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NMU scours world for 8 new men’s swimmers, divers

MARQUETTE — Northern Michigan University head coach Heidi Voigt and the men’s swimming and diving team have signed eight athletes to join the Wildcats starting this fall, four swimmers and four divers.

The swimmers are Roberto Camera, Erikas Kapocius, Adrian Curbelo-Tejera and Bence Dort, joined by divers Mohab Ishak, Micah Currie, Ryan Leach and Andrew Garland.

Camera is from Milan, Italy, and the Forum Dilett club team. He was a World Cup qualifier and reached the “A” Finals at the Italian national championships.

His posted times would serve as NCAA Division II national meet qualifiers in the 50-yard freestyle. His 100 and 200 breaststroke times were within range of being All-American times at the 2019 NCAA Championships.

Tejera is from Las Palmas De Gran Canaria, Spain, and will be transferring from a university in that country. An incoming sophomore, he posted European Championship times in the 100 and 200 butterfly, which would also qualify for the NCAA nationals.

Tejera also has time that would qualify for nationals in the 50 free, while his 100 fly time meets this year’s All-American standard.

Kapcocius comes from Lituania, where he is to graduate from Ignalinos Gimnazija. He has posted NCAA qualifying times in the 200 and 400 individual medley while winning each event at the International Swimming Cup held in Poland.

Dort, a 2018 graduate of the Rudas Laszlo Szakkozepiskola school in Hungary, specializes in distance events. He was a semifinalist in the 400 free and 200 backstroke in the Hungarian National Championships, while his times in the 500 and 1,000 free, along with the 200 backstroke, would place him in the GLIAC top eight.

Ishak, from Cairo, Egypt, will be a transfer from Helwan University. He has been a member of the Egyption national team, representing the African nation in the 2016 Olympic Games in the men’s 10-meter platform diving.

Currie is from Blue Springs, Missouri, and competes for the Twisters Dive Team. He was fifth at the Missouri High School State Championships as a junior and fourth as a senior. Currie is also a three-time all-stater and team captain.

Leach, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, competes for Cheyenne Mountain High School and Peak Diving Club. A three-time state championship qualifier, his highest 11-dive score is 396 points.

Garland, of Rudyard, dove for Houghton High School and has been a three-time Upper Peninsula Championships qualifier.

This group will be counted on to help replace 13 seniors who were the first four-year class since the reintroduction of the men’s program.

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

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