By Journal Sports Staff

HOLLAND — The Northern Michigan University women’s swimming and diving team finished third at the four-day-long GLIAC Championships held downstate that ended Monday.

The Wildcats were just 17 points behind runner-up Wayne State as NMU scored 726 points to WSU’s 743. Grand Valley State won with 999, Davenport was fourth with 464 1/2 and Saginaw Valley State fifth with 354 1/2.

NMU is scheduled to participate in a Last Chance Meet on Saturday before select swimmers get to advance to the NCAA Division II Championships to be held in Geneva, Ohio, from March 12-16.

The Northern women won three events, starting with the 200-yard medley relay on the meet’s first day, Friday. Camilla Carbone, Zoe DeKievit, Meritxell Font Cantarero and Becca Burrows worked together to post a time of 1 minute, 41.29 seconds.

Burrows anchored the team and swam her 50 freestyle leg in 23.03 seconds as the quartet set a team record and third-fastest time in the nation.

The Wildcats’ other two victories came on Sunday by Carbone in the 100 backstroke and DeKievit in the 100 breaststroke.

Carbone clocked 54.44 seconds in the 100 back, the third-fastest time in the country, and earned a national meet “B” qualifying cut time, while DeKievit had a similar result, her 1:03.02 in the 100 breast earning a “B” cut along with the win.

Here are some other top finishers, listed by day:

FRIDAY

Burrows was third in the 50 free while the 200 free relay team of Alyssa Bloser, Burrows, Olivia Haerr and Mia Strazny was also third.

SATURDAY

Freshman Anika Wright placed second in the 400 individual medley, posting a “B” cut time of 4:22.86, while teammate Evie DeCarlo also had a “B” cut with her 4:29.15 clocking.

Finishing as a runner-up was the 400 medley relay of Carbone, DeKievit, Font Cantarero and Carlotta Santi in 3:44.01, which was another “B” cut.

In the 100 butterfly, Font Cantarero was third in 55.55 and DeKievit fifth in 55.97 as both were “B” cuts.

Santi was fourth in the 200 free in 1:49.64, a “B” cut, while Abbie Harned was fourth in the three-meter diving with 384.05 points.

SUNDAY

Joining Carbone in the 100 back was Strazny in third in 56.15 seconds, another “B” cut, while swimming with DeKievit in the 100 breast was Evelyn DeCarlo in fifth in 1:04.21.

Font Cantarero set a school record while finishing second in the 200 fly in 2:01.61, a “B” cut, while Santi was third in the 500 free in 4:55.7 and Anika Wright fourth in 4:57.16, both “B” cuts. And Anika Geyer also earned a “B” cut in the event.

The 800 free relay consisting of Santi, Burrows, Wright and Font Cantarero was second in 7:28.54, earning another “B” cut.

MONDAY

In the 200 breast, DeCarlo finished as runner-up in 2:18.54 and DeKievit third in 2:18.62, both “B” cut times.

Burrows was second in the 100 free in 51.10 for another “B” cut, while Santi tied for fourth in 51.77, also a “B” cut.

The 400 free relay with Burrows, Haerr, Strazny and Santi was third in 3:25.57, while Harned was fourth in the one-meter diving with 404.80 points.

In the 200 back, Carbone was fourth in 2:00.72 and Strazny seventh in 2:02.33, each good for a “B” cut, while another of those was turned in by Annika Geyer in the 1,650 free in 17:19.73, good for fifth.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.