JACKRABBITS READY FOR SUMMIT CHAMPIONSHIPS

Wednesday, February 21

Minneapolis, Minn.

10 a.m./6 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Summit League Championships

Swim Splice Summit Preview Teaser featuring Gigi Hioki and Denilson Cyprianos

2/20/2024 9:43:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving

SUMMIT LEAGUE SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

When	Wednesday-Saturday, Feb. 21-24 5:30 p.m. Wednesday 10 a.m. Prelims/5:30 p.m. Finals Thursday-Saturday
Where	Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center \| Minneapolis, Minnesota
Live Video	Summit League Network (subscription required)
Results	Live Results \| Meet Mobile Women's Season Performance List \| Men's Season Performance List
Meet Notes	Summit League Championship Page
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram

MINNEAPOLIS — South Dakota State will be in search of top times and high marks when it competes at the Summit League Swimming and Diving Championships this week. The four-day meet will be contested at the University of Minnesota's Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center.

The meet begins at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday with a limited program featuring the 200 medley and 800 freestyle relays, as well as men's 1-meter diving. Competition Thursday through Saturday will consist of a prelims-finals format with sessions starting at 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Video coverage of the championships will be available online through the Summit League Network powered by Midco Sports Plus (subscription required).

Denver is the defending champion in both the men's and women's divisions. SDSU will attempt to improve upon a fourth-place finish out of eight men's teams, while the Jackrabbit women placed fifth.

THE SCHEDULE: Following is the event schedule for the 2024 Summit League Swimming and Diving Championships

Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
200 Medley Relay (W/M)	500 Freestyle (W/M)	100 Butterfly (W/M)	1,650 Freestyle (W/M)
1-Meter Diving (M)	200 Ind. Medley (W/M)	400 Ind. Medley (W/M)	200 Backstroke (W/M)
800 Freestyle Relay (W/M)	50 Freestyle (W/M)	200 Freestyle (W/M)	100 Freestyle (W/M)
	1-Meter Diving (W)	100 Breaststroke (W/M)	200 Breaststroke (W/M)
	200 Freestyle Relay (W/M)	100 Backstroke (W/M)	200 Butterfly (W/M)
		3-Meter Diving (M)	3-Meter Diving (W)
		400 Medley Relay (W/M)	400 Freestyle Relay (W/M)

HIGH MARKS: Heading into the Summit League Championships, 10 Jackrabbits hold top-five individual times in various individual swimming events. Denilson Cyprianos leads the Jackrabbit men with a top-five seed in four different events.

In the women's division, Sianne Downes and freshman Gigi Hioki each hold a pair of top-five times.

Men

Eric Anderson – 50 freestyle, fourth, :20.16
Denilson Cyprianos – 200 backstroke, third, 1:46.72; 1,650 freestyle, third, 15:51.02; 200 freestyle, fourth, 1:39.02; 500 freestyle, fourth, 4:31.63;
Jack Ellison – 1,650 freestyle, fourth, 15:52.03; 500 freestyle, fifth, 4:33.27
Sam Johnson – 200 freestyle, fifth, 1:39.19
Braxton McGrath – 200 butterfly, fourth, 1:49.22
Austin Smith – 200 individual medley, fourth, 1:48.06
Cody Vertin – 200 breaststroke, third, 1:59.34; 400 individual medley, fifth, 3:58.54

Women

Kaylin de Almeida – 400 individual medley, fourth, 4:28.03
Sianne Downes – 200 backstroke, second, 1:59.79; 100 backstroke, fourth, :55.82
Gigi Hioki – 1,650 freestyle, fourth, 17:30.43; 500 freestyle, fifth, 5:00.29

ALL-LEAGUE PERFORMERS RETURN: A total of 11 Jackrabbit swimmers — eight men and three women — have previously earned all-Summit League honors based on top-three performances either individually or as a member of a relay team.

