Northern Michigan University’s Gabriel Fulconi takes off from the blocks during a relay event of a past meet held at the PEIF pool in Marquette. (Photo courtesy NMU)

GRAND RAPIDS — The men’s swimming and diving team at Northern Michigan University finished third among six teams at the three-day Calvin Invitational held at the Grand Rapids university that ended Saturday.

NMU scored 1,305 points as Grand Valley State won with 2,247 and host Calvin was runner-up with 1,443. Findlay was fourth with 1,266, followed by Indiana Wesleyan with 470.5 and Lawrence 216.5.

Matteo Ballardin led the Wildcats by scoring 96 points over the three days, including a victory in the 200-yard butterfly on the final day, while teammate Timothee Garin was second on the team in points with 68, followed by Gabriel Fulconi with 67, Ian Rocheleau 64 and Andrew Tease 62.

Select members of the men’s team will head to Sarasota, Florida, on Saturday morning to participate in the Open Water Collegiate Nationals held by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America.

The rest of the team is off until Jan. 17 when the Wildcats travel to Wisconsin-Stevens Point for a dual meet.

Here is a wrapup from the Calvin Invite:

Thursday

The Wildcats sat in second place after one day with 421 points, just ahead of third-place Findlay’s 416.

Ballardin and teammate William LaCount each scored 32 points, Ballardin winning the 200 individual medley in 1 minute, 45.63 seconds and setting the Northern record, the Calvin Invite record and the Venema Aquatic Center pool record.

Ballardin also swam with NMU’s seventh-place 400 medley relay.

LaCount blistered a 19.82-second time in the 50 freestyle finals to win that event and miss the NMU record by just 0.31 of a second. He was also on the winning 200 free relay and sixth-place 400 medley relay. Fulconi and Garin totaled 25 points for the Wildcats, while Alessandro Rosatelli was right with them with 24.

Fulconi was fifth in the 200 IM, swam with the 200 free relay winners and was on the seventh-place 400 medley relay; Garin was fifth in the 500 free in 4:31.99; and Rosatelli was sixth in the 200 IM and with the fifth-place 200 free relay.

In the 200 free relay, LaCount, Fulconi, Jef Leroux and Leo Nolles won in 1:18.83, a nearly two-second victory, while the NMU B team was fifth with Rosatelli, Youssef Nahali, Max Swiatkowski and Daniel Khmara.

In the 200 IM, after Ballardin’s win, Fulconi was fifth in 1:49.55 and Rosatelli sixth in 1:49.97.

In an extremely close race, LaCount won his 50 free title by three-hundredths of a second and was just six-hundredths ahead of fifth place.

And the NMU A team was sixth and B team seventh in the 400 medley relay, team member names not available.

Friday

The second day was more of a struggle for NMU, which slipped to fourth in the standings.

Still, Ballardin had a two-day total of 64 points after winning the 400 IM and finishing third with the 800 free relay and ninth with the 200 medley relay.

Fulconi had 45 points and Garin 41, while Rocheleau had 38 and Tease 34.

In diving, Northern’s Tobie Stiles won the three-meter with 486.2 points while teammate Diego Carrillo was runner-up with 481.4. Also, the Wildcats’ Travis Thornton was sixth and Ryan Foucault eighth.

In the 400 IM, Ballardin was victorious in 3:51.19 to win by half a pool length, while in the 100 breast, Tease won in 54.08.

And in the 100 back, Rocheleau was sixth in 50.09.

Saturday

On the final day, the Wildcats bumped back up a position to third.

Garin was third in the 1,650 free in 15:30.64, while Rocheleau was fourth in the 200 back in 1:49.44 with Caleb Rice eighth.

Khmara was fifth in the 100 free in 44.92 and Fulconi eighth, while Tease came in second in 2:01.35 in the 200 breast with Rosatelli fourth in 2:02.81 and Nick Metzler sixth.

In the 200 fly, Ballardin added yet another victory in 1:45.48 for a win by nearly two seconds.

And NMU’s A team in the 400 free relay (names not available) was third in 2:55.51 and B team seventh.

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.