Wildcats in second place behind Grand Valley State
HOLLAND, Mich. — The first finals evening from the 2026 GLIAC Championship came to a close for the women’s swim and dive team.
The meet was highlighted by a silver medal from the 200 free relay team of Laura Stockinger, Abby Keen, Vicky Burda, and Joanne Arbic.
The ‘Cats also saw a pair of bronze medals; first, the 200 medley relay team of Laura Stockinger, Evie DeCarlo, Phini Schneider, and Joanne Arbic, followed by a bronze medal from Laura Stockinger in the 50 free.
Notable finishes in the top five of respective events include DeCarlo (4th in the 200 IM), and Abby Keen (5th in the 50 free).
After day one, the Wildcats are in second place with 175 team points, behind Grand Valley with 267 and ahead of Wayne State with 112. Davenport and Saginaw Valley recorded 109 and 102, respectively.
The teams return to action for day two of the GLIAC Championships tomorrow. Day two features the 100 Butterfly, 400 Individual Medley, 200 Freestyle, 3 Meter Diving, and 400 Medley Relay.
The prelim sessions begin at 10 a.m. ET, and the finals will begin at 5:30 p.m. ET. Fans can catch both the prelims and finals action on Flo Swimming and follow along on the Meet Mobile app.
How It Happened
The entire evening session kicked off with the 200 medley relay, with representatives from GVSU, NMU, DU, SVSU, and WSU. The ‘Cats were ahead after the first 50 thanks to Laura Stockinger, and maintained its narrow advantage at the halfway mark thanks to Evie DeCarlo before dipping to third after Phini Schneider’s fly split with the free left. The teams finished how they began the freestyle stretch after Joanne Arbic’s free split, with Davenport (1:42.10) claiming gold, Grand Valley (1:42.60) silver, and Northern Michigan (1:42.81) bronze, all finishing within 0.71 seconds of each other.
The championship heat of the 1000 free was next, and it was Caitlin Aarseth who represented the ‘Cats in lane eight. Aarseth finished eighth, posting a time of 10:45.00.
The 200 IM began with the B final, with Evangeline Pierce and Sophia Moore swimming in lanes seven and eight, and they would finish in sixth and seventh in the B final. The championship heat featured Manuela Araujo and Evie DeCarlo in lanes one and three. DeCarlo made a huge push in the final 50, finishing 4th at 2:04.34. Araujo would claim seventh at 2:17.69.
Emma Casas, Vicky Burda, and Phini Schneider all competed in the 50 free B finals, finishing 4th, 6th, and 7th, respectively. The championship heat featured Laura Stockinger, Abby Keen, and Joanne Arbic: Stockinger earned bronze at 23.48, Keen fifth at 23.72, and Arbic 8th at 23.90.
After a break for the men’s 1-meter diving finals, the night ended with the 200 free relay, with the ‘Cats competing against four other relay teams and holding the second-fastest entry time. The ‘Cats were in second after the first 50 and was only behind by 0.20 at the second 50 before moving into first heading into the final push. GVSU ended up pulling ahead, but the Wildcats would earn silver at 1:33.77, just 0.77 seconds off of gold.
Running Medal Count
Day 1
200 medley – Bronze
50 free – Bronze
200 free relay – Silver
Morning Session
Ludovica Bonini kicked off the weekend for the ‘Cats, competing in the first heat of five in the 200 IM. Bonini touched the wall at 2:18.51 to finish third in the heat. The ‘Cats had four compete in the second heat: Julia Zimpel, Pauline Izydorek, Evangeline Pierce, and Julia Plevak. Pierce and Zimpel led the heat, finishing 1st and 2nd at 2:11.40 and 2:13.39, followed by Izydorek in 4th at 2:14.80 and Plevak in 7th at 2:18.24. Manuela Araujo and Kenzie Stute swam in the third heat: Araujo finished second in the heat at 2:07.84, and Stute 7th at 2:12.68. The fourth heat saw Nadia Blackmore and Sophia Moore swim in lanes seven and eight; Moore touched the wall at 2:11.78 to finish sixth, and Blackmore at 2:12.78 to place eighth. Evie DeCarlo and Nicole Malinova represented NMU in the final heat of the 200 IM. DeCarlo was in the lead going into the final 50 meters, but was eventually edged out for first and claimed second at 2:05.11. Malinova touched the wall at 2:13.44 to finish seventh in the heat.
Anna Karubas was one of two to compete in the first heat of the fast-paced 50 free, posting a time of 25.80. Brooklyn Millward and Emma Casas swam in heat three, with Casas finishing third at 24.57 and Millward fifth at 25.37. Phini Schneider, Joanne Arbic, and Annie Devine competed in the fourth heat, with times of 24.22, 24.03, and 25.16, respectively. Tegan Rose competed in the fifth heat, posting a 24.90. Abby Keen, Laura Stockinger, and Vicky Burda all swam in the final heat, with Stockinger finishing second at 23.63, Keen third at 24.00, and Burda fifth at 24.16. Arbic had to compete in a swim-off, where she won with a time of 23.75, earning the final spot in the A final this evening.
Annika Geyer and Carlotta Santi competed in the second heat of the 1000 free, with Santi finishing second at 10:26.05 and Geyer third at 10:30.75. Ellie Kilgard swam in heat three, where she finished second in her heat with a 10:51.25.
