TicketsDALLAS, Texas— Junior Hunter Gubeno, Freshman Grace Gavin, and the men's 200-yard freestyle relay team broke school records as the University of Cincinnati men's and women's swimming and diving teams earned six medals on day four of the AAC Swimming and Diving Championships on Thursday.
At the end of day, four the Bearcats have earned nine medals as the men's team sits second in the team standings with 465 points, while the UC women are seventh with 285 points.
"The team performed so well tonight," head coach Mandy Commons-DiSalle said. "Moving up in place from prelims to finals and getting up on the podium was really exciting. It is a huge energy boost for us to get those medals at the finals. It was a great session for us tonight."
Gubeno won a bronze in the men's 200-yard individual medley with a time of 1:45.16, breaking the Cincinnati program record. He originally broke the record in the preliminary round with a time of 1:45.16 and then re-broke it in the finals. His finals time is also an NCAA 'B' standard qualifying time.
Gubeno has already racked four medals as part of the 800-yard freestyle relay, 200-yard medley relay, and the 200-yard freestyle relay and his individual one in the 200-yard individual medley with two more days of competition left.
Gavin became the first Bearcat woman to swim a sub-2-minute 200-yard individual medley as she broke the program record with a time of 1:59.34. The freshman now holds two school records as she broke the women's 100-yard backstroke (54.35) earlier this season. Gavin earned a bronze medal for her swim and her record time is an NCAA 'B' standard qualifying time.
Senior Michael Balcerak successfully defended his AAC crown the 500-yard freestyle for the third straight year and claimed the first gold medal of the 2023 AAC Championships with a time of 4:20.65. His time is also the third fastest in school history and is an NCAA 'B' standard time.
Balcerak joins the like of former Bearcats Dominic Polling and Chris Bready as the only UC men's swimmer to ever win three AAC titles in a row in the same event.
Senior Kevin Leibold joined Balcerak on the podium in the 500-yard freestyle as he placed third overall with a time of 4:23.13, the seventh fastest time in school history.
Junior Drew Hawthorne swam the second-fastest 50-yard freestyle in school history as he placed third overall in the event. Hawthorne recorded a time of 19.82 seconds, as he became the first Bearcat since Josh Schneider set the UC record (18.93) to break the 20-second mark.
Cincinnati closed out day four of the AAC Championships with a pair of podium finishes on the men's and women's 200-yard freestyle relays. The men's team of Balcerak, Gubeno, Hawthorne and freshman Jet Fuhrmann broke the Cincinnati 200-yard freestyle relay record with a time of 1:19.02 and claimed a silver medal.
The UC women's team of junior Jessica Davis, freshman Joleigh Crye, Kaylee Nagel and Meghan Fleury earned a bronze medal with their time of 1:31.50.
// UP NEXT
Day five prelims begin at 11 a.m. and consist of the men's and women's 100-yard butterfly, 400-yard individual medley, and 200-yard freestyle, 100-yard breaststroke, and 100-yard backstroke. Finals begin at 7 p.m. ET and will and will also feature the 400-yard medley relays. All events will be streamed on ESPN+.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
To stay up to date with the latest swimming and diving news, photos and videos, follow the teams on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@GoBearcatsSwim).
