Swim and Dive Wraps Up Season at Summit League Championship; Women Place Fourth and Men Place Fifth

Wednesday, February 21

Minneapolis, Minn.

Omaha

Summit League Championships

Swim and Dive Wraps Up Season at Summit League Championship; Women Place Fourth and Men Place Fifth

Feb 24, 2024 | Women's Swimming & Diving, Men's Swimming & Diving

Full Results

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn - The Omaha swim and dive squad closed out their 2023-24 season. The women finished fourth in the Summit League Tournament with a score of 469. The men finished fifth with a score of 345.

Today Payton Easley broke the 100 free record and the men broke the 400-free relay record.

"What a season," said head coach Jessica Hessel. "Our men and women performed above anyone's expectations. We are closing gaps with other teams in the conference and I know those returning are hungry for more. A special thanks is owed to our seniors. They were a big part of establishing this amazing culture within our program and I'm so grateful to be a part of this family. It feels real good to be a Maverick!"

The final day started off with the women's three-meter dive where Darby Drake earned third with a final score of 291.80.

To start the swim portion of the meet, the women competed in the 200-back where Annika Bussinger earned 13th with a time of 2:03.59. For the men, Mason Schroeder placed 12th with a time of 1:49.38.

In the women's 100-free, Payton Easley earned fifth with a time of 50.57. Owen Hoak picked up ninth for the men with a time of 44.86.

Olivia Dendinger earned eighth in the 200-breast with a time of 2:21.62 and Amir Haviv placed 12th with a time of 2:02.45 for the men.

Hailey Matthews earned third in the 200-fly with a time of 2:03.47 earning 16 points for the women. Jace Walker placed 10th for the men with a time of 1:51.87.

Carina Monroe earned fifth in the 1650-free with a time of 17:12.72. Nicholas Walkley placed 16th for 1 point with a time of 16:25.51.

In the 400-free relay the women's team of Hailey Matthews, Olivia Dendinger, Morgan Baker, and Payton Easley claimed fourth with a time of 3:25.28. The men's team of Caleb Miller, Grant Schaeffer, Kyle Kulow, and Owen Hoak earned third with at time of 2:57.87.

"Our women wrapped up the championship today on the 3-meter board with some great dives and impressive performances," said diving coach Eric Sprague. "Once again, all four of the divers scored valuable points for the team with Brooke in 16th, Reece in 12th, Bella in 8th, and Darby finishing in 3rd place. I'm so proud of the progress Bella has made this year and making finals on both boards is such an incredible accomplishment. Watching Reece rip her last ever dive in competition is something I will always remember. And, finally, Darby was incredible all week as she became the first diver in program history to medal on both boards. She missed all of last season to injury and her determination this season was inspiring to everyone in the program."

"It's a little sad to end what has been such a great year, but I like where we are headed in the future. Thank you to Reece and David for choosing to dive in Omaha while you obtained your degree, you will be missed, but your impact on the program will be lasting."

Darby Drake and Ian Blackstock will compete at the NCAA Zone D Diving Championship in Houston Texas on March 11.