The Starting Block

• Following a month off, the Vikings return for its second straight two-day competition at the Akron Zips Classic.
• The Classic will feature five sessions with two on Friday and three on Saturday.
• Cleveland State, Xavier, and Youngstown State will field both men and women team's, while Akron and Denison are women's only teams.

About the Teams

• Akron and Denison will be making their season debuts.
• Youngstown State
• Xavier will be competing in its third meet of the year with the women sporting a 3-3 record and the men 1-3. The Musketeers last swam at the IU Indy Invite on Oct. 4.
• Youngstown State started the year last week with a pair of losses to Oakland.

Flashback to the Zips Classic

• The Vikings last competed at the Zips Classic in 2019, which was the season opener.
• The men were third after the first day and finished fourth at the conclusion.
• The women held the fifth spot both days of the meet.

 
Last Time Out {Men's Edition}

• The Vikings went 2-1 in the season opener with wins against Green Bay and Milwaukee, while falling to IU Indy.
• Jaden Davillier won his first collegiate race in the 500-yard freestyle as the freshman finished in 4:30.55.
• Aidan Florio finished as the runner-up in all three of his events; 200-yard IM, 200-yard breast, and 400-yard IM.

Last Time Out {Women's Edition}

• Cleveland State went 2-1 in the season opener with wins against Green Bay and Milwaukee, while falling to IU Indy.
• Isabella Caraballo won both distance events; 500-yard freestyle (5:04.80) and 1000-yard freestyle (10:27.35).
• Audrey Butcher claimed the 100-yard backstroke (55.79) and 200-yard butterfly (2:08.17).
• Chelf claimed the 50-yard free, sprinting to a time of 22.91.

Diving Honors

• Ellie Seiter was named the first Horizon League Diver of the Week which was the second of her career.
• The sophomore won 1-meter with a score of 250.65 and 3-meter with a score of 243.25.

About the Vikings
·      This will be the second season for the Vikings under head coach Trent Richardson.
·      Cleveland State returns 22 athletes on the women's side and 20 on the men's squad.
·      The Vikings welcomed 9 newcomers on the men's side and seven on the women's team.
 
Get to Know Coach Richardson
Richardson enters his second year with the Green and White and is the fifth head coach in program history. In year one, he guided both teams to third-place finishes at the Horizon League Championships.
 
Preseason Rankings

• Both the men's and women's teams were picked to finish third in the Horizon League preseason poll.
• Oakland was picked to win the championships on both sides.

 
Chelf Looking for Three

• Senior Gracie Chelf is seeking to win her third consecutive Horizon League Championship in the 50-yard freestyle.
• Last season, she set school record times in both prelims and finals. Prelims were 22.85 and 22.78 in finals.

 
Replacing Champions

• The men will seek to replace 200-yard butterfly champion Paddy Johnston and four-time 400-yard IM champion Jackson Nester.
• The women will be without Giovanna Cappabianca, winner of the 200-yard breaststroke.

 
Divers Aiming for More at NCAA Zones

• Cleveland State sent four divers to zones last year, including three men and one woman.
• 1-meter consisted of Xander Austin, James Wolf, Brooke Eichel, and Ellie Seiter.
• The 3-meter featured Austin.

 
Outside the Pool Success

• Both teams received Scholar All-America Team honors for the Spring 2025 semester.
• The women's team posted a combined GPA of 3.63, while the men's program registered a team GPA of 3.32.

 
Up Next

• Cleveland State will compete inside Busbey Natatorium for the first-time this against St. Bonaventure on Friday, Oct. 24 and Saturday, Oct. 25.