// TEAM STANDINGS- Through Day 4
Men
1. Southern Methodist -502
2. Cincinnati-465
Women
1. Houston 653
2. Florida International (FIU)- 581
3. Southern Methodist- 473
4. Rice- 405
5. East Carolina- 366
6. Florida Atlantic (FAU)- 300
7. Cincinnati- 285
8. North Texas- 241
9. Tulane- 168
// CINCINNATI RESULTS
Place. Name- Time or Diving Score (Team Points)
Day 4 Results
Women's 500-yard Freestyle
14. Maddy Hensler- 4:56.54
20. Ingrid Fretz- 4:57.69
32. Lily Jones- 5:05.45
Men's 500-yard Freestyle
1. Michael Balcerak- 4:20.65
4. Kevin Leibold- 4:23.13
5. Calvin Coetzee- 4:25.96
6. Alex Gonzalez- 4:26.49
7. Ido Gal- 4:27.59
9. Chris Brown- 4:26.02
12. Ricky Williams- 4:28.90
Women's 50-yard Free
4. Jessica Davis- 22.93
11. Joleigh Crye- 23.40
12. Kaylee Nagel- 23.41
19. Meghan Fleury- 23.64
Men's 50-yard Free Prelims
3. Drew Hawthorne- 19.82
8. Jet Fuhrmann- 20.43
10. Thomas Matthew- 20.59
11. Owen Holland- 20.81
12. Mohamed Abdelbaky- 20.85
13. Drew Harris- 21.21
Women's 200-yard IM Prelims
3. Grace Gavin- 1:59.34
20. Ella Chown- 2:03.63
22. Logan Lawhorn- 2:04.71
Men's 200-yard IM Prelims
3. Hunter Gubeno-1:45.16
5. Brogan Robinson- 1:48.86
7. Spencer Sehlhorst- 1:49.07
7. Conner Funke- 1:49.30
11. Jason Allen- 1:50.71
Women's 200-yard Medley Relay
3. Jessica Davis, Joleigh Crye, Kaylee Nagel, Meghan Fleury- 1:31.50
Men's 200-yard Medley Relay
2. Michael Balcerak, Drew Hawthorne, Hunter Gubeno, Jet Fuhrmann- 1:19.02
Day 3 Results
Men's Platform Diving
2. Will Claus- 331.50 (17)
5. Preston Landolt- 230.65 (14)
6. Alex Givens- 229.85 (13)
7. Josh Knapke- 214.30 (12)
Women's Platform
Elizabeth Noble- 155.05 (1)
Men's 800-yard Freestyle Relay
2. Calvin Coetzee, Hunter Gubeno, Ricky Williams, Michael Balcerak- 6:21.56 (34)
Women's 800-yard Freestyle Relay
5. Jessica Davis, Meghan Fleury, Ella Chown, Sophie Curtis- 7:20.54 (50)
Men's 200-yard Medley Relay
2. Hunter Gubeno, Conner Funke, Drew Hawthorne, Jet Fuhrmann- 1:26.74 (34)
Day 2 Results
Men's 1-meter Diving
4. Alex Givens- 293.40 (15)
6. Will Claus- 257.35 (14)
5. Preston Landolt- 248.40 (14)
7. Josh Knapke- 244.10 (12)
Women's 3-Meter Diving
15. Elizabeth Noble 242.25 (12)
Day 1 Results
Men's 3-meter Diving
4. Alex Givens- 297.80 (15)
5. Preston Landolt- 290.20 (14)
6. Will Claus- 286.95 (13)
7. Josh Knapke- 245.10 (12)
Women's 1-meter Diving
26. Elizabeth Noble- 195.15
At the end of day, four the Bearcats have earned nine medals as the men's team sits second in the team standings with 465 points, while the UC women are seventh with 285 points.
"The team performed so well tonight," head coach Mandy Commons-DiSalle said. "Moving up in place from prelims to finals and getting up on the podium was really exciting. It is a huge energy boost for us to get those medals at the finals. It was a great session for us tonight."
Gubeno won a bronze in the men's 200-yard individual medley with a time of 1:45.16, breaking the Cincinnati program record. He originally broke the record in the preliminary round with a time of 1:45.16 and then re-broke it in the finals. His finals time is also an NCAA 'B' standard qualifying time.
Gubeno has already racked four medals as part of the 800-yard freestyle relay, 200-yard medley relay, and the 200-yard freestyle relay and his individual one in the 200-yard individual medley with two more days of competition left.
Gavin became the first Bearcat woman to swim a sub-2-minute 200-yard individual medley as she broke the program record with a time of 1:59.34. The freshman now holds two school records as she broke the women's 100-yard backstroke (54.35) earlier this season. Gavin earned a bronze medal for her swim and her record time is an NCAA 'B' standard qualifying time.
Senior Michael Balcerak successfully defended his AAC crown the 500-yard freestyle for the third straight year and claimed the first gold medal of the 2023 AAC Championships with a time of 4:20.65. His time is also the third fastest in school history and is an NCAA 'B' standard time.
Balcerak joins the like of former Bearcats Dominic Polling and Chris Bready as the only UC men's swimmer to ever win three AAC titles in a row in the same event.
Senior Kevin Leibold joined Balcerak on the podium in the 500-yard freestyle as he placed third overall with a time of 4:23.13, the seventh fastest time in school history.
Junior Drew Hawthorne swam the second-fastest 50-yard freestyle in school history as he placed third overall in the event. Hawthorne recorded a time of 19.82 seconds, as he became the first Bearcat since Josh Schneider set the UC record (18.93) to break the 20-second mark.
