JACKRABBITS RETURN TO THE WATER AT USD

Saturday, January 22

Vermillion, S.D.

1 p.m.

South Dakota State University

South Dakota

1/20/2022 4:30:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving

South Dakota State at South Dakota (Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving Duals)

When	Saturday, Jan. 22 \| 11 a.m. (diving events)/1 p.m. (swimming events)
Where	DakotaDome Pool \| Vermillion, South Dakota
TV	GoYotes.com/watch
Results	GoYotes.com \| Meet Mobile
Meet Notes	See Below \| The Summit League
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram

The South Dakota State University swimming and diving teams return to competition for the first time in two months Saturday, traveling to in-state rival South Dakota for a dual meet.

The diving portion of the meet is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. at the DakotaDome Pool in Vermillion, followed by swimming events at 1 p.m. Video streaming of the dual can be viewed online at GoYotes.com/watch.

SDSU last competed Nov. 18-20 at the Augustana Invitational in Sioux Falls, a meet in which the men's and women's squads combined to set six school records. Individually, Elisabeth Timmer established new top marks in women's program history in both the 50-yard (23.08 seconds) and 100 freestyle (50.45 seconds), while Kelsey Kocon added a record-setting performance in the 100 backstroke (56.04 seconds).

Timmer also swam the leadoff leg of the Jackrabbits' winning 200 freestyle relay, teaming with Emma Bachelder, Katie Pattee and Grace Witherspoon for a school-record time of 1 minute, 33.71 seconds.

The Jackrabbit men also set a new standard in the 200 freestyle relay at the Augustana Invitational as the quartet of Alex Kraft, Charles Sieglaff, Rafael Negri and Eric Anderson combined to clock a runner-up time of 1:21.17.

Individually on the men's side, Anderson turned in a school-record time of 44.22 seconds in the 100 freestyle en route to winning the event.

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK: Jackrabbit swimmers and divers have combined for 11 TicketSmarter Summit League Athlete of the Week awards so far this season.

Leading the way is junior Elisabeth Timmer, who has been honored four times with the women's swimmer of the week award. A native of Savaneta, Aruba, Timmer is undefeated in the 50 freestyle in seven starts so far this season.

In the men's division, Spencer Fritze earned back-to-back diver of the week honors on Nov. 16 and 23 to lead the Jackrabbits.

Following is a complete list of TicketSmarter Summit League Athlete of the Week award winners:

Aleni Stoakes – Women's Diver of the Week (Oct. 5)
Elisabeth Timmer – Women's Swimmer of the Week (Oct. 12, Oct. 19, Nov. 9, Nov. 23)
Eric Anderson – Men's Swimmer of the Week (Nov. 9)
Zach Boyd – Men's Diver of the Week (Nov. 9)
Alex Kraft – Men's Swimmer of the Week (Nov. 16)
Spencer Fritze – Men's Diver of the Week (Nov. 16, Nov. 23)
Erik Thompson – Men's Diver of the Week (Oct. 12)

DAVIS, OCON REJOIN SQUAD: The Jackrabbit women's swimming and diving team is expected to be bolstered by the midseason return of two veterans. Both Kristen Davis and Liezl Ocon rejoined the squad at semester break and will complete their eligibility this winter.

Davis, a native of Durban, South Africa, placed third in the 100 butterfly, fourth in the 200 fly and sixth in the 400 IM at last season's Summit League Swimming and Diving Championships. She also was a key contributor on the Jackrabbits' runner-up 200 and 400 medley relays.

Ocon, from Winnipeg, Manitboa, placed ninth in the 200 butterfly at the 2021 league meet, while also competing individually in the 100 fly and 400 individual medley.

SUMMIT LEAGUE POLLS: The South Dakota State women's swimming and diving team has been picked to finish second in the 2021-22 Summit League race and the men's squad has been tabbed third, according to preseason polls conducted among the league's head coaches.

The Jackrabbit women are coming off a second-place finish at last season's Summit League Championship and received one first-place vote in this year's survey.

Defending champion Denver received the five other first-place votes to finish with 25 points. SDSU was second with 20 points, followed by South Dakota with 18 points. The remainder of the poll consisted of Omaha (13 points), newcomer St. Thomas (8 points) and Eastern Illinois (6 points).

In the men's division, defending champion South Dakota earned the nod in the top spot with four first-place votes and 23 points. Denver received two first-place votes en route to the second spot with 21 points, with the Jackrabbits third with 16 points.

Omaha (12), St. Thomas (10) and Eastern Illinois (8) rounded out the men's poll.

The Jackrabbit men's squad also placed second at last year's league championships.

In addition, SDSU had a pair of representatives in both divisions on the list of Summit League Swimmers and Divers to Watch. On the women's side,Elisabeth Timmer and Kelsey Kocon were honored.

Timmer, a junior from Savaneta, Aruba, was honored as the Summit League Women's Swimmer of the Week three times last season en route to earning all-league honors in the sprint freestyle events and four relays. She is the school record holder in the 50 freestyle and also is a member of the Jackrabbits' record-setting 200 freestyle relay.

Kocon, a sophomore from St. Michael, Minnesota, was a top performer in the backstroke events last season before being hampered by an injury.

Representing the Jackrabbit men were junior diver Zach Boyd and senior swimmer Alex Kraft. An Omaha native, Boyd was honored as the 2021 Summit League Men's Diver of the Year after winning conference titles on both the 1- and 3-meter boards. He also earned NCAA Zones qualifying scores in both events.

Kraft, a senior from Shakopee, Minnesota, has been a mainstay in the Jackrabbit lineup in the freestyle and breaststroke events throughout his career. He earned all-Summit League recognition as a member of the 800 freestyle relay team last season.

The 2022 Summit League Swimming and Diving Championships are slated for Feb. 16-19 in West Fargo, North Dakota.

COACH HUMPHREY: Doug Humphrey is in his fifth season as head coach of the South Dakota State men's and women's swimming and diving teams.

Last season, the Jackrabbits recorded runner-up finishes at the Summit League Swimming and Diving Championships in both the men's and women's divisions, continuing an upward trend in the standings. SDSU had previously finished third in the men's race in each of Humphrey's previous seasons on deck with the Jackrabbits, along with a pair of third-place performances on the women's side.

Prior to SDSU, Humphrey served as the head women's swimming and diving coach at Northern Iowa for five seasons. His Panther squads showed steady progression in the Missouri Valley Conference, including posting back-to-back third-place finishes at the conference championship his final two seasons in Cedar Falls.

Humphrey served as the assistant swimming coach at the University of Nebraska from 2000-12 under Olympic gold medalist Pablo Morales. He swam for the Huskers from 1991-96 and later served as a graduate assistant coach at his alma mater.

A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits are scheduled to compete Jan. 28-29 at the USD Last Chance Meet, in what will be their final tune-up before next month's Summit League Swimming and Diving Championships.

The two-day USD Last Chance Meet will be held in Sioux Falls at the Midco Aquatic Center.

-GoJacks.com-