The Northern Michigan University women’s swimming and diving team placed runner-up for a silver medal in the 200-yard freestyle relay on the first day of the GLIAC Championships held in downstate Holland from Feb. 19-22. From left are Mia Strazny, Becca Burrows, Elena Curti and Abby Keen. (Photo courtesy NMU)

HOLLAND — The Northern Michigan University women’s swimming and diving team had a quite successful four days at the GLIAC Championships held at the Holland Aquatic Center in downstate Holland from Feb. 19-22.

The Wildcat women finished runners-up with 753.5 points to champion Grand Valley State’s 1,096.5. Five teams were at the meet as Wayne State was third with 650, Davenport fourth with 426 and Saginaw Valley State fifth with 315.

NMU’s highlight at the meet had to be graduate student Camilla Carbone winning the 100-yard backstroke in 54.61 seconds, a little less than a half-second ahead of senior teammate and event runner-up Mia Strazny clocking 55.06.

In all, Northern had a dozen swimmers and divers in individual events pick up a top-three-placing medal, with relays pulling off a similar feat four more times for 16 medals in all.

A number of Wildcats were multiple medal winners.

For instance, on day 2, NMU had a trio of medal-placing finishes and freshman Elena Curti was involved in all three. She was third in both the 100 butterfly in 55.49 seconds and the 200 freestyle in 1:50.91, then joined Northern’s runner-up 400 medley relay team that clocked 3:45.97. Other members of that quartet were Carbone, senior Zoe DeKievit and senior Becca Burrows.

The third day was the most prolific for medal wins with five individual and a relay, including the 1-2 finish in the 100 back.

On opening day, Feb. 19, Strazny, Curti and Burrows were joined by sophomore Abigail Keen on the Wildcats’ second-place 200 free relay team that came in at 1:33.73. Individual times were recorded as Strazny in 24.11 seconds, Curti in 23.38, Keen in 23.09 and Burrows in 23.15.

Sophomore teammate Kalina Ceglinski finished third in one-meter diving with 415.00 points, while sophomore Annika Geyer was third in the 1,000 free in 10:06.15.

On that day, NMU had a couple close calls with several swimmers and divers finishing fourth, one spot off the medal stand. Taking that place was junior Evie DeCarlo in the 200 individual medley, Burrows in the 50 free and senior Abby Harned in the one-meter diving.

On Feb. 21, the six-medal day, Ceglinski made it her own medal sweep in diving, taking third in the three-meter event with 429.25 points. Harned was again close to the medal stand in fourth with 420.65.

Sophomore Anika Wright was second and Geyer third in the 500 free, Wright clocking 4:54.92 and Geyer 4:55.41, while the foursome of Wright, sophomore Carlotta Santi, Geyer and senior Donna Hannig was third in the 800 free relay in 7:31.60, a nearly 5 1/2-second improvement from their entry time.

Also on that day, the crew of Strazny, Curti, Keen and Burrows swam a preliminary time trial in the 200 free relay and set a school record along with an NCAA Division II national meet provisional qualifying time of 1:33.22.

On the final day, Feb. 22, Strazny had another runner-up finish in the 200 back in 1:58.93, while Wright was second and Geyer third in the 1,650 free. Wright timed in at 16:56.50 and Geyer in 17:00.03.

In addition, Burrows was third in the 100 free in 51.17 seconds, while the 400 free relay quartet of Burrows, Hannig, Strazny and Curti came in third in 3:25.59.

Just missing the medals stand in fourth was Curti in the 100 free.

This Wildcats team was looking to put some swimmers and/or divers at the five-day-long NCAA Division II Championships that start today in Indianapolis.

Story contents based on Northern Michigan University Sports Information press releases reviewing each day of the meet. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.