PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The American Athletic Conference will crown champions in 42 events this week as six member schools send representatives to the fourth annual American Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championships at the University of Houston’s Campus Recreation & Wellness Center (CRWC) Natatorium in Houston.
The American Athletic Conference Championships will feature six women’s teams and four men’s teams that will compete in Houston. The women’s meet will include teams from Cincinnati, UConn, East Carolina, Houston, SMU and Tulane. The men’s field includes Cincinnati, UConn, East Carolina and SMU
The American Digital Network will provide live and on-demand finals coverage of all 42 events of the four-day men’s and women’s championships, beginning with relay and diving finals Feb. 15. The coverage will also include interviews with student-athletes and coaches, and much more.
For complete coverage of the American Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championships, visit The American’s Championship Central at
www.theamerican.org/swimdive and follow @American_Swim.
Women’s Meet Preview
Freestyle
Cincinnati senior Jacqueline Keire, the back-to-back American Athletic Conference Most Outstanding Swimmer of the Year, has been a dominant force in the freestyle events over the past three years. She finished atop the podium all three years in the 200-yard freestyle, is a back-to-back champion in the 100-yard freestyle and is the reigning champion in the 50-yard freestyle. During her freshman and sophomore years she collected gold in the 500-yard free, as well. Keire travels to Houston as this year’s favorite in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle events.
East Carolina’s Marion Abert is the only swimmer in The American this season to post a NCAA B standard time in the 500-yard freestyle, while Sara Wanasek of Cincinnati made the NCAA B cut time in the 1,650 free to lead the conference.
Backstroke
Houston’s Eleanna Koutsouveli made a splash during her freshman year as she swept the backstroke events in 2016. The native of Greece has her sights set on repeating this season, but will be challenged by SMU junior Matea Samardzic, who enters the championship with the top regular-season times in the 100-yard and 200-yard backstroke events.
Breaststroke
Tara-Lynn Nicholas of SMU is the front runner in the 100 breaststroke. She is the back-to-back conference champion and is the only swimmer in The American to produce a NCAA B standard time in the event this year. The 200-yard breaststroke is poised to be a tight contest as Nicholas (2:13.46), East Carolina’s Vendela Norrman (2:13.80) and Houston’s Peyton Kondis (2:14.64) and Victoria Roubique (2:15.46) have all surpassed the NCAA B cut time this season.
Butterfly
SMU’s Marne Erasmus will look to finish her college career as a four-time winner of the 100-yard butterfly and back-to-back champion in the 200-yard butterfly. Erasmus (52.23) and teammate Erin Trahan (54.25) both eclipsed the NCAA B standard time heading into the championship in the 100 fly. Erasmus is the defending champion in the 200 fly, but teammate Anna Cheesbrough edged her in the regular season with a NCAA B cut time of 1:58.84 to headline the event.
Individual Medley
The 200-yard individual medley and the 400-yard individual medley are led by SMU’s Matea Samardzic. She recorded an NCAA B time of 1:59.43 in the 200 IM this season and will be challenged by Houston’s Laura Laderoute (2:00.58) and Cincinnati’s Jacqueline Keire (2:00.77) – all of which have NCAA B standard times. In the 400 IM, Samardzic holds the top regular-season time ( 4:12.22), while Tulane’s Olivia Johnson (4:17.88) and Cincinnati’s Samantha Wheatley (4:18.84) recorded NCAA B cut times and will look to make a push for the title.
Relays
SMU swept all five relay events in the 2016 American Athletic Conference Championship. The Mustangs enter this year as the favorite in the 200-yard medley relay (1:40.37) and 400-yard medley relay (3:37.65). Houston swam the top regular-season times in the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:32.41) and the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:22.71), while Cincinnati leads the way in the 800-yard freestyle event (7:18.59).
Diving
Micaela Bouter of Houston posted the best scores in The American in the 1-meter, 3-meter and platform during the regular season. She will be challenged by UConn’s Alli Butera in the 1-meter and the 3-meter events.
Men’s Meet Preview
Freestyle
The 50-yard, 100-yard and 200-yard freestyle events should be close races this year. East Carolina’s Maxime Cadiat and Cincinnati’s Connor Davis posted exact times of 20.41 in the 50 freestyle during the regular season. In the 100 free, the Pirates’ John Myhre clocked the fastest regular-season time (44.75), followed by Davis with a time of 44.84. Davis leads the way in the 200 freestyle with a conference-best 1:38.41 with East Carolina’s Blaz Demsar right behind him (1:38.91).
Cincinnati’s Chris Bready is favorited to repeat in the 1,650 freestyle as he holds an NCAA B and the top regular-season time in The American (15:15.32). Bready is also the front runner in the 500-yard freestyle. He is the only swimmer from the conference to produce a NCAA B standard time (4:23.24).
Backstroke
Will Kearsey of UConn and Bartosz Krzyzaniak of SMU highlight The American in the backstroke events. Kearsey finished the regular season with a slight edge in the 100 back with a time of 48.90, while Krzyzaniak leads the way in the 200 back (1:47.87).
Breaststroke
East Carolina senior Will Hicks is the defending champion in the 100-yard breaststroke and is poised to swim his way to the gold this year. Hicks (54.20) will be challenged this year by teammate Erie Craven (54.29), and Cincinnati’s Zachary Hostoffer (54.76) and Ludovico Corsini (54.99) – who all made the NCAA B standard during the regular season. Craven was the only American Athletic Conference swimmer to clock a NCAA B standard time (1:58.65) this year in the 200-yard breaststroke.
