The Starting Block

• It will be a unique weekend for the Vikings as the swimming and diving team will split up and flip-flop locations.
• Friday, the divers will compete against George Mason & Duquesne while the swimmers take on St. Bonaventure.
• Saturday, the divers will take on St. Bonaventure while the men swim against George Mason and the women swim against Duquesne and George Mason.
• What does this mean? Friday's meet against St. Bonaventure won't be finalized until after Saturday's diving competition, while Saturday's meet will start with completed diving scores from the night before.

 
Men's Summary from Calvin

• The Vikings improved to 4-0 on the year after winning the Senior Day by a score of 192-102.
• James Wolf won both diving events: 3M – 293.33 and 1M – 279.30.
• The swimmers won nine events led by Jackson Nester claiming the 200 Free, 200 Back, and 200 IM.
• Paddy Johnston had multiple wins in the 50 Free and 100 Free while Ahmad Abdalhak claimed the 100 Breast and 200 Breast.
• Both distance events went to the Green and White with Brock Wallace in the 1000 Free and Noah Greer in the 500 Free.

 
Women's Summary from Calvin

• Cleveland State moved to 3-2 on the year after winning its second straight, defeating Calvin, 221-79.
• Brooke Eichel won both diving events: 3M – 251.48 and 1M – 265.65.
• The swimmer claimed 11 events with five different athletes winning twice.
• Grace Chelf (50 & 100 Free), Eva Smith (100 & 200 Back), Isabella Caraballo (200 Breast & 200 IM), Giovanna Cappabianca (200 Breast & 200 IM), and Audrey Butcher (100 & 200 Fly).
• Kellsie Krisch rounded out the winners in the 100-yard breast.

 
About St. Bonaventure

• The men are 3-3 and the women are 2-4 in dual races this season.
• This will be the first meet of the calendar as the Bonnies haven't competed since December 3 against Canisius.

 
About George Mason

• The men are 1-4 and the women are 1-3 in dual meets this year.
• This will also be the first competition of the calendar year as GMU last competed in the Patriot Invitational from Nov. 21-23.

 
About Duquesne

• The women are 3-1 in dual races including a 1-1 mark in the second half of their season.
• Duquesne started the new year with a 257-117 loss to Akron before rebounding against Buffalo the next day, 163-137.

 
Series History

• The Vikings have never swum against George Mason.
• The men are 10-1 versus St. Bonaventure and the women are 7-5.
• The women are 3-3 against Duquesne.

 
 
Get to Know Coach Richardson
Richardson was named the head coach in June becoming the fourth head coach to oversee both the men's and women's swimming & diving programs at Cleveland State. He spent last season as an assistant coach for the Vikings, helping the men finish third and the women place fifth at the Horizon League Championships.

Preseason Rankings

• The men were picked to finish third while the women were slated to come in fourth during the annual Horizon League preseason poll.

 
Nester Looking to go Perfect

• Senior, Jackson Nester will look to win his fourth straight Horizon League Championship in the 400-yard IM. Each year he has topped his previous school record in the event.
• Times: Freshman {3:49.42}, Sophomore {3:48.34}, Junior {3:47.48}

Chelf Going for the Repeat

• Junior, Grace Chelf will look to repeat as the Horizon League Champion in the 50-yard freestyle.
• Last season in finals, she sprinted to the fifth fastest time in school history, 23.17 after putting up the fourth fastest time in prelims, 23.14.

 
Divers Looking to Build Off NCAA Zone Appearance

• Cleveland State sent three divers to Zones this past year, the most in a single season.
• Xander Austin and James Wolf competed in both 1M and 3M.
• Brooke Eichel competed in 1M.
• The three Vikings were all making their first appearances at an NCAA post-season event.

Olympic Trials

• Nester competed at the 2024 U.S. Swimming Olympic Team Trials, swimming in the 200-yard backstroke.
• Nester clocked a time of 2:00.69 in the prelims, finishing 33rd out of 63 swimmers. 
• His 33rd place finish was the highest finish among #HLSD student-athletes.
• Overall, Nester was one of more than 1,000 swimmers who earned a spot at the U.S. Swimming Olympic Team Trials and one of six Horizon League student-athletes competing at the event. 

 
Up Next
Cleveland State will conclude the regular season on Friday, January 24 at Oakland with a start time of 4 p.m.