Northern Michigan University’s Kalina Ceglinski, center, takes the winner’s spot on the podium after she was victorious in the women’s one-meter diving at the GLIAC Championships swimming and diving meet held in downstate Holland from last Friday through Monday. She is flanked by runner-up Macy Polasek of Grand Valley State, left, and third-place Alaicia Viaches of Wayne State. Ceglinski won the event on the fourth and final day to help her clinch GLIAC Female Diver of the Year. (Photo courtesy NMU)

MARQUETTE — Northern Michigan University junior Kalina Ceglinski pulled out a masterful performance on the final day of the GLIAC Championships in women’s one-meter diving to earn some extra hardware at the meet.

Her victory by more than 14 points coupled with a narrow podium miss of fourth place in the three-meter event and a dominating regular season convinced officials to name her the GLIAC Female Diver of the Year after the meet that was held downstate at the Holland Aquatic Center from last Friday through Monday.

Ceglinski, who won more often than she didn’t in regular-season meets, scored 436.35 points in the one-meter finals on Monday, beating out runner-up Macy Polasek of Grand Valley State with 421.95.

Northern freshman teammate Grace Daly was fourth with 415.85, less than a half point out of the bronze-medal third place.

In the race for the team title, the Wildcats were runners-up to dominant Grand Valley State as the Lakers piled up 1,055 points to 674 for NMU. Wayne State was third with 563, Saginaw Valley State fourth with 401, Davenport fifth with 381 and Lake Superior State sixth with 3.

In the three-meter diving held Saturday, Ceglinski was fourth with 423.65, only 2.30 points behind third-place Polasek of GVSU with 425.95. Another Lakers diver, Olivia Kutsche, won with 444.10. Daly was right behind Ceglinski in fifth with 401.75.

Here are some other highlights from the meet, listed by day:

Friday

The Wildcats’ opening-day highlight came from the 200-yard freestyle relay team that earned a runner-up silver medal. Laura Stockinger, Abby Keen, Vicky Burda and Joanne Arbic put together swimming legs totaling 1 minute, 33.77 seconds, about three-quarters of a second after winning Grand Valley’s 1:33.00 time, which only missed the meet record by 0.16 of a second.

The 200 medley relay with Stockinger, Evie DeCarlo, Phini Schneider and Arbic was almost as good, finishing third in 1:42.81, just 0.71 of a second behind winner Davenport and only 0.21 of a second after runner-up GVSU.

And Stockinger made it three medals in one day with third place in the 50 free in 23.48 seconds, just five-hundredths of a second out of the runner-up position and about three-quarters of a second behind the 22.72 time posted by winner Lucy Hedley of Grand Valley.

Just missing the podium in other events were DeCarlo and Keen.

DeCarlo finished fourth in the 200 individual medley in 2:04.34, 0.26 of a second out of third and slightly more than a second after winner Elly Belmore of Wayne State in 2:03.16.

Keen was fifth in the 50 free in 23.72 seconds, 0.24 of a second out of third and exactly one second behind the winner Hedley of GVSU.

NMU’s Manuela Araujo was seventh in the 200 IM in 2:17.69, while Caitlin Aarseth was eight in the 1,000 free in 10:45.00.

Also in the 50 free, Arbic was eighth in 23.90.

Saturday

The 400 medley relay was Northern’s lone medal win on day 2, a bronze for Evangeline Pierce, DeCarlo, Pauline Izydorek and Stockinger in 3:46.63. They missed winner Grand Valley by not quite four seconds as that brought Stockinger to four medals.

The Wildcats had several other near-misses for the podium again.

Izydorek was fourth in the 100 butterfly in 56.75 seconds, missing third by 0.47 of a second, while Schneider was sixth in the same event in 57.05.

And in the 200 free, Carlotta Santi was again fourth in 1:52.12, not quite a second and a half out of third, with teammate Annika Geyer was seventh in 1:53.58.

Sunday

The 100 backstroke was a good event for NMU on this day, with Pierce taking silver and Emma Casas bronze.

Pierce clocked 55.83 and Casas 56.18 as Grand Valley’s Vittoria Proietti won in 55.01.

Meanwhile, the Wildcats’ 800 free relay was third in 7:34.71 with Santi, Keen, Ellie Kilgard and Geyer. They were exactly three seconds out of second and just over six seconds behind winner Grand Valley in 7:28.63.

Santi had a near-miss in fourth place in the 500 free in 4:57.53, missing third by about 1 3/4 seconds, Stockinger was sixth in the 100 back in 57.33 and Geyer sixth in the 200 fly in 2:07.99, the latter about 1.6 seconds out of third.

In the 100 breaststroke, DeCarlo was sixth in 1:03.74, 0.69 of a second out of third, and Northern’s Julia Zimpel eighth in 1:04.47.

Monday

Ceglinski’s gold in one-meter diving wasn’t the Wildcats’ only medal on the final day, as the 400 free relay of Keen, DeCarlo, Vicky Burda and Arbic was second in 3:27.96, about 4 1/2 seconds after Grand Valley’s winning time of 3:23.39.

Geyer was fourth in the 1,650 free in 17:28.70, less than three seconds out of third, while Pierce was also fourth in the 200 back in 2:01.06, just one-tenth of a second out of third.

Stockinger was fourth, Keen fifth and Arbic sixth in the 100 free. Stockinger came in at 51.58, about three-quarters of a second out of third, with Keen clocking 51.83 and Arbic 51.85.

Northern also had a pair of entrants in the 200 breast final, with DeCarlo sixth in 2:20.91 and Zimpel eighth in 2:24.04. DeCarlo missed third by about 3 1/2 seconds.

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