Men

Eric Anderson — 200 freestyle relay, 800 freestyle relay (2022); 50 freestyle (2023)
Marcus Benson — 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke (2021)
Aiden Carstensen – 100 backstroke (2023)
Denilson Cyprianos – 200 backstroke (2023)
Sam Johnson — 200 freestyle, 800 freestyle relay (2022)
Rafael Negri — 200 freestyle relay (2022)
Charles Sieglaff — 200 medley relay (2021); 200 freestyle relay (2022)
Austin Smith — 100 individual medley, 800 freestyle relay (2022); 100 IM (2023)

Women

Emma Bachelder — 200 freestyle relay, 400 freestyle relay, 800 freestyle relay (2021); 200 freestyle relay (2022)
Sianne Downes — 100 backstroke (2021); 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke (2022)
Emma Walz – 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay (2021)

Downes is the lone individual champion in the above group, claiming the women's 100 backstroke title in 2021.

SCHOOL RECORDS FALL: South Dakota State swimmers re-wrote the Jackrabbit record book a total of six times during competition Nov. 16-18 at the Augie Invite in Sioux Falls.

In all, the Jackrabbit men set five school records over the three-day meet and won 10 event titles en route to the team title. Sianne Downes also set a new SDSU standard in the 200-yard backstroke in the women's division.

Freshman Cody Vertin established two records for the Jackrabbit men in the 400 individual medley and the 200 breaststroke. His record time of 3 minutes, 58.54 seconds during the Friday prelims for the 400 IM eclipsed the longest-standing individual record on the SDSU record board. The previous standard of 3:59.30 by Chris Schreier had stood since 2012.

In the 200 breaststroke, Vertin clocked a time of 1:59.58 in the Saturday morning prelims to become the first Jackrabbit swimmer to go under the 2-minute mark. The Brookings native then shaved another .24 seconds off his morning time to win the event title in 1:59.34 during the evening session to further distance himself from previous record holder Wyatt Rumrill (2:00.26 in 2019).

SDSU's first two record-setting performances came in back-to-back during the finals session on the opening day of competition. Denilson Cyprianos set a new Jackrabbit mark in the 500-yard freestyle by clocking a winning time of 4 minutes, 31.63 seconds. That bettered the previous mark of 4:31.87 set by Alex Kraft last season. Cyprianos led an SDSU sweep of the top three spots and five of the top eight placings in the event.

Austin Smith then followed with a record-setting performance in the 200 individual medley, bettering his own record in the event by .12 seconds with a winning time of 1:48.06.

The final men's record to fall was the 400 freestyle relay, where the Jackrabbit quartet of Rafael Negri, Eric Anderson, Liam Murray and Sam Johnson blazed to a combined winning time of 2:58.97. The previous Jackrabbit mark of 2:59.62 set by Ben Bolinske, Pierce Oja, Tony Mikrut and Daniel Jacobson had stood since 2016.

Downes, meanwhile, trimmed 1.31 seconds off the 200 backstroke she set last season with a time of 1:59.79 during the Saturday morning prelims. A senior from Edenvale, South Africa, she fell slightly off that pace during the evening session, but still led a Jackrabbit sweep of the top three spots with a winning time of 2:00.74. Kelsey Kocon finished second in 2:02.53 and Kaylin de Almeida placed third in 2:03.20.

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK: Four South Dakota State student-athletes have been honored so far this season as TicketSmarter Summit League Men's Peak Swimmer/Diver of the Week.

Freshman Reece Reid was the first Jackrabbit honored as he received the men's diving award Oct. 10.

The first swimmer to be recognized was senior Sianne Downes, who earned the weekly women's award Oct. 24.

Men's swimmers Jack Ellison (Nov. 7) and Denilson Cyprianos (Nov. 21) have rounded out the Jackrabbit list of league award winners.

A LOOK AHEAD: A number of Jackrabbits are expected to close out the season by competing at the CSCAA National Invitational Championship March 14-16 in Ocala, Florida.

-GoJacks.com-