Matteo Ballardin collects 36 points for Wildcat Men
ST. CLOUD, Minn. — The NMU swim and dive teams completed its first set of meets of the 2026-27 season, with sessions on Friday and Saturday at the Helenbeck Pool on the campus of St. Cloud State.
The Wildcats and Huskies split results on Friday night; the NMU women’s team defeated the SCSU women’s team 156.5-86.5, and the NMU men’s team fell to the SCSU men’s team 84-158.
Freshman Rowan Schmidt and senior Annika Geyer paced the Wildcats in the pool with 18 points apiece. Schmidt led off in the backstroke for the first-place 200-yard medley relay team and claimed first-place finishes in both the 100 fly and 100 back. Geyer earned the top finish in both the distance races – the 1000 free and 500 free – and was the leadoff swimmer in the 200-yard free relay team.
The Wildcat dive team swept the podium in the 1-meter diving, with sophomores Lillian Marx (427.00) and Grace Daly (419.05) finishing first and second, with senior Kalina Ceglinski (402.40) rounding out the podium. Riley Hummel earned gold on the 3-meter board with her score of 228.90.
The 200 medley relay team of Schmidt, Bonini, Michaluk, and Stockinger claimed gold to open the weekend, and the 200 free relay team of Keen, Burda, Kilgard, and Stockinger finished second to close the night.
Women’s Day One Points Breakdown
- Annika Geyer – 18.0
- Rowan Schmidt – 18.0
- Nadia Blackmore – 13.0
- Manuela Araujo – 10.0
- Riley Hummel – 9.0
- Lillian Marx – 9.0
- Laura Stockinger – 9.0
- Carlotta Santi – 8.0
- Abby Keen – 6.5
- Grace Daly – 4.0
- Ellie Kilgard – 4.0
- Wicktoria Michaluk – 4.0
- Sophia Moore – 4.0
- Julia Zimpel – 4.0
- Ludovica Bonini – 3.0
- Kalina Ceglinski – 3.0
- Evangeline Pierce – 3.0
- Vicky Burda – 2.0
- Sydney Matheny – 2.0
- Kenzie Stute – 2.0
- Ellie Adams – 1.0
- Josie Bossen – 1.0
On the men’s side, reigning GLIAC Swimmer of the Year and GLIAC Freshman of the Year Matteo Ballardin paced the ‘Cats in the pool, earning 18 points thanks to wins in the 100 IM and 100 fly, and a second-place finish going off second with the 200 free relay team. Similar to Geyer, freshman Matteo Madina found success in the distance, finishing first in both the 1000 and 500 free, and was a member of the ninth-place 200 free relay team as he earned 18 points.
On the boards, Diego Carrillo (461.10), Ryan Foucault (414.70), and Benaiah Schnurstein (406.90) finished third, fourth, and fifth, respectively, in the 1-meter. On the 3-meter, Carrillo claimed gold with his score of 291.40.
The 200 medley relay team of Mosley Patzke, Youssef Nahali, Mateo Gomez Ravecca, and Gabriel Fulconi finished third to open the meet, and the 200 free relay team of Gomez Ravecca, Ballardin, Nahali, and Fulconi earned silver to close the evening.
Men’s Day One Points Breakdown
- Matteo Ballardin – 18.0
- Matteo Medina – 18.0
- Diego Carrillo – 12.0
- Ryan Foucault – 4.0
- Mosley Patzke – 4.0
- Ale Rosatelli – 4.0
- Mateo Gomez Ravecca – 3.0
- Youssef Nahali – 3.0
- Charlie Prince – 3.0
- Caleb Bartolazzi – 2.0
- Zachary Billotte – 2.0
- Gabriel Fulconi – 2.0
- Benaiah Schnurstein – 2.0
- Nathan Nolan – 1.0
The women found success again in day two’s morning session, downing the Huskies 147.5 – 75.5, while the men amassed 68 points against SCSU’s 155.
Sophomore Nadia Blackmore, Daly, and Geyer paced the women on day two, all earning 13 points. Blackmore earned gold in the 200 breast and swimming the breast split for the 400 medley relay team, while finishing second in the 200 IM. Geyer finished first in the 200 fly, second as a member of the 200 free relay team, and third as a member of the 400 relay team.
The ‘Cats swept the podium in the 1-meter board, with Ceglinski (249.45), Daly (247.65), and Hummel (227.05) claiming the top three spots. Daly (244.35) and Hummel (234.70) found the podium in the 3-meter later in the evening, finishing first and third, respectively.
The 400 medley relay team of Schmidt, Blackmore, Moore, and Keen finished first to kick off the morning, and the 400 free relay team of Abby Keen, Sydney Metheny, Schmidt, and Laura Stockinger finished first to close the meet.
Women’s Day Two Points Breakdown
- Nadia Blackmore – 13.0
- Grace Daly – 13.0
- Annika Geyer – 13.0
- Laura Stockinger – 12.5
- Carlotta Santi – 12.0
- Manuela Araujo – 9.0
- Kalina Ceglinski – 9.0
- Rowan Schmidt – 9.0
- Riley Hummel – 6.0
- Vicky Burda – 4.0
- Ellie Kilgard – 4.0
- Sophia Moore – 4.0
- Sydney Matheny – 3.0
- Evangeline Pierce – 3.0
- Julia Zimpel – 3.0
- Ludovica Bonini – 2.0
- Abby Keen – 1.0
- Kenzie Stute – 1.0
Ballardin carried over his success into the morning session, where he finished first in the 200 fly and 200 breast before swimming the third leg of the second-place 400 free relay team.
Carrillo (264.40), Schnurstein (249.05), and Foucault (244.15) finished third through fifth in the 1-meter board, and Foucault (276.55) earned a second-place finish in the 3-meter board.
The 400 medley team of Patzke, Charlie Prince, Gomez Ravecca, and Fulconi finished third to open the morning, and the 400 free relay team of Gomez Ravecca, Nahali, Ballardin, and Fulconi claimed silver to close the two-day sessions.
Men’s Day Two Points Breakdown
- Matteo Ballardin – 18.0
- Mosley Patzke – 9.0
- Matteo Medina – 6.0
- Ryan Foucault – 5.0
- Diego Carrillo – 4.0
- Youssef Nahali – 3.0
- Ale Rosatelli – 3.0
- Caleb Bartolazzi – 2.0
- Zachary Billotte – 2.0
- Gabriel Fulconi – 2.0
- Matteo Gomex Ravecca – 2.0
- Charlie Prince – 2.0
- Benaiah Schnurstein – 2.0
- Logan Ament – 1.0
- Rafael Schaub – 1.0
The ‘Cats are back in action on Friday, October 23, and Saturday, October 24, when NMU welcomes Grand Valley, Saginaw Valley, and Lake Superior State to the PEIF Pool. Action begins at 6 p.m. ET on Friday and concludes with a morning session at 11 a.m. ET on Saturday.
