WMVO Good Times Great Oldies
GAMBIER, Ohio — The Kenyon College women’s swimming and diving team started the program’s North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) membership with a streak of 19 straight NCAC Championships and has also orchestrated two other multi-season championship streaks en route to a conference-leading 28 all-time titles. This year’s Owls squad is seeking a second straight conference crown after winning last season’s Championship in impressive comeback fashion.
The 2025 championship meet will be held at Denison University’s Trumbull Aquatics Center. The NCAC title will be decided over four days, beginning with two relay events on Wednesday evening and following with three days of swimming and diving events. From Thursday to Saturday, the sessions will include preliminary heats at 9:30 a.m. and swimming final heats at 6 p.m.
Last season, Kenyon claimed the crown after defeating the defending Denison program 2,039.5-1.968.5. After tying for first on day one and pacing the field on day two, the Owls trailed the Big Red by 18 points heading into the fourth and final day. Kenyon completed the comeback, clinching its first NCAC Championship since 2022 and fourth title over the last six championship meets.
This season’s Owls enter the conference finale with the NCAC’s top times in six of the 14 individual swimming events and four of the five relay races. Last season, the Owls took titles in two relay races, winning the 200-yard medley relay and the 400-yard freestyle relay.
Senior Jennah Fadely, winner of back-to-back NCAC Swimmer of the Year awards, is the pacesetter in three individual races: the 100- (59.62) and 200-yard (2:11.53) breaststrokes and the 200-yard individual medley (2:02.36). Her 100 breaststroke time earlier this year set a new NCAA Divison III standard. Fadely is coming off three individual NCAC Championships last season when she won the 100 breaststroke and both the 100- and 200-yard individual medleys. She also holds this year’s second-best 100 IM (58.30) time and is tied for the third-best 100 free finish.
Kenyon’s other top times come from seniors Sydney Geboy and Jordan Herrera and sophomore Bengisu Caymaz. Geboy, who is also a key member of Kenyon’s relay rotation, enters with the NCAC’s quickest 100-yard freestyle (51.01) time after finishing as the event’s runner-up last season and the second-fastest 50-yard freestyle (23.28) mark. Herrera is hunting for her first NCAC title, and she holds the top time in the 400-yard individual medley at 4:24.65. Caymaz made a splash in her first season, claiming NCAC crowns in the 500- and 1,650-yard freestyles. She has registered the quickest 1,650 free (16:37.72) finish and holds the third-best marks in the 200 and 500 frees.
Senior Gabrielle Wei will also rack up points and challenge for NCAC gold after winning titles in each of her first three seasons. The senior heads into the meet with the second-fastest times in the 100 (1:01.05) and 200 (2:12.21) breaststrokes and the 400 IM (4:24.67) while adding the third-best times in the 100 and 200 individual medleys.
The Owls will also look to Lisa Torrecillas-Jouault to bolster the team in the backstroke and freestyle events. She won NCAC titles in the 100-yard iterations of the backstroke and freestyle last season, and she swam on all three of Kenyon’s freestyle relay teams. This year, the junior holds the second-quickest time in the 100 back (56.13) and the third-best 50 freestyle mark.
In butterfly events, senior Celia Ford is Kenyon’s fastest in the 100, while sophomores Sofia Giordano and Amelia Stevenson rank second and third, respectively, on the team in the 200. Giordano’s time of 2:03.18 is second-best in the NCAC thus far.
Kenyon’s lengthy lineup features plenty more swimmers capable of pushing for a spot on or atop the podium. Junior Molly Haag is a threat at multiple freestyle distances with top-four times in the 100-, 200-, 500-, and 1,650-yard iterations. Nora Lee Brown also adds to Kenyon’s deep distance lineup with strong showings in the 500 and 1,650 frees as a first-year this season. Juniors Ceyda Yazici and Gwen Eisenbeis will look to make an impact as well. Yazici holds the NCAC’s second-best 200-yard backstroke (2:03.41) time, while Eisenbeis, who swam two relays at last year’s Championship, ranks fourth in the 100 back.
If it weren’t for being teammates with two of the nation’s best, first-year Kelsey Van Eldik would be starring in the breaststroke. Her 100- and 200-yard times rank third and fourth, respectively, in the NCAC this season. It’s a similar story for individual medley competitors like Kate Bogan, Tuva Siegel, and Ashlyn Widmer, who have the ability to make an impact in the 100-, 200-, and 400-yard races.
The Owls will also be counting on contributions from the diving scores. Last season, Kenyon’s deep lineup of divers helped the team tally important points despite not taking the top spots. This year, senior Naomi Kennel and sophomore Olive O’Dorisio own top-three NCAC marks on both the one- and three-meter boards.