Northern Michigan University women swimmers get ready to start off the blocks during the Green & Gold intrasquad meet held at the PEIF pool in Marquette on Sept. 19-20. (Photo courtesy NMU)

MARQUETTE — With its annual Green vs. Gold and Wildcat Alumni intrasquad and exhibition meets out of the way, the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams at Northern Michigan University begin their regular season today.

Both teams are at home over two days hosting GLIAC opponents Lake Superior State, Davenport and St. Cloud State.

There are two sessions scheduled today, commencing at 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., with one more on Saturday at 10 a.m. The public can attend any of these sessions for free at the PEIF Pool on campus.

“We have three (opposing) teams at home this weekend, the most teams we’ve had at a home event since I’ve been here,” NMU head coach Heidi Voigt said in an NMU Sports Information news release previewing the meet. “It’s always fun for us to race at home, (our student-athletes) have pride in being at our pool.”

This begins a long season that culminates in the GLIAC Championships meets in early February and NCAA Division II national finals in mid-March.

NMU has two more home meets between now and then, one on Nov. 7-8 against Wayne State and another on Jan. 24 against Lake Superior State that also serves as the Wildcats Skins intrasquad meet.

Here are previews of each Northern team and its opponents this weekend:

Men’s team

The NMU men not only finished third at the GLIAC Championships last winter, but had a successful showing at the NCAA Championships.

Reigning GLIAC Male Swimmer of the Year Leo Nolles is back for his senior season. After representing his home country of Uruguay at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, Nolles reached the podium three times at the NCAA national meet, twice in individual events.

He finished in second place for a silver medal in the 50-yard freestyle and third for bronze in the 100 free, then anchored the Wildcats’ 200 free relay team that was runner-up to earn silver, missing victory and the gold medal that goes with it by just three-hundredths of a second.

Nolles won five events in accumulating seven medals at the GLIACs, and later earned a GLIAC Commissioners Award, something which athletes in all sports are considered for.

The rest of that oh-so-close 200 free relay at nationals also returns in William LaCount, Daniel Khmara and Gabriel Fulconi.

And there’s also a couple of other All-Americans, Tobie Stiles and Ian Rocheleau.

Five freshmen complement Northern’s roster, including Matteo Ballardin, who won the 200 butterfly at the Green & Gold exhibition two weeks ago, and Yousseh Nahali, who was within a hundredth of a second of Nolles in the 50 free at the G&G.

St. Cloud had a banner season last year, too, earning its highest-ever finish of eighth place at the nationals with a dozen All-American performances. The Huskies, who were right behind NMU in fourth place at the GLIAC Championships, are led by 200 fly conference gold medalist Lance Godard.

Davenport was sixth at the GLIACs with NCAA participants Owen Stender and Matthew Gauck back this year. Stender tied for second in the 200 breaststroke at the conference meet, while Gauck set a school record in three-meter diving there.

LSSU is in just its second year as a varsity program, having hired Tim O’Neil as director of intercollegiate swimming and aquatics this summer. He comes from a Lewis University program that tasted some of it great success last season.

Women’s team

The Northern women did even better than the NMU men at the GLIAC Championships, earning a runner-up finish, and then earning a trio of First Team All-Americans at the NCAAs.

Two of the three All-Americans are back — diver Kalina Ceglinski and distance swimmer Anika Wright.

They’ll be joined by GLIAC medalists Annika Geyer, Abigail Keen and Carlotta Santi, while 10 freshmen include Ludovica Bonini, who was first and third in breaststroke events at the Green & Gold meet, and Laura Stockinger, who won the 100 backstroke at the G&G.

St. Cloud, which in women’s swimming and diving is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, was picked third in its league preseason poll with the same finish last season. Sophomore Hallie Drossel returns and was named NSIC Preseason Swimmer of the Year.

Davenport was fourth at the GLIACs last winter and welcomes back reigning GLIAC Freshman of the Year Nadia Jastrzabek, who had runner-up finishes in the 50 free, 100 free and 100 breast at the GLIACs, setting school records in each and setting the conference record in the 100 free, except that Grand Valley’s Lucy Hedley beat her out at the meet to actually get the record.

Lake State, like its men’s program, is entering its second season with varsity status and also has O’Neil as coach.

Story contents based on Northern Michigan University Sports Information press release reviewing/previewing the games/meet. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.