Day 2: GCU sees continuous improvements in Oxford

Friday, December 3

Oxford, Ohio

Prelims 9 A.M. ET / Finals 5 P.M. ET

Grand Canyon

Miami (OH)

12/3/2021 7:00:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving

By: Chelsie Davidson

OXFORD, Ohio – The Grand Canyon swimming and diving teams finished Day 2 of the Miami Invitational at Corwin M. Nixon Aquatic Center in Oxford, Ohio, by earning three NCAA B cuts, 16 National Invitational swimming cuts and a plethora of lifetime bests.

The first record for the Lopes was set in the 200-yard medley relay, as Briana Rittenbach, Raphaela Nakashima, Emily Muteti and Maria Brunlehner won the event in 1 minute, 40.30 seconds, dropping 3.79 seconds off their season-best time. Their first-place finish broke the school record of 1:40.44, set in 2014.

Nakashima and Brunlehner earned NCAA B cuts in the 100 breaststroke. Nakashima swam a time of 1:01.75 in the morning's preliminary heats. The Brazilian native ended the day with a win in the finals (1:01.33) after shedding seconds of her time. Brunlehner placed second behind Nakashima with a time of 1:01.39.

Junior Abigail Erickson won the 1-meter final event with a total of 255.05 points, while freshman Shiori Bak placed fifth with a score of 215.90.

The men's team was highlighted by senior Adrian Curbelo Tejera's performance in the 100 butterfly. The Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, native won the 100 butterfly finals and swam a 46.98 in the preliminary heat to earn himself an NCAA B cut. Armstrong placed third in the finals for the men's team with a time of 47.67.

Talk about shedding time. Junior Mikhail Lyubavskiy won the 400 individual medley with a time of 3:51.52, beating his preliminary time by 7.40 seconds. Carazo Barbero shaved 8.18 seconds off his final time of 3:54.92 to earn second place.

Senior Dylan Nasser won the 100 backstroke with a time of 48.86, while classmate Florent Janin won the 200-yard freestyle final (1:37.23) claiming one of the five NIT B cuts earned by GCU.

GCU swept the 3-meter diving event, highlighted by sophomore Isaac Poole's win with a total of 310.05 points. Classmates Nicholas Gunn (290.7) and Reece Robles (272.5) earned second and third, respectively.

The men closed out Day 2, placing first and second in the 800 freestyle relay with team A dropping 10.33 seconds while team B shed a hefty 15.33 seconds.

Up next, the Lopes will compete in nine events on the third and final day of the Miami Invitational. Preliminaries will begin at 7 a.m. (Phoenix time) with finals scheduled to start at 3 p.m. (Phoenix time).