2025 Summit League Fan Guide: The Denver Dynasty Continues
02/18/2025 04:48 PM
By James Sutherland on SwimSwam
2025 Summit League Championships
- Dates: Wednesday, February 19–Saturday, February 22
- Location: Campus Recreation & Wellness Center, Iowa City, IA
- Defending Champions: Denver women (12x); Denver men (11x)
- Live Results
- Live Video: Summit League Network
- Championship Central
- Teams: Denver, Eastern Illinois, Nebraska-Omaha, South Dakota, South Dakota State, Southern Indiana, St. Thomas
It was a dominant showing for the Denver women last year as the Pioneers rolled to their 12th straight Summit League Championship title, while the men’s team got a scare from Lindenwood but emerged with an 11th consecutive title by 48 points.
Continuing the streak for both Denver teams appears to be imminent this year as the only real challenger for their squad last year was the Lindenwood men, which cut their program at the end of last season.
EVENT SCHEDULE
Wednesday
- Women's 1-meter diving
- 200 medley relay
- 800 free relay
Thursday
- 500 free
- 200 IM
- 50 free
- Men's 1-meter diving
- 200 free relay
Friday
- 100 fly
- 400 IM
- 200 free
- 100 breast
- 100 back
- Women's 3-meter diving
- 400 medley relay
Saturday
- 1650 free
- 200 back
- 100 free
- 200 breast
- 200 fly
- Men's 3-meter diving
- 400 free relay
SWIMMERS TO WATCH
WOMEN:
Jessica Maeda, Senior, Denver – Maeda is undefeated individually in Summit League Championship competition, having swept the women’s 100 breast, 200 breast and 200 IM at the last three conference meets. Maeda leads the Summit League this season in both breaststrokes, having posted times of 1:01.94 in the 100 breast and 2:11.65 in the 200 breast at the Minnesota Invite, but sits 2nd to teammate Mina Ada Solaker in the 200 IM, 2:02.32 to 2:02.66. Maeda won the 2024 conference title over Solaker, 2:00.61 to 2:01.52, so this will be a race to watch as Solaker is likely all that stands in the way of Maeda going 12-for-12 in her collegiate career. The senior will also be key as the breast swimmer on Denver’s medley relays.
Mina Ada Solaker, Junior, Denver – Solaker, as mentioned above, leads the Summit League this season in the 200 IM, and holds the same position in the 200 back (1:58.26) and 400 IM (4:15.32) to make her a candidate for an individual sweep, with her teammate Maeda being her biggest hurdle. She is the defending champion in the 400 IM and was 4th in the 200 back last year, and has lowered her best times in both this season. Her 200 IM PB remains at 2:01.52 from the 2024 Summit League Champs.
Emily Kahn, Senior, South Dakota – Kahn comes in as the two-time defending champion in the women’s 50 and 100 free, and will be hunting down a three-peat in both, though it will be a tall task. Kahn leads the conference this season in the 50 free, being the sole swimmer sub-23 in 22.94, but sits 2nd in the 100 free, with Denver’s Ines Marin leading the pack in 49.87 to Kahn’s 50.06. Kahn set her personal best times of 22.62 and 49.58 at the 2024 championships, so she knows how to step up when it counts. The only question will be if Marin can get under 49.5 in the 100 to challenge her. Kahn also leads the conference this season in the 100 fly after setting a PB of 55.10 in November—she didn’t race the event last year, instead taking 3rd in the 200 free. The defending champion, Denver’s Ali Beay, ranks 3rd this season in 55.44 after going 54.27 to win last season.
MEN:
Marco Nosack, Senior, Denver – Nosack finished on the podium in all three of his individual events last season, but had no wins for the first time in his conference championship career. He was the runner-up in the 200 and 400 IM, and placed 3rd in the 200 breast, but in his senior year, he’s poised to challenge for victories across the board. Nosack is the fastest man in the conference this season in the 200 breast by more than two seconds in 1:56.95, leads the 200 IM rankings by two seconds in 1:46.72, and sits 2nd to teammate Nico Morton in the 400 IM, 3:52.37 to 3:53.16. In 2022 as a freshman, Nosack swept the three events at the Summit League Champs, and as a sophomore, he repeated in the medley events. As a senior, he’ll be looking to reclaim his titles in all three.
Kieran Watson, Senior, Denver – The defending champion in the 200, 500 and 1650 free, Watson is favored to have an individual sweep again this year, with his only potential challenge coming in the mile. He set best times of 1:36.89 in the 200 free and 4:19.52 in the 500 free en route to conference titles in 2024, and ranks 1st this season with 1:37.53/4:21.46 clockings from the Minnesota Invite. In the 1650, Watson hit a best of 15:00.57 last March at the Minnesota Last Chance meet after winning conference by 20 seconds in 15:01.61, but he hasn’t been close to that this season. His teammate Joe Hancock went 15:07.52 at the Minnesota Invite, while Watson could only muster a time of 15:42.96, so it remains to be seen if Watson can get back to his peak form in the mile—he swam it again at the Denver First Chance Meet in early February, clocking 15:44.01 (15:24.01 altitude-adjusted).
