Oakland Cracks Men's 400 Medley Relay with a 3:08.57 on Day 3 of Horizon League Championships
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By Spencer Penland on SwimSwam
2025 Horizon League Championships
- Dates: Wednesday, February 19–Saturday, February 22
- Location: IU Natatorium, Indianapolis, IN
- Defending Champions: Oakland women (11x); Oakland men (11x)
- Psych Sheets
- Live Results (Available on MeetMobile)
- Live Video: ESPN+
- Championship Central
- Fan Guide
- Teams: Cleveland State, IU Indianapolis, Northern Kentucky*, Oakland, UW-Green Bay, UW-Milwaukee, Youngstown State
- Results: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3
- Recaps: Day 1 | Day 2
TEAM SCORES (THRU DAY 3)
WOMEN
- Oakland – 545
- Milwaukee – 453
- Cleveland State – 355.5
- IUPUI – 326.5
- Youngstown State – 317
- Green Bay – 158
MEN
- Oakland – 656
- IUPUI – 450
- Cleveland State – 327
- Milwaukee – 311
- Youngstown State – 278
- Green Bay – 224
- Northern Kentucky – 106
The 3rd day of the 2025 Horizon League Championships saw the 11-time defending champion Oakland Golden Grizzlies stay in control of the meet. Oakland’s men’s team has their 12th-straight title all but locked up, entering the final day of the meet up 206 points on IUPUI. The women’s team is firmly in control, but holds a much smaller lead, coming into Saturday leading Milwaukee by 92 points.
There was a pair of Horizon League records that fell on Friday, both coming in men’s events. Oakland set a new meet record in the men’s 400 medley relay, seeing Harry Nicholson (46.70),Christopher Palvadre (52.09), Sofus Balladone (46.80), and Charlie Brown (42.98) combine for a 3:08.57. They cracked the previous meet record of 3:09.17, which IUPUI set last year. Moreover, the Golden Grizzlies won that race by 7 seconds, impressively putting up the fastest split in the field on each of the legs.
3 of the members of that Oakland relay won individual events tonight. Nicholson took the men’s 100 back in 46.62, winning by 1.2 seconds. The performance marks a career best for Nicholson. Prior to prelims this morning, when he went 46.73, Nicholson hadn’t been under 47 seconds before.
Palvadre was the 100 breast champion tonight, swimming a 52.83. With the performance, Palvadre clipped his previous best of 52.99, which he swam at the US Open a few months ago.
At the beginning of tonight’s finals session, Balladone won a tight race in the men’s 100 fly. He swam a 47.10, touching out Youngstown State freshman Jacob Grimer by 0.03 seconds. The event was very deep tonight, seeing Cleveland State’s Paddy Johnston come in 3rd with a 47.22, while Milwaukee freshman Caleb Carlisle swam a 47.26 for 3rd.
IUPUI’s Sebastian Otero was the other record breaker this evening. Otero won men’s 1-meter diving with a score of 414.15, winning the event comfortably and setting a new meet record.
IUPUI sophomore Nathan Rariden beat out Oakland senior Jonas Cantrell in the men’s 200 free tonight. Rariden clocked a 1:35.41, beating out Cantrell (1:35.95), who was the 500 free champion from last night. For Rariden, it was a massive swim, blowing away his previous best of 1:37.08, which he swam in prelims this morning.
Cleveland State’s Jackson Nester picked up a win in the men’s 400 IM, swimming a very quick 3:45.98. He narrowly missed the meet record of 3:45.73, which has stood since 2015, but did crack his own CSU program record and won his 4th-straight Horizon League title in the event.
Oakland senior Jordyn Shipps got the Golden Grizzlies out to a great start tonight, earning a win in the first event of the session. Shipps took the women’s 100 fly by over a second, ripping a 53.23. She was just off her career best of 53.04, which she swam at last year’s meet and stands as the meet record in the event.
Youngstown State’s Miriam Frass earned the Penguins first win of the night in the women’s 400 IM, where she swam a 4:18.91. The performance marks a huge personal best, blowing away her previous mark of 4:21.37, which she set at last year’s Horizon League Championships.
After winning the women’s 500 free in record fashion last night, IUPUI senior Emmaleigh Zietlow won the women’s 200 free decisively tonight, swimming a 1:46.95. She narrowly missed the meet record of 1:46.73, but won the race by over 3 seconds.
Milwaukee then stood atop the podium in the women’s 100 breast, Gabrielle LePine clocked a 1:01.01, winning the race by well over a second.
Oakland freshman Grace Albrecht took the women’s 100 back in 54.19, finishing just off her career best of 54.08.
Though Oakland won 2 of the stroke 100s tonight, it was Milwauke that won the women’s 400 medley relay, thanks in large part to LePine. Mara Freeman led the team off in 55.16, then LePine ripped a 1:00.58 on the breast leg, followed by Maddi Hayashi in 53.61 on fly, and Janelle Schulz anchored in 49.78. They finished in 3:39.13, coming close to the meet record of 3:38.59.
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