Wildcats are a close third behind GVSU and Wayne State after day one
HOLLAND, Mich. — The first finals evening from the 2026 GLIAC Championship came to a close, and the NMU men’s swim and dive teams came away with some top finishes.
The meet was highlighted by a pair of gold medals for the men’s side: first, Matteo Ballardin emphatically earned gold in the 200 IM before reigning GLIAC men’s swimmer of the year Leo Nolles defended his gold medal in the 50 free.
NMU earned a silver medal in the night’s final event, as the 200 free relay team of William LaCount, Gabriel Fulconi, Jef Leroux, and Nolles was just 0.20 seconds off a gold medal.
The ‘Cats also got bronze-medal finishes from the 200 medley relay team of Ian Rocheleau, Andrew Tease, William LaCount, and Nolles in the first event of the night, Alessandro Rosatelli in the 200 IM, and Tobie Stiles in the 1-meter diving.
William LaCount finished 4th in the 50 free to highlight other top-five finishes from the Green and Gold, as he missed the podium by just 0.02 seconds.
After day one, the Wildcats sit in third with 201 points, closely trailing Grand Valley (209) and Wayne State (206), while holding a solid edge over fourth place St. Cloud State (152.5).
The teams return to action for day two of the GLIAC Championships tomorrow. The day features the 100 Butterfly, 400 Individual Medley, 200 Freestyle, 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 men entered the 200 medley relay in lane six, holding the fourth-fastest entry time into the finals. The ‘Cats were in fifth after Ian Rocheleau in the opening backstroke 50, stayed in fifth after Andrew Tease’s breast split, remained fifth after William LaCount’s fly, but were able to make up ground in the final leg free, as Leo Nolles cruised the ‘Cats into third place with a time of 1:27.14.
Timothee Garin represented NMU in lane seven in the 1000 free, entering the pool with the sixth-fastest time in the championship heat. Garin finished sixth in the heat at 9:22.34.
The 200 IM championship heat featured Matteo Ballardin, Alessandro Rosatelli, and Gabriel Fulconi, swimming in lanes five, seven, and one, respectively. Ballardin was narrowly in the lead after the first 100 before emphatically pulling away in the final 100, claiming gold at 1:45.74, a full two seconds and change ahead of second place. Rosatelli would join his teammate on the podium with bronze at 1:48.33, and Fulconi seventh at 1:50.35.
Jef Leroux won the B final of the 50 free at 20.08, and Youssef Nahali claimed fourth at 20.27. The championship heat featured Leo Nolles and William LaCount, and it was Nolles who would earn gold, touching the wall at 19.60. LaCount would finish just 0.02 seconds off the podium, touching the wall in 4th at 19.93.
The top eight in the 1-meter diving featured Tobie Stiles. After Stiles finished second in the prelim morning session, the diver earned a bronze medal in the finals, posting a score of 448.25.
The 200 free relay entered the finals holding the fastest entry time and would swim in lane four to end the evening. The ‘Cats sat third after the opening 50, stayed in third at the halfway mark, moved to second on the final leg, and the ‘Cats did what they could to come back, but would eventually earn silver with a time of 1:18.53, just 0.20 seconds behind first-place St. Cloud.
Running Medal Count
Day 1
200 Medley – Bronze
200 IM – Gold and Bronze
50 free – Gold
1-meter diving – Bronze
200 free relay – Silver
Morning Session
The men’s 200 IM featured 51 swimmers and seven heats, with the first heat featuring three swimmers. The ‘Cats weren’t represented until the third heat, as Andrew Tease was the first NMU male into the pool to kick off the championships. Tease won his heat, touching the wall at 1:53.88. The fifth heat saw Caleb Rice and Alessandro Rosatelli take to the pool, where Rosatelli finished second at 1:49.54 and Rice in seventh at 1:53.74. Gabriel Fulconi swam in the sixth heat, finishing second by just 0.07 seconds at 1:49.58. Matteo Ballardin highlighted the final heat, boasting the fastest entry time of the championship. He touched the wall first at 1:48.67.
The fast-paced 50 free had a field of 75 swimmers, and the ‘Cats started with Hudson Lowery in the third heat, finishing seventh at 22.63. Liam Boomer followed his teammate in lane seven in the next heat, claiming sixth at 22.22. Ian Rocheleau represented NMU in the fifth heat, finishing second at 21.39. Bazil Massotte swam in the sixth heat, touching the wall second at 21.33. Max Swiatkowski competed in heat seven, touching second at 21.00. Daniel Khmara, Jef Leroux, and William LaCount all swam in heat eight, with LaCount at 20.10, Leroux at 20.15, and Khmara at 20.94. Nolles swam in the ninth heat of the prelim event, touching first at 19.68, and Youssef Nahali competed in the 10th heat, posting a 20.28. LaCount competed in a swim-off and would earn the eighth seed in tonight’s finals with a time of 19.91.
Zachary Billotte swam in heat three of the 1000 free, where he finished fifth at 9:42.19. Rafael Schaub swam in the fifth heat, one of three to compete in his respective heat, where he finished first with a time of 9:50.26.
The 1-meter diving ran concurrently with the meet, and Tobie Stiles posted the second-best score and a DIIB qualification with his 460.05. Travis Thornton (10th, 417.95), Diego Carillo (15th, 404.05), and Ryan Foucault (16th, 373.45) all qualified for the evening session.
