Xavier University Sports: Igniting Passion and Excellence

CINCINNATI – The Xavier men’s and women’s swimming teams are preparing to participate in two competitions to commence the Spring semester, heading across the city to Cincinnati on Friday afternoon to compete against the Bearcats, then proceeding to Louisville on Saturday to encounter Bellarmine and Northern Kentucky.

 

CINCINNATI

• The swimming events against the Bearcats are scheduled to begin on Friday, Jan. 17 at 3:00 p.m. at the Keating Aquatic Center.
• Both Cincinnati teams achieved fourth place at the Big 12 Championships during the program’s inaugural season in the conference.
• In the previous season’s duel, Xavier’s women secured four event victories but lost 211-83, while the men were defeated 231-63.

BELLARMINE AND NKU

• The match against the Knights and the Norse is arranged for Saturday, Jan. 18, with events commencing at 1:00 p.m. at the Mary T. Meagher Aquatic Center.
• Bellarmine’s men’s team finished sixth and the women’s squad came in seventh at the prior season’s ASUN Championship.
• The NKU men’s and women’s swimming teams are in their first season.
• The Musketeers dominated last year’s contest with Bellarmine, with Xavier’s women triumphing in nine out of the eleven events to achieve a 156-46 win. The Musketeer men prevailed in six of the eleven events, closing the meet with a score of 117-87.
• Xavier confronted NKU earlier this season, sweeping all events for team victories on both the men’s and women’s sides.

 

LAST COMPETITION – WOMEN

• Xavier’s last appearance was at the three-day CSU Magnus Cup in November.
• On the first day, Xavier’s A team consisting of Alexis Worrall, Norah Simich, Reese Turner, and Olivia Oyster achieved a time of 1:33.31 in the finals of the 200 free relay, securing fifth place.
• Olivia Oyster set a new school record time during the prelims of the 50 free, surpassing her own record at 22.46. In the A-Final, she improved that time, finishing second with a new school-record time of 22.41. Oyster also led Xavier in the finals of the 50 breast, securing fourth place with a time of 28.98.
• Karlie Dodd finished just behind Oyster in the 50 breast, earning fifth place in the A-Final with a time of 29.04.
• Abby Bocian participated in the C-Final of the 500 free, registering a time of 5:03.10 in the finals.
• Julia Sweetman guided Xavier in the A-Final of the 200 IM, finishing eighth with a time of 2:05.96. Jordyn Libler competed in the B-Final, concluding with a time of 2:04.56.
• Reese Turner, Jordyn Libler, Erin Ritz, and Olivia Oyster ended the first session with a school-record time of 3:39.52 in the 400 medley relay, surpassing a mark previously set by the same team at the Akron Zips Classic, which earned them a third-place finish.
• Xavier amassed 198.5 points, positioning them in third place after the first day of competition.
• Xavier’s women’s team commenced day two of the meet with a time of 1:40.63 in the 200 medley relay featuring Reese Turner, Jordyn Libler, Erin Ritz, and Olivia Oyster, finishing in third place.
• Teegan Madara registered a time of 4:32.35 during the B-final of the 400 IM, achieving 13th place overall.
• Erin Ritz clocked in at 54.54 in the 100 fly, earning a fourth-place finish. Norah Simich came in sixth in the A-Final.
• Alexis Worrall led Xavier in the 200 free finals, securing fifth place with a time of 1:50.40. Olivia Oyster also participated in the A-final, finishing eighth.
• Jordyn Libler recorded the top qualifying time in the 100 breast prelims at 1:01.53, and won in the A-Final with a finish of 1:01.85. Karlie Dodd claimed eighth place in the A-final.
• Reese Turner qualified for the A-Final of the 100 back with a time of 55.15, finishing fifth.
• Olivia Oyster, Norah Simich, Amy Van Son, and Alexis Worrall recorded a time of 7:30.39 in the 800 free relay, concluding in fourth place.
• Xavier registered 451.5 points, holding on to third place after two out of three days.
• On the final day at the Magnus Cup, Teegan Madara’s time of 17:21.01 in the 1,600 free led the Musketeers, securing 13th place.
• Olivia Oyster established a new school record in the prelims of the 100 free, achieving the top qualifying time at 49.53. In the finals, she came in second with a time of 49.67. Oyster also placed eighth in the A-final of the 100 IM with a time of 57.80.
• Erin Ritz recorded a time of 25.07 in the A-Final of the 50 fly, earning eighth place. 
• Reese Turner finished fifth in the A-Final of the 200 back with a time of 2:00.96.
• Jordyn Libler secured a third-place finish in the 200 breast, recording a time of 2:16.27.
• Norah Simich achieved the top qualifying time during prelims of the 200 fly, finishing in 2:00.44. She placed second in the A-Finals with a time of 2:00.27. Erin Ritz finished just behind her in third with a time of 2:01.08.
• Alexis Worrall, Maddy Lathrop, Reese Turner, and Olivia Oyster recorded a time of 3:25.11 in the 400 free relay, concluding the meet with a fifth-place finish!
• Xavier’s women compiled 723.5 points to secure third place out of 13 teams.