Hamish McLellan, Freshman, Denver – An Australian freshman, McLellan holds down the top seed coming into the meet in the men’s 100 fly, having clocked a time of 47.39 at the Minnesota Invite in December. The top two finishers from last year’s final aren’t in the field, so the door is open for McLellan, with Denver teammate Brandon Chapman, 5th in 2024, seeded 2nd at 47.81. The 2024 3rd and 4th-place finishers, South Dakota’s Jacob Carlson and Grant Wolner, rank 5th and 8th, respectively, this season with times of 48.61 and 49.00. McLellan will also be a threat in the 50 free and 100 free, ranked 3rd in both this season.
SHOWDOWNS
WOMEN:
100 Freestyle
As noted above, the women’s 100 free will be an exciting battle with the two-time defending champion Kahn and the conference’s fastest swimmer this season, Ines Marin. Marin has been consistent this season, first breaking 50 for the first time in December (49.87) and then clocking 50.48 against BYU in January and following up with a 50.09 in February at the Denver First Chance meet. Kahn has the faster best time at 49.58, but Marin is on form, so it should be a tight race. Omaha’s Payton Easley (50.25) and Denver’s Kali Metuzals (50.79) are the 3rd and 4th seeds.
100 Backstroke
The 100 back appears to be wide open as the reigning champion, Lindenwood’s Stephanie Marks, has graduated after winning the 2024 title by more than a second. Omaha’s Hailey Matthews leads the conference this season in 54.80, and she was actually faster than everyone outside of Marks at the 2024 championships, but only swam it on the 400 medley relay (54.98). If she opts for the 100 back individually this year, she likely has the edge as the favorite over last year’s runner-up Ali Beay, who ranks #2 this season in 55.14. South Dakota’s Grace Schultz was 6th last year but is coming off hitting a PB of 55.28 in November to rank 3rd in the conference.
200 Butterfly
Last year’s 200 fly champion, Denver’s Sarah Turchanik, isn’t in the field to defend her title this year, opening the door for a potential showdown with three fellow Pioneers. Mia Moulden is the fastest swimmer in the Summit League this season (2:01.01), and will be out for redemption after she was disqualified in the prelims of this event last year. Moulden went on to swim the 200 fly in a time trial at the championships in 2:00.68, significantly faster than Turchanik went to win (2:02.38). Moulden owns a best time of 1:57.97 from late 2022, but hasn’t been sub-2:00 since (though her 2:01.01 from this season is 1:59.81 altitude-adjusted). Moulden’s challengers will be Denver teammates Sabrina Rachjaibun and Daniela Alfaro Saldana. Rachjaibun was 2nd last year and ranks 2nd this season in 2:01.83, while Alfaro Saldana is coming off a season-best of 2:02.99 (2:01.79 altitude-adjusted) earlier this month at the Denver First Chance meet.
MEN:
100 Backstroke
The men’s 100 back was a three-horse race last year with South Dakota’s Adam Fisher coming out on top in 47.58, and he’s back in the field this year, seeded 7th with a time of 48.76. Leading the Summit League this season is Nebraska Omaha’s Stefan Varga, a Swede who previously competed for TCU, who went 47.96 at the A3 Performance Invitational. The 2024 3rd-place finisher Dylan Wright was 47.93 in the 2024 final and ranks 2nd this season at 48-flat, with five other men having been sub-49 making this an exciting race.
100 Breaststroke
The top five finishers from the 2024 final aren’t in the field, making the 100 breast wide open. South Dakota’s Jack Berdahl was 7th last season in 54.56, but leads the Summit League this season in 54.36, the only swimmer sub-55. He set a best time of 53.64 in the 2023 final to place 3rd, making him the odds-on favorite, though there are plenty of others within striking distance. Five swimmers have been 55-point this season, led by South Dakota State’s Nik Keuser (55.06) and South Dakota’s Grant Wolner (55.09). Keuser owns a PB of 54.28, while Wolner has been as fast as 54.04.
100 Freestyle
In another event where most of last year’s ‘A’ final isn’t in the field, the top returning swimmer in the men’s 100 free is Frank Tirone, who was 7th last year and also leads the Summit League this season in 44.36. His teammates Matijka Pantic (44.77), McLellan (44.82) and Chapman (44.99) are all contenders for the win, while South Dakota’s James Schreiber (45.11) and David Mayer (45.17) are close behind. Tirone went a PB of 43.99 at the 2023 championships, and it will likely take another sub-44 swim to secure the win.
SWIMSWAM PICKS
When it comes down to the team standings, there aren’t any showdowns on the horizon after Lindenwood gave the Denver men a scare last year.
Without Lindenwood, the Denver men should cruise to victory and win most of the events, while the women are projected to win the meet by some 300 points.
South Dakota should be safe in the runner-up position on both sides, while the Nebraska Omaha women and South Dakota State men look comfortable in 3rd.
WOMEN:
- Denver
- South Dakota
- Nebraska Omaha
MEN:
- Denver
- South Dakota
- South Dakota State
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