor
The College’s men’s swimming and diving team had a wonderful weekend in Greensboro, North Carolina, where they finished 10th in the NCAA Championships to close out their season. This was the first time the College had broken the top 10 in the NCAA Championships in the past eight years, as they earned 158 points in the competition.
The event was highlighted by senior James McChesney, who won the individual title for 200-yard freestyle on March 21, the second day of the event. This was his second year in a row winning the event, making himself the first athlete from the College to be a national champion multiple times.
McChesney won with a time of 1:34.95 in the final, which was only about two-tenths of a second behind his Division III record he set in his national title-winning performance last year.
He almost added a second individual championship to his accolades, as he just barely finished in second place in the 100-yard freestyle. His time of 43.36 seconds was one-tenth of a second behind the champion, and only two-hundredths of a second ahead of the third place finisher.
McChesney also earned a fourth place finish in the 50-yard freestyle, finishing with a time of 19.82 seconds.
With a first, second and fourth place finish, McChesney had the best championship performance of any Lion during the weekend.
Junior Ryan Higgins also had an impressive weekend, as he took home a second place finish in the 400-yard individual medley. He completed the final race with a time of 3:51.88, only four-hundredths of a second behind the champion.
Higgins also delivered another top-five performance, and he finished in fifth place in the 200-yard backstroke. He got there with a 1:46.00 time in the final.
Junior Ryan VanDeVeen was able to claim a seventh place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke. In the final, he swam to a time of 1:59.78, just staying below the two minute mark.
The 800 yard-freestyle relay team, consisting of McChesney, sophomore Gavin Formon, junior Lukas Blach and sophomore Brian Bull, came in seventh place during their event on March 22. They had a final time of 6:35.61.
On March 20, the first day of the championships, the College’s 200-yard medley relay team came in eighth place. The group, consisting of McChesney, VanDeVeen, sophomore Andrew Kidchob and fifth-year Dixon Kahler, had a time of 1:29.68 in the final.
The 10th place finish for the Lions caps off an incredible 2024 season for the squad. They finished 7-2 in dual meets, with the only two losses coming on the road against nationally ranked opponents. The Lions will be sending off many talented seniors, including McChesney, but they will look to build upon this success as they prepare for next season.
