Men's Swimming and Diving Headlines

Bobby Dekker, Ryan Booms earn CoSIDA Academic All-District honors
Kalamazoo College swimmers Bobby Dekker and Ryan Booms have been selected to the 2008-09 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV Men's At-Large First Team. To be nominated, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at his/her current institution. Academic All-District honorees are selected by sports information directors at colleges and universities within the district. Academic All-District First Team selections automatically advance to the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration. The At-Large program features candidates from 12 different sports. Bobby Dekker, a senior from Rochester Hills, Mich. (Rochester HS), earned All-MIAA honors all four years as a Hornet. He won MIAA championships in 12 individual and relay events during his career. Dekker set MIAA records in the 200 IM and as a member of four relay teams. He earned All-American honors as a member of two relay teams as well as Honorable Mention All-American honors six other times. The biology major was also recently awarded a prestigous NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. Ryan Booms, a senior English major from Commerce Township (Walled Lake Central HS), earned All-MIAA honors the past three seasons. He won MIAA championships in the 200 breaststroke the past two seasons, and was MIAA champion in the 100 breaststroke this season. In addition, Booms was a member of the MIAA champion and record-setting 400 Medley Relay team. That same 400 Medley Relay team earned All-American honors by finishing sixth at this year's NCAA Division III Championships. Booms earned Honorable Mention All-American honors as a member of the 200 medley relay team that finished ninth.

Bobby Dekker receives NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship
Bobby Dekker, a senior on the Kalamazoo College Men's Swimming and Diving Team, was awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship on Monday. A total of 58 winter sport student-athletes at all levels (29 men and 29 women) will each receive a one-time, nonrenewable grant of $7,500 to be used toward postgraduate studies. The program was created in 1964 to promote and encourage postgraduate education by rewarding the NCAA's most accomplished student-athletes through their participation in championship and/or emerging sports. Dekker earned All-MIAA honors all four years and captured 12 league championships in individual and relay events. He earned All-American honors as a part of two relay teams and Honorable Mention All-American honors six other times. Dekker is the 70th MIAA student-athlete and the 20th from Kalamazoo College to earn an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. List of NCAA Winter Postgraduate Scholars

Men's Swimming finishes 12th in the nation; Women finish 33rd
The Kalamazoo College men's swimming and diving team finished 12th at the NCAA III Championships March 18-21 in Minneapolis, Minn. The Hornets' finish was the best of any MIAA team, and the best Kalamazoo finish since 2004. On Saturday, the Men's 400 Free Relay (Bazzell, Ellis, Dekker, Fleming) earned honorable mention All-America honors with a ninth place finish (3:01.36). Craig Fleming also earned honorable mention All-America honors by finishing 14th in the 100 Freestyle (:45.25). Brian Bazzell finished 22nd (:45.56). Ryan Booms broke a school record and finished 18th in the 200 Breaststroke (2:04.06). Paul Ellis finished 35th in the 200 Backstroke (1:54.78). The Kalamazoo women's team finished 33rd overall. On Saturday, Katie Grue broke a school record while finishing 36th in the 200 Backstroke (2:09.88). Championships Web Site - Complete Results

Men 12th, Women 27th after third day of NCAA III Swimming Championships
The men's swimming and diving team is in 12th place (71 points) while the women's team is 27th (19 points) after the third of four days at the NCAA III Swimming Championships in Minneapolis, Minn. Katie Stefl set a school record and turned in a 10th-place performance in the 200 Butterfly (2:05.02) to earn honorable mention All-America honors. Katie Grue and Katy Knoechel followed at 24th and 31st, respectively. Paul Ellis had the top performance of the day on the men's side, finishing 14th in the 100 Backstroke (:50.60) to earn honorable mention All-America honors. The Men's 800 Free Relay (Bazzell, Ellis, Manning, Fleming) also earned honorable mention All-America honors by finishing 16th with a time of 6:50.70. In other action, Bobby Dekker finished 28th in the 200 Butterfly. Ryan Booms finished 29th in the 100 Breaststroke while Chris Manning came in 40th. Championships Web Site - Complete Results