LAST COMPETITION – MEN

• The Musketeers’ most recent participation was at the CSU Magnus Cup in November.
• On the first day of the Magnus Cup, Aiden Leamer, Gage Hannewyk, Ethan Saunders, and Kyle Hudson logged a time of 1:21.93 in the 200 free relay, achieving fourth place.
• Brandon Malicki clocked a time of 25.68 in the 50 breast prelims, qualifying for the A-Final where he placed seventh with a time of 25.79.
• Luke Peterson secured second place in the 500 free with a time of 4:29.70. Owen Schwebach also qualified for the Championship final, finishing 10th.
• Aiden Leamer secured third place in the 200 IM with a time of 1:49.89. Nathan Wall also competed in the A-Final, finishing 10th.
• Kyle Hudson’s time of 20.68 in the B-Final of the 50 free led the Musketeers.
• Matt Fralic, Ethan Saunders, Aiden Leamer, and Kyle Hudson wrapped up day one with a third-place finish in the 400 medley relay, concluding with a time of 3:15.44.
• The Musketeers gathered 241 points, currently standing in fourth place after the first day of action.
• The Musketeer men opened the finals on day two with a new meet record in the 200 medley relay, as Matt Fralic, Ethan Saunders, Aiden Leamer, and Kyle Hudson finished in 1:28.01
• Nathan Wall led Xavier in the 400 IM, finishing third with a time of 3:57.38.
• Aiden Leamer set a new school record

• A timing of 47.44 in the preliminaries of the 100 fly marked the leading qualifying time. He improved upon that in the finals, establishing a new school record at 47.27 and securing first place.
• Kyle Hudson finished second in the 200 free A-final, clocking in at 1:38.71. Luke Peterson followed closely behind in third place with a time of 1:38.90.
• Ethan Saunders recorded the top prelim time in the 100 breast, at 54.73. He achieved a time of 54.78 in the A-Final, securing a fifth-place finish. Brandon Malicki also participated in the A-Final, finishing ninth.
• Matt Fralic’s time of 50.00 led Xavier in the 100 back. Matt Adanin also competed in the A-Final, where he placed ninth.
• Xavier’s men’s squad concluded day two with a time of 6:44.33 for Kyle Hudson, Ryan Knipp, Aiden Leamer, and Luke Peterson in the 800 free relay, achieving a fourth-place finish.
• The Musketeer men’s team accumulated 557 points, standing in fourth position after day two of three.
• On day three at CSU, Ethan Leamer came in third in the mile, completing it in 15:57.04. Luke Peterson finished sixth, Owen Schwebach took eighth, and Nick Stroh ended up ninth.
• Brandon Malicki triumphed in the B-Final of the 100 IM, recording a time of 52.01.
• Caleb Petranchuk achieved a timing of 22.95 in the B-Final of the 50 fly, placing 13th overall.
• Nate Finnegan came in eighth in the A-Final of the 200 back with a timing of 1:52.28. Finnegan also led Xavier in the 50 back, clocking in at 24.29.
• Kyle Hudson registered a time of 46.91, securing the top placement in the B-Final of the 100 free.
• Ethan Saunders was the front-runner for the Musketeers in the A-Final of the 200 breast, finishing seventh in 2:03.64. Nathan Wall placed ninth.
• Aiden Leamer achieved the top qualifying time of 1:47.42 in the 200 fly, finishing third in the A-Final with a time of 1:46.65.
• The Xavier men concluded the meet with a fourth-place finish in the 400 free relay, where Kyle Hudson, Ethan Saunders, Aiden Leamer, and Gage Hannewyk secured a time of 3:00.19.
• The Musketeer men finished in fourth place out of 10 teams, accumulating a total of 839 points.

XAVIER MEN

• Eight of the 10 Musketeers who achieved All-BIG EAST last season return to Xavier.
• Ethan Saunders secured the accolade in six events, leading the Musketeers.
• Returning athlete Aiden Leamer also received all-conference recognition in several events and achieved an NCAA B-Cut time in the 200 fly.
• All-BIG EAST selections Matthew Adanin, Gage Hannewyk, Kyle Hudson, Ryan Knipp, Luke Peterson, and Nathan Wall are also back for the Musketeers.
• Xavier garnered 10 gold medals at the previous season’s BIG EAST Championships, achieving a perfect 5-for-5 in first-place finishes in relays, and completed the team standings as runners-up.

XAVIER WOMEN

• Xavier welcomes back six of the nine Musketeers that earned All-BIG EAST last season.
• Olivia Oyster led the Musketeers with all-conference performances in five events during 2023-24, including achieving an NCAA B-Cut time in the 50 free.
• Jordyn Libler and Erin Ritz both achieved All-BIG EAST recognition and each recorded two NCAA B-Cut times at the event as well.
• All-BIG EAST honorees Norah Simich, Reese Turner, and Alexis Worrall are also returning this season.
• At the previous year’s BIG EAST Championships, the Musketeer women secured a program-best five gold medals and set new program records in nine events on their way to a fourth-place finish.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

• Xavier will participate in the final two meets before the 2025 BIG EAST Championships next weekend, facing Miami on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 1:00 PM, and participating in the Butler Invite on Sunday, Jan. 26 at noon.
• Miami’s men recently achieved a first-place finish at the MAC Championships.
• The RedHawk women finished second at last season’s conference championships meet.
• During last season’s dual meet, Xavier claimed four first-place finishes but were defeated by the RedHawks on both sides.
• At the Butler Invite, the Musketeers will compete against BGSU, Eastern Illinois, Lewis, Southern Indiana, UIndy, Valpo, and Butler.
• In the prior season, Xavier’s teams together secured six victories at the Butler Invite, competing against UIndy, Valpo, Lewis, EIU, and Ball State, as well as Butler on the women’s side.
• The Musketeer women triumphed in the meet, clinching the top position out of seven teams. Xavier’s men finished third out of six teams.

BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE UPDATE

• The 2025 BIG EAST Swimming and Diving Championships have been advanced to commence on Monday, February 24, 2025, and will run through Thursday, February 27.
• The championship event will take place at the SPIRE Academy in Geneva, Ohio, just outside of Cleveland, marking the first time since 2021.