SUMMIT CHAMPIONSHIPS BEGIN WEDNESDAY

Wednesday, February 16

West Fargo, N.D.

10 a.m./6 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Summit League Championships

Swim Champs Teaser 2022 (Sianne Downes, Max White)

2/15/2022 2:30:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving

South Dakota State at Summit League Swimming and Diving Championships

When	Wednesday-Saturday, Feb. 16-19 Wednesday – 3 p.m. Diving Prelims / 6 p.m. Finals Thursday - 10 a.m. Prelims / 6 p.m. Finals Friday – 10 a.m. Prelims / 6 p.m. Finals Saturday – 10 a.m. Prelims / 6 p.m. Finals EVENT SCHEDULE
Where	Hulbert Aquatic Center \| West Fargo, N.D.
TV	TheSummitLeague.org/watch
Results	Meet Mobile
Meet Notes	Summit League Championships Page \| Summit League Preview
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram

Three South Dakota State student-athletes return to defend their league titles and several other Jackrabbits will look to contend for medals this weekend at the Summit League Swimming and Diving Championships.

The four-day event begins Wednesday afternoon and runs through Saturday at Hulbert Aquatic Center in West Fargo, North Dakota. Competition kicks off at 3 p.m. Wednesday with the men's 1-meter diving preliminaries, followed by the finals and a pair of relay finals at 6 p.m. that evening. For the remaining three days, prelims begin at 10 a.m., with event finals at 6 p.m.

Denver is the defending champion on the women's side and South Dakota is the defending men's team champion. SDSU placed second in both divisions to close out an abbreviated 2020-21 season.

DEFENDING CHAMPIONS: Back to defend their Summit League individual titles are Zach Boyd and Max White from the men's squad and Sianne Downes from the women's team.

Boyd is the reigning Summit League Men's Diver of the Year after sweeping the competition at last season's championships. The junior from Omaha will be in search of his third consecutive title on the 1-meter board after winning the event as both a freshman (315.60 points) and sophomore (309.75 points). He also claimed the 3-meter title in 2021 with a score of 329.50 points.

White, a junior from Kokomo, Indiana, won the 200-yard butterfly title at last year's championships in 1 minute, 51.96 seconds.

Downes, a sophomore from Edenvale, South Africa, was the lone Jackrabbit winner on the women's side last season, claiming the 100 backstroke in 56.64 seconds. She is seeded third in the event heading into this year's championships, having improved on her winning time from a year ago at 56.53 seconds. Teammate Kelsey Kocon, who missed the 2021 championships due to injury, is seeded second in the 100 backstroke.

Downes also is seeded third in the 200 backstroke, while Kocon is fourth.

ANDERSON SEEDED FIRST: Freshman Eric Anderson holds the fastest time in a pair of freestyle events entering the Summit League Championships. A Fargo native, Anderson clocked a 50-yard freestyle time of 20.10 seconds at the Augustana Invitational in Sioux Falls in November and added a school-record time of 44.22 seconds in the 100 freestyle at that same meet.

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK: Jackrabbit swimmers and divers combined for 12 TicketSmarter Summit League Athlete of the Week awards this season, with men's diver Zach Boyd the latest to earn the recognition.

A junior from Omaha, Nebraska, Boyd swept the diving events in dual action Jan. 22 at South Dakota. He posted a winning score of 286.35 points on the 3-meter board and claimed the 1-meter title with a score of 260.50 in what was the Jackrabbits' first competition since mid-November.

Boyd earned the league's weekly award for the second time this season and sixth time in his career. He is one of three Jackrabbit men's divers to receive the honor this season, joining Erik Thompson (Oct. 12) and Spencer Fritze (Nov. 16, Nov. 23). Boyd first earned the award this season on Nov. 9.

Leading the way was junior Elisabeth Timmer, who was 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 and is seeded third in the event at the Summit League Swimming and Diving Championships. She also is seeded third in the 100 freestyle and fifth in the 100 butterfly.

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, Jan. 25)
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)

SUMMIT LEAGUE POLLS: The South Dakota State women's swimming and diving team was picked to finish second in the 2021-22 Summit League race and the men's squad was 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.

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: Several Jackrabbits have earned the right to compete at the National Invitational Championships March 10-12 in Elkhart, Indiana. More complete details on the event will be available following the Summit League Swimming and Diving Championships.

-GoJacks.com-