Swimmers gather more honors at NCAA III Championships
Kalamazoo College swimmers earned additional honors on the second of four days at the NCAA III Championships in Minneapolis on Thursday, March 19. The Men's 200 Free Relay (Brian Bazzell, Paul Ellis, Bobby Dekker, Craig Fleming) opened things up with a 10th-place finish to earn honorable mention All-America honors (1:22.47). Katie Stefl and Katy Knoechel earned honorable mention All-America honors as well. Stefl finished 12th in the 400 IM (4:30.91) while Knoechel finished 10th in the 100 Butterfly (:56.64). Brian Bazzell and Craig Fleming earned honorable mention All-America honors in the 200 Freestyle as Bazzell finished 14th (1:41.92) and Fleming came in 16th (1:43.63). The Men's 400 Medley Relay wrapped up the evening with a sixth-place finish to earn All-America honors with a time of 3:20.52 (Ellis, Ryan Booms, Dekker, Fleming). Other results from Thursday included Bobby Dekker (22nd, 100 Butterfly) and Katie Grue (32nd, 100 Butterfly). The men's team is currently in ninth place with 66 points. The women are 27th with 12 points. Championships Web Site - Complete Results

Dekker, Fleming, 200 Medley earn honorable mention All-America honors
The NCAA III Swimming and Diving Championships began on Wednesday, March 18 in Minneapolis, Minn. Kalamazoo's Bobby Dekker and Craig Fleming took home honorable mention All-America honors. Dekker finished 16th in the 200 IM (1:52.85) while Fleming finished 14th in the 50 Freestyle (:20.61). Brian Bazzell finished just behind at 18th in the 50 Freestyle (:20.64). The Men's 200 Medley Relay (Paul Ellis, Manning, Dekker, Bazzell) also captured honorable mention All-America honors with a ninth-place finish (1:32.26). Chris Maning was 41st in the 200 IM (1:56.21). For the Kalamazoo women, Katie Stefl finished 27th in the 500 Freestyle (5:01.64) and Katy Knoechel finished 49th in the 200 IM (2:11.11). The men's team is in 12th place after the first day of competition with 22 points. Championships Web Site - Complete Results

Men's Swimming ranked 15th in final CollegeSwimming.com Division III Poll
The Kalamazoo College men's swimming and diving team was ranked 15th in the final CollegeSwimming.com Division III Poll released on Tuesday, March 17. Six members of the men's team and three members of the women's team are competing at the NCAA III Championships in Minneapolis, Minn. March 18-21. Championships Web Site - Complete Results - Preliminaries begin at 11 a.m. ET each day with finals beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Six Hornet Men Swimmers earn All-MIAA honors
Six members of the Kalamazoo College men's swimming and diving team were selected to the 2008-09 All-MIAA Team on Wednesday, March 4. Bobby Dekker, a senior from Farmington Hills (Harrison HS), was selected for the fourth consecutive year. Dekker won the league championship and set a league record in the 200 individual medley, and was a member of four league championship and record-setting relays. He also finished second in two individual events. Ryan Booms, a senior from Commerce Township (Walled Lake Central), was selected for the third time. He won league championships in the 100 and 200 breaststroke events, and was a member of the MIAA championship and record-setting 400 medley relay team. Paul Ellis, a junior from Bloomfield Hills (Lahser HS), was selected for the third time and was named the MIAA's Most Valuable Swimmer. He set Division III, MIAA and Kalamazoo College records in the 100 backstroke (:48.56) at the MIAA Championships. He also won and set a league record in the 200 backstroke, and was a member of four MIAA champion and record-setting relays. Craig Fleming, a sophomore from Clinton Township (Warren DeLaSalle HS), was selected for the second time. He won MIAA championships and set records in the 100 and 200 freestyle events, and finished third in the 500 freestyle. Fleming was also a member of four MIAA champion and record-setting relays. Brian Bazzell, a sophomore from Berkley (Berkley HS), finished second in three events (50, 100 & 200 freestyle), and set a league record in the 50 freestyle during prelims. He was also a member offour MIAA champion and record-setting relays. Chris Manning, a freshman from York, Pa. (York Suburban HS), was one of three frehsmen named to the All-MIAA team. Manning finished second in the 100 and 200 breaststroke events, and was a member of two MIAA champion and record-setting relay teams. The Kalamazoo men finished second at the league championship meet, trailing by just 17.5 points.

