Friday's action will begin at 5 PM, and Saturday's meet will start at 10 AM.

Men's Swimming & Diving 11/3/2022 2:00:00 PM Zachary Manning, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

Swim and Dive Teams Set to Host Findlay and Northern Michigan

The men's and women's teams have won back-to-back meets.

DETROIT -- The Wayne State University men's and women's swimming and diving squads will continue their home schedule with a tri-meet against Northern Michigan and Findlay. The three teams will battle on Friday and Saturday, with Friday's action starting at 5 PM and Saturday's meet beginning at 10 AM inside the Matthaei Natatorium.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
Wayne State will have its hands full with the Wildcats and Oilers, as they both come in with strong teams. Northern Michigan's women's team is the reigning GLIAC champion and ranked in the top 15 of the initial CSCAA poll. The Wildcats' men's team finished second at last year's conference meet and is ranked No. 13 in the country. The NMU women have dropped only one meet this season, while the men's squad has collected a pair of victories over Saginaw Valley State.

Findlay has also been strong so far this year. Though the Oilers have swam in just two meets thus far, they have wins over Saginaw Valley State and performed well at the Ohio Invitational. Findlay's men's team is ranked No. 7 in the nation, while the women's team did not appear in the national poll. In last season's conference meet, the Findlay men's team came out on top of the field, while the Oilers' women's team finished second behind only Hillsdale.

LAST MEETING
The Warriors met Northern Michigan a few times last season, including a pair of dual meets in Marquette, Mich. and at the GLIAC Championships. Northern Michigan won both dual meets over the Warriors and finished higher than WSU at the GLIAC Championships on the men's and women's side.

The last time Wayne State swam against Findlay was in 2019-20, where both the men's and women's teams squeaked out victories over the Oilers.

LAST TIME OUT
WSU had an impressive showing in their last meet, which was on Oct. 29 at Ashland. The women's team downed the Eagles 161-71, while the men's team posted a 151-75 win. The women had strong performances across the board, but Barbara Munoz won the 1650 free and 100 fly, while Mikaela Senkus won both the one-meter and three-meter diving competitions. Her strong outing was rewarded, as she was named GLIAC Diver of the Week.

On the men's side, the Warriors got strong performances from Thomas Jackowski and Luka Cvetko. Jackowski won both the 1650 free and 500 free, while Cvetko took the top spots in the 50 free and 100 free.

STRONG START
Wayne State has been stellar to open the 2022-23 campaign, as their only losses are to Division I Oakland in a meet back in early September. Thus far, the Warriors have dual-meet wins over Davenport and Ashland.

However, the Warriors will look to flip the script, as last year's season had a similar storyline heading into this week's action. During the 2021-22 season, Wayne State opened with victories over Davenport and Ashland before falling in a pair of dual meets to Northern Michigan. With a couple ranked teams heading to Detroit, Wayne State will have the opportunity to prove it can compete against some of the top teams in the sport.

NATIONAL RECOGNITION
As the Warriors get ready for the true beginning of their season, they will have a target on their back. Both teams were ranked in the top 20 of the initial College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) poll, which was released on Oct. 14. The Wayne State women's team will start the year at No. 19, while the men's squad will open at No. 20. Both teams will compete against four programs that were ranked or receiving votes in the initial poll.

KEY RETURNERS
Both the men's and women's squads bring back key pieces from last year's teams. The men's team will be headlined by senior Luka Cvetko (Varazdin, Croatia) and junior Michael Wolsek (Trenton, Mich.). Both competed at the NCAA Championships last season, helping the Warriors claim 15th place at the national meet and third at the GLIAC Championships. Last season, Wolsek earned four First Team All-GLIAC honors, along with two Second Team accolades and one Third Team award prior to being a five-time All-American (1 First Team Individual, 1 First Team Relay, and 3 Honorable Mention Relays) at the National Championships. Wolsek earned fifth place in the 100 fly (46.82) at the NCAA Championship meet. For Cvetko, he earned two First Team All-GLIAC awards, one Second Team honor and two Third Team accolades before earning six All-American (1 First Team Individual, 1 First Team Relay, 1 Honorable Mention as an Individual, and 3 Honorable Mention Relays) certificates.

On the women's side, seniors Jordan Fox (Melbourne, Austrailia) and Marina Tarlev (Athens, Greece), along with junior Barbara Munoz (Yumbo, Colombia) should have strong seasons for the Warriors. Fox returns after collecting four individual top-12 finishes at the NCAA Championships. She also earned one First Team All-GLIAC honor, along with five Second Team certificates and one Third Team award.

Tarlev and Munoz will also be key contributors as the duo brings back a wealth of national championship and GLIAC experience. Both swam at the 2022 national championship meet, and the two combined to earn seven All-GLIAC awards. Munoz tallied one First Team honor to go with a pair of Second Team awards, while Tarlev added a First Team honor and three Second Team accolades.

Diving wise, the Warriors should be strong again as juniors Mikaela Senkus (Macomb, Mich. / Utica Academy for International Studies) and Marissa Woida (Lincoln Park, Mich. / Wyandotte Roosevelt) return for another season. At last year's national championship meet, Senkus placed third in the one-meter diving event and 11th on the three-meter board. Woida was also strong for the Green and Gold, notching 16th place in the one-meter diving competition.

FRESH FACES
After a successful 2021-22 campaign, the Warriors will welcome several newcomers to each roster. The men welcomed Quinn Aho (Chassel, Mich. / Houghton), Alex Duhaime (Harrison Township, Mich. / Macomb Dakota), Muhammed Eliwat (Riverview, Mich.), Trevor Frerichs (Pontiac, Mich. / Stoney Creek), Keanu Gorecki (Woodhaven, Mich.), Matt Hernandez (Lake Orion, Mich.), Thomas Jackowski (Wroclaw, Poland), Andy Maiz (Northville, Mich.), Mitchell, McMath (Midland, Mich.), and James Violassi (West Bloomfield, Mich. / North Farmington).

For the women, nine new student-athletes joined the program. Those include Elly Belmore (St. Clair Shores, Mich. / Lakeview), Megan Delaere (Rochester Hills, Mich. / Rochester), Rose Haney (Fenton, Mich.), Hasten Horling (Grand Rapids, Mich. / Northview), Diana Muccioli (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. / Grosse Pointe North), Saree Schlitt (Bay City, Mich. / John Glenn), McKenzie Valencia-Moore (South Lyon, Mich.), Alli Vassilakos (Clarkston, Mich.), and Madison Verbeke (Clarkston, Mich.).

WHAT'S NEXT?
Wayne State will head west to the Don Kimble Invitational, which will take place from Nov. 18-20 in Kentwood, Mich.

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