Cincinnati closed out day four of the AAC Championships with a pair of podium finishes on the men's and women's 200-yard freestyle relays. The men's team of Balcerak, Gubeno, Hawthorne and freshman Jet Fuhrmann broke the Cincinnati 200-yard freestyle relay record with a time of 1:19.02 and claimed a silver medal.
The UC women's team of junior Jessica Davis, freshman Joleigh Crye, Kaylee Nagel and Meghan Fleury earned a bronze medal with their time of 1:31.50.
// UP NEXT
Day five prelims begin at 11 a.m. and consist of the men's and women's 100-yard butterfly, 400-yard individual medley, and 200-yard freestyle, 100-yard breaststroke, and 100-yard backstroke. Finals begin at 7 p.m. ET and will and will also feature the 400-yard medley relays. All events will be streamed on ESPN+.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
To stay up to date with the latest swimming and diving news, photos and videos, follow the teams on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@GoBearcatsSwim).
// TEAM STANDINGS- Through Day 4
Men
1. Southern Methodist -502
2. Cincinnati-465
Women
1. Houston 653
2. Florida International (FIU)- 581
3. Southern Methodist- 473
4. Rice- 405
5. East Carolina- 366
6. Florida Atlantic (FAU)- 300
7. Cincinnati- 285
8. North Texas- 241
9. Tulane- 168
// CINCINNATI RESULTS
Place. Name- Time or Diving Score (Team Points)
Day 4 Results
Women's 500-yard Freestyle
14. Maddy Hensler- 4:56.54
20. Ingrid Fretz- 4:57.69
32. Lily Jones- 5:05.45
Men's 500-yard Freestyle
1. Michael Balcerak- 4:20.65
4. Kevin Leibold- 4:23.13
5. Calvin Coetzee- 4:25.96
6. Alex Gonzalez- 4:26.49
7. Ido Gal- 4:27.59
9. Chris Brown- 4:26.02
12. Ricky Williams- 4:28.90
Women's 50-yard Free
4. Jessica Davis- 22.93
11. Joleigh Crye- 23.40
12. Kaylee Nagel- 23.41
19. Meghan Fleury- 23.64
Men's 50-yard Free Prelims
3. Drew Hawthorne- 19.82
8. Jet Fuhrmann- 20.43
10. Thomas Matthew- 20.59
11. Owen Holland- 20.81
12. Mohamed Abdelbaky- 20.85
13. Drew Harris- 21.21
Women's 200-yard IM Prelims
3. Grace Gavin- 1:59.34
20. Ella Chown- 2:03.63
22. Logan Lawhorn- 2:04.71
Men's 200-yard IM Prelims
3. Hunter Gubeno-1:45.16
5. Brogan Robinson- 1:48.86
7. Spencer Sehlhorst- 1:49.07
7. Conner Funke- 1:49.30
11. Jason Allen- 1:50.71
Women's 200-yard Medley Relay
3. Jessica Davis, Joleigh Crye, Kaylee Nagel, Meghan Fleury- 1:31.50
Men's 200-yard Medley Relay
2. Michael Balcerak, Drew Hawthorne, Hunter Gubeno, Jet Fuhrmann- 1:19.02
Day 3 Results
Men's Platform Diving
2. Will Claus- 331.50 (17)
5. Preston Landolt- 230.65 (14)
6. Alex Givens- 229.85 (13)
7. Josh Knapke- 214.30 (12)
Women's Platform
Elizabeth Noble- 155.05 (1)
Men's 800-yard Freestyle Relay
2. Calvin Coetzee, Hunter Gubeno, Ricky Williams, Michael Balcerak- 6:21.56 (34)
Women's 800-yard Freestyle Relay
5. Jessica Davis, Meghan Fleury, Ella Chown, Sophie Curtis- 7:20.54 (50)
Men's 200-yard Medley Relay
2. Hunter Gubeno, Conner Funke, Drew Hawthorne, Jet Fuhrmann- 1:26.74 (34)
Day 2 Results
Men's 1-meter Diving
4. Alex Givens- 293.40 (15)
6. Will Claus- 257.35 (14)
5. Preston Landolt- 248.40 (14)
7. Josh Knapke- 244.10 (12)
Women's 3-Meter Diving
15. Elizabeth Noble 242.25 (12)
Day 1 Results
Men's 3-meter Diving
4. Alex Givens- 297.80 (15)
5. Preston Landolt- 290.20 (14)
6. Will Claus- 286.95 (13)
7. Josh Knapke- 245.10 (12)
Women's 1-meter Diving
26. Elizabeth Noble- 195.15