Kalamazoo Men finish second, Women third at 2009 MIAA Championships
Paul Ellis named MIAA Men's Most Valuable Swimmer
The final day of MIAA Championship swimming and diving action provided even more entries into the already shattered record book. The men's team narrowly missed out on a league championship, falling short by 17.5 points. Kalamazoo tallied 850 total points while Hope finished with 867.5. On the women's side, Kalamazoo finished third with 504 points, trailing Calvin (849) and Hope (759.5). Hornet swimmers added to an already impressive list of league champions and school and league-record holders. Paul Ellis was selected as the Men's Most Valuable Swimmer. On Saturday, Ellis captured a league championship while setting school and MIAA records in the 200 Backstroke (1:49.01). Craig Fleming won the 100 Freestyle with a time of :44.76, breaking the MIAA and school records set earlier in the day during prelims. Brian Bazzell finished second in the event, just .13 behind at :44.89. Ryan Booms defended his championship in the 200 Breaststroke with a time of 2:05.02. Chris Manning finished second (2:08.59). Bobby Dekker finished second in the 200 Butterfly (1:50.91). -The Men's 400 Free Relay (Bazzell, Ellis, Dekker, Fleming) took home a championship with a time of 2:59.26 while setting school and MIAA records. Katie Stefl won the 200 Butterfly as the Hornets took the top five spots in that event. Her time of 2:05.75 set school and league records. Katie Grue finished second (2:06.49) and Katy Knoechel finished third (2:08.03). The Women's 400 Free Relay (Knoechel, Baumann, Stefl, Grue) finished third with a time of 3:35.09. Complete Results

Saturday morning swim action results in additional records
In Saturday morning's preliminary action at the MIAA Championships in South Bend, Kalamazoo swimmers broke the MIAA Men's 100 Freestyle record in back-to-back heats. Brian Bazzell swam a :45.25 to set a new record, but in the next heat Craig Fleming swam a :45.05 to set the record again!

Also, the Men's 200 Free Relay (Bazzell, Ellis, Dekker, Fleming) time of 1:20.71 on Thursday set a new Notre Dame Pool Record, making Kalamazoo the only non-Division I school to hold a pool record there.

Swimmers continue to excel at MIAA Championships
The Kalamazoo College swimmers continued to have excellent performances at the MIAA Championships on Friday, Feb. 20. The Men's 200 Medley Relay (Ellis, Manning, Dekker, Bazzell) got things off to a good start with an MIAA and school record-setting championship time of 1:30.51. Craig Fleming took home a championship while setting school and MIAA records in the 200 Freestyle (1:39.33). Ryan Booms captured a championship as the Hornets went one-two-three in the 100 Breaststroke (:57.61). Paul Ellis won the 100 Backstroke with a time of :48.99 after setting the national record (:48.56) in the same swim on Thursday. The Men's 800 Free Relay (Bazzell, Gailey, Manning, Fleming) wrapped up the men's events with a school and MIAA record-setting championship time of 6:49.35. On the women's side, Katie Stefl took home her third consecutive championship in the 400 IM (4:29.73), setting a school record in the process. Katy Knoechel led a Hornets' one-two-three finish in the 100 Butterfly with a school-record time of :56.43. The Women's 200 Medley Relay (Weeks, Keen, Connochie, Baumann) finished third while setting a school record with a time of 1:49.42. The Women's 800 Free Relay (Stefl, Knoechel, Lewis, Grue) also finished third (7:46.70) while setting a new school record. In the 100 Butterfly, Maegan Connochie took second (:57.84) while Danielle Williams took third (:58.32). Kaitlin Weeks finished third in the 100 Backstroke (:59.84). Other top performers for the men included Kevin Lodewyk's third-place finish in the 400 IM (4:14.22), Bobby Dekker's second-place finish in the 100 Butterfly (:49.52), Paul Ellis' third-place finish in the 100 Butterfly (:50.20), and Brian Bazzell's second-place finish in the 200 Freestyle (1:40.51). Chris Manning took second in the 100 Breaststroke (:57.88) while Dan Kovacs finished third (:58.78). The men's team remains in second place with 574 points, but now just 31.5 points behind Hope (605.5). The women's team remains in third with 319 points, trailing Calvin (569) and Hope (493). Complete Results - Follow the Results Here

Friday Morning Swim action results in more broken records
Three more school records fell during Friday's preliminary action. Craig Fleming's time of 1:40.37 in the 200 Freestyle set both school and league records. Kaitlin Weeks rebroke the school record in the 100 Backstroke (:59.44) and Katy Knoechel broke the school record in the 100 Butterfly (:57.04). Follow the Results Here

Records continue to fall at MIAA Championships
In addition to the numerous MIAA records broken by Kalamazoo College swimmers Thursday night, the Hornets broke several school records and a national in the process. Paul Ellis set NCAA III, MIAA and Kalamazoo College records in the 100 Backstroke with a time of :48.56 in the lead of the 400 Medley Relay. Katie Stefl's time of 5:00.82 in the 500 Freestyle set a school record. School records also were broken by Katy Knoechel in the 200 IM (2:10.67) and Katie Grue in the 100 Backstroke lead-off Thursday morning.

