In their first meets of the new year, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies men’s and women’s swim and dive teams conquered the Calvin University Knights at the Oakland Aquatic Center on Friday before traveling to Detroit to dismantle the Wayne State Warriors on Saturday.
From the scoreboard, the women’s team outpaced Calvin University 124.5-104.5, while the men’s team outscored the Knights 121-108. Against the Warriors, the women’s team nearly doubled Wayne State’s score, winning 152-86, while the men’s team came away on top 130-106.
Friday – vs. Calvin University
The women’s 200 medley relay marked the meet’s first event, which the Golden Grizzlies handily won. Oakland’s relay ‘A’ team, comprised of Grace Albrecht, Maya Dobry, Sophia Davis and Ronja Riihinen, finished in first with a time of 1:42.72, roughly a second faster than the Knights’ ‘A’ team.
After the women’s first-place finish, the men’s relay ‘A’ team followed up with a top finish of their own. Harry Nicholson, Christopher Palvadre, Micah Scheffer and Charlie Brown combined to finish in 1:26.43, comfortably ahead of Calvin University.
With a strong start to the meet, Oakland dominated in the following events. Kelley Hassett finished first in the women’s 1000 free, and Jonas Cantrell took first in the men’s 1000 free, contributing to the Golden Grizzlies’ hot start to the meet.
In fact, it wouldn’t be until the 15th event of the meet, the women’s 100 free, that the Knights were awarded some first-place points. Maggie Farrell, Ella Andrews and Katie Phippen placed first, second and third, respectively, for the Knights.
Oakland also prevailed on the diving board. Ellie Chalifoux, Victoria Sanders and Elizabeth Woollcott swept the podium in the one-meter dive for the women, while Liam James and Edin De Hooghe placed first and third for the men.
Once again, Chalifoux, Woollcott and Sanders swept the podium in the three-meter dive. De Hooghe and James followed up on their performance, taking first and second place, respectively.
Saturday – at Wayne State
Against the Warriors, the Oakland women’s ‘A’ team once again set the tone in the 200 medley relay, finishing three seconds ahead of the Warriors for first. The Golden Grizzly men matched the women’s performance, notching first and outpacing the Warriors by nearly three seconds.
Despite the Golden Grizzlies’ solid start, the Warriors answered in the men’s and women’s 1650 free. Barbara Munoz and William Debroux of Wayne State both edged out their competition, finishing first in the event.
However, it was all Oakland the rest of the way. The Warriors occasionally had some top finishes and podium finishes throughout the meet, but the Golden Grizzlies didn’t let up. They overpowered Wayne State in nearly every event, showcasing the depth and talent of this year’s team.
From the board, Chalifoux once again led the way for the Golden Grizzlies, finishing in first for both the one-meter and three-meter dives. Although the Warriors controlled the men’s three-meter dive, James answered in the one-meter, placing first for Oakland.
Notably, with the win over the Warriors, the Golden Grizzlies men’s and women’s teams extended their win streak over Wayne State to 17 straight wins dating back to the 2010-11 season.
Next, the Golden Grizzlies will host the Cleveland State Vikings for their senior day on Friday, Jan. 24, at the Oakland Aquatics Center. The meet will start at 4:00 p.m. and mark Oakland’s final contest before the Horizon League Championships.