Butterfly
Cincinnati has the top-two swimmers in The American for the 100-yard butterfly. Bearcats John Mataxas and Eitan Holder have the top times with 48.63 and 49.03. The headliner in the 200-yard butterfly is SMU’s Jonathan Gomez. He is the only swimmer in the conference to post a NCAA B cut time this year (1:43.37).
Individual Medley
Once again East Carolina senior Fran Krznaric is the swimmer to beat in the 200-yard individual medley. Krznaric logged a time of 1:47. 87 this season, surpassing the NCAA B standard. SMU’s Jonathan Gomez, who is also the favorite in the 200 fly, enters Houston as the front runner in the 400-uard individual medley. Gomez clocked a NCAA B time of 3:52.34, the lone swimmer in the conference to do so in the event.
Relays
SMU claimed four out of the five relay events in 2016, but this year Cincinnati comes in as the slight favorite in all relay events. The Bearcats swam the 200-yard freestyle relay in 1:21.72, just ahead of East Carolina (1:22.02). In the 400-yard freestyle relay and the 200-yard medley relay, Cincinnati and the Pirates come in at one and two. The Bearcats appear to be the heavy favorite in the 800-yard freestyle (6:38.50), while SMU should challenge in the 400-yard medley relay.
Diving
SMU junior Bryce Klein is the heavy favorite to sweep the diving events this year. The 2016 American Athletic Conference Most Outstanding Diver of the Year earned the honor after he collected golds in the 1-meter and 3-meter, and added a bronze in the platform event. Klein posted the conference’s top regular-season scores in the 1-meter and 3-meter this year. UConn’s Dan Kinney finished behind the defending champion in the 1-meter and 3-meter during the regular season.
2017 American Athletic Conference Swimming & Diving Championships
Campus Recreation & Wellness Center Natatorium • Houston, Texas
Feb. 15-18, 2017
Wednesday, February 15
SESSION 1 – 11 a.m. CT (Diving Preliminaries); 5 p.m. CT (Swimming Relays)
Event 1 Women’s 1 Meter Diving (PRELIMINARIES)
Event 2 Men’s 3 Meter Diving (PRELIMINARIES)
Event 1 Women’s 1 Meter Diving (CONSOLATION)
Event 2 Men’s 3 Meter Diving (CONSOLOLATION)
Event 3 Women’s 800 Yard Freestyle Relay
Event 4 Men’s 800 Yard Freestyle Relay
Event 1 Women’s 1 Meter Diving (FINAL)
Event 2 Men’s 3 Meter Diving (FINAL)
Event 5 Women’s 200 Yard Medley Relay
Event 6 Men’s 200 Yard Medley Relay
Thursday, February 16
SESSION 2 - 10 a.m. CT (Swimming Preliminaries); 12:30 p.m. CT (Diving Preliminaries)
SESSION 3 - 6 p.m. CT (Finals)
Event 7 Men’s 1 Meter Diving (PRELIMINARIES)
Event 7 Men’s 1 Meter Diving (CONSOLATION)
Event 8 Women’s 500 Yard Freestyle
Event 9 Men’s 500 Yard Freestyle
Event 10 Women’s 200 Individual Medley
Event 11 Men’s 200 Individual Medley
Event 12 Women’s 50 Yard Freestyle
Event 13 Men’s 50 Yard Freestyle
Event 7 Men’s 1 Meter Diving (FINAL)
Event 14 Women’s 200 Yard Freestyle Relay
Event 15 Men’s 200 Yard Freestyle Relay
Friday, February 17
SESSION 4 - 10 a.m. CT (Swimming Preliminaries); 12:30 p.m. CT (Diving Preliminaries)
SESSION 5 - 6 p.m. CT (Finals)
Event 16 Women’s 3 Meter Diving (PRELIMINARIES)
Event 16 Women’s 3 Meter Diving (CONSOLATION)
Event 17 Women’s 400 Individual Medley
Event 18 Men’s 400 Individual Medley
Event 19 Women’s 100 Yard Butterfly
Event 20 Men’s 100 Yard Butterfly
Event 21 Women’s 200 Yard Freestyle
Event 22 Men’s 200 Yard Freestyle
Event 23 Women’s 100 Yard Breaststroke
Event 24 Men’s 100 Yard Breaststroke
Event 25 Women’s 100 Yard Backstroke
Event 26 Men’s 100 Yard Backstroke
Event 16 Women’s 3 Meter Diving (FINAL)
Event 27 Women’s 400 Yard Medley Relay
Event 28 Men’s 400 Yard Medley Relay
Saturday, February 18
SESSION 6 - 10 a.m. CT (Swimming Preliminaries); 12:30 p.m. CT (Diving Preliminaries)
SESSION 7 - 6 p.m. CT (Finals)
Event 30 Women’s Platform Diving (PRELIMINARIES)
Event 29 Men’s Platform Diving (PRELIMINARIES)
Event 31 Women’s 1,650 Yard Freestyle
Event 32 Men’s 1,650 Yard Freestyle
Event 30 Women’s Platform Diving (FINAL)
Event 33 Women’s 200 Yard Backstroke
Event 34 Men’s 200 Yard Backstroke
Event 35 Women’s 100 Yard Freestyle
Event 36 Men’s 100 Yard Freestyle
Event 37 Women’s 200 Yard Breaststroke
Event 38 Men’s 200 Yard Breaststroke
Event 39 Women’s 200 Yard Butterfly
Event 40 Men’s 200 Yard Butterfly
Event 29 Men’s Platform Diving (FINAL)
Event 41 Women’s 400 Yard Freestyle Relay
Event 42 Men’s 400 Yard Freestyle Relay