Swimmers shatter MIAA records at league championship meet
Kalamazoo College swimmers shattered league records at the MIAA Championships in South Bend on Thursday, Feb. 19. Bobby Dekker set a new MIAA record in the 200 IM at Thursday's prelims. His time of 1:51.67 broke the previous mark set by Kalamazoo's John Latham (1:52.89) in 1999. Brian Bazzell followed with a new MIAA record (:20.41) in the 50 Freestyle. In the evening's championship session, the Men's 200 Free Relay (Bazzell, Ellis, Dekker, Fleming) took home a championship while setting a new league record with a time of 1:20.71. Bobby Dekker took home a championship with a time of 1:51.10, breaking his own league record set earlier in the day. Kalamazoo rounded out the evening with a league championship and new league record in the 400 Medley Relay (Ellis Booms, Dekker, Fleming) with a time of 3:19.01. Earlier in the evening Craig Fleming finished third in the 500 Freestyle (4:41.19) and Brian Bazzellfinished second in the 50 Freestyle (:20.71). The Kalamazoo men are in second place with 148 points after the first day of competition. Hope is first with 250.5 points. On the women's side, Kalamazoo is currently third with 89 points, trailing Calvin (198.5) and Hope (160.5). Katie Stefl finished second in the 500 Freestyle (5:00.82). Katy Knoechel finished third in the 200 IM (2:10.67). Follow the Results Here

Swim teams split meets at Calvin
The men's swimming and diving team won 177-97 at Calvin on Saturday, Feb. 7. The Hornet women fell 195-100. Winning events for the men were: 200 Medley Relay (Ellis, Kovacs, Dekker, Bazzell), Alex Keselring (1000 Freestyle), Brian Bazzell (200 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle), Steve Brower (100 Backstroke, 200 Backstroke), Barret Mueller (200 Butterfly), Craig Fleming (50 Freestyle), Ryan Booms (200 Breaststroke), Patrick Gailey (500 Freestyle), and Paul Ellis (100 Butterfly). Winning for the women were: Kaitlin Weeks (100 Backstroke), Katie Stefl (200 Butterfly), Katy Knoechel (100 Butterfly), Katie Grue (200 IM), and the 200 Free Relay (Keen, Baumann, Stefl, Williams). Results

Men's and Women's Swimming win at Albion
The men's and women's swimming and diving teams were both victorious at Albion on Saturday, Jan. 31. The Kalamazoo men won 162-115 while the women won 159-130. Winning events for the Kalamazoo men were: 200 Medley Relay (Brower, Manning, Fleming, Bazzell), Zach Janes (1000 Freestyle, 200 Butterfly), Brian Bazzell (200 Freestyle), Alex Keselring (100 Backstroke), Bobby Dekker (100 Freestyle), Nate Robinson (200 Backstroke), Ryan Booms (200 Breaststroke), Craig Fleming (500 Freestyle), and Paul Ellis (100 Butterfly). Winning for the women were: 200 Medley Relay (Weeks, Keen, Knoechel, Grue), Christine Lewis (1000 Freestyle), Katie Stefl (200 Freestyle), Katie Grue (200 Butterfly, 1000 Freestyle), Erin Campbell (1M Diving), Sarah Baumann (500 Freestyle), Katy Knoechel (100 Butterfly), and the 200 Free Relay (Baumann, Lewis, Knoechel, Williams). Kalamazoo wraps up the regular season next Saturday, Feb. 7 at Calvin. Results

Men's Swimming/Diving defeats Wabash
The men's swimming and diving team defeated Wabash College 193-87 on Friday, Jan. 30 in South Bend. Kalamazoo won 15 of the 16 events, including: 400 Medley Relay (Ellis, Booms, Dekker, Bazzell), Craig Fleming (200 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle), Paul Ellis (100 Backstroke), Chris Manning (100 Breaststroke, 200 IM), Bobby Dekker (200 Butterfly, 100 Butterfly), Brian Bazzell (50 Freestyle), Colin Mervak (1M, 3M Diving), Steve Brower (200 Backstroke), Ryan Booms (200 Breaststroke), Patrick Gailey (500 Freestyle), and the 400 Free Relay team (Bazzell, Ellis, Dekker, Fleming). Kalamazoo returns to action on Saturday at Albion. Results

Swim Teams sweep Alma
The men's and women's swimming and diving teams were victorious over visiting Alma on Saturday, Jan. 24. The Kalamazoo men won 156-89 while the Hornet women won 151-88. Winning events for the men were: 200 Medley Relay (Brower, Manning, Dueweke, Fleming), Paul Ellis (200 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle), Dan Kovacs (100 Breaststroke), Bobby Dekker (200 Butterfly), Craig Fleming (50 Freestyle), Alex Keselring (200 Backstroke), Ryan Booms (200 Breaststroke), Steve Brower (500 Freestyle), and Barret Mueller (100 Butterfly). Winning for the women were: 200 Medley Relay (Weeks, Keen, Knoechel, Bayci), Katie Grue (200 Freestyle, 200 Backstroke), Kaitlin Weeks (100 Backstroke), Katie Stefl (100 Breaststroke, 100 Butterfly), Katy Knoechel (200 Butterfly), Melissa Bayci (50 Freestyle), Erin Campbell (1M Diving), and Christine Lewis (500 Freestyle). The Hornets' next meet is Jan. 30 in South Bend. Results

Men's Swimming wins Michigan/Illinois Quad; Women finish third
The men's swimming and diving team won the Michigan/Illinois Quad hosted by Hope on Saturday, Jan. 17. Kalamazoo scored 625, 20 points better than Hope. Wheaton finished third at 410 followed by Lake Forest (124). On the women's side, Hope won the meet with 652 points. Wheaton was second (533), Kalamazoo third (466) and Lake Forest fourth (165). Winning events for the Kalamazoo men were: Craig Fleming (200 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle), Brian Bazzell (50 Freestyle), Paul Ellis (200 Backstroke), Ryan Booms (200 Breaststroke), 400 Medley Relay (Ellis, Booms, Dekker, Bazzell) and the 400 Free Relay (Bazzell, Dekker, Ellis, Fleming). Winning for the women's team were Christine Lewis (1000 Freestyle) and Erin Campbell (1M, 3M Diving). Men's Results - Women's Results

Swim teams split against Chicago
The Kalamazoo College swimming and diving teams split with the University of Chicago on Saturday, Jan. 10 as the Kalamazoo men won 132-99 while the Hornet women lost 147-92. Winning events for the men were: 200 Medley Relay (Brower, Booms, Dekker, Fleming), Craig Fleming (200 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle), Brian Bazzell (50 Freestyle), Chris Manning (200 IM, 500 Freestyle), Steve Brower (100 Backstroke), Ryan Booms (100 Breaststroke), and the 200 Free Relay (Manning, Hennigar, Dekker, Bazzell). Bazzell's time of 21.14 in the 50 Freestyle was a pool record and an NCAA 'B' qualifying time. Winning events for the women's team were Sarah Baumann (50 Freestyle) and Erin Campbell (1M Diving, 3M Diving). Campbell earned NCAA qualifying times in both dives (1M - 249.85, 3M - 261.40). Complete Results

Men's Swimming third, Women fifth at Eastern Michigan Invitational
The Kalamazoo College swimming and diving teams competed at the annual Eastern Michigan Invitational Dec. 5-6. The Kalamazoo men finished third while the women finished fifth. On Friday, Paul Ellis had a second-place finish in the 200 backstroke. Bobby Dekker was third in the 200 butterfly. Craig Fleming finished fourth in the 100 freestyle. The men's 400 Free Relay team finished third (Bazzell, Ellis, Manning, Fleming). On Saturday, Bobby Dekker was second in the 100 butterfly and Paul Ellis was second in the 100 backstroke. Third-place finishes were turned in by the Men's 200 Medley Relay (Ellis, Manning, Dekker, Bazzell) and the 400 Medley Relay (Ellis, Booms, Dekker, Fleming). Complete Results

Swim teams compete at Hope Tri-Meet
The men's and women's swimming teams competed in a tri-meet with Hope and Carthage at Hope Nov. 14-15. The men split, defeating Carthage and falling to Hope. The women were defeated against both teams. Winning events for the men were: Craig Fleming (100 Freestyle, 200 Freestyle), 200 Medley Relay, Paul Ellis (100 Backstroke), and Bobby Dekker (100 Butterfly). Erin Campbell won the 1M & 3M Diving events for the women. Men's Results - Women's Results

Swim teams defeat Olivet
The men's and women's swimming and diving teams defeated Olivet at home on Saturday, Nov. 1. The Kalamazoo men won 179-115 while the women won 166.5-130.5. Results

Swim Teams rank high on CSCAA All-Academic Teams
The Kalamazoo College men's and women's swimming and diving teams once again ranked highly on the College Swimming Coaches Association of America's All-Academic listings. For the 2007-08 season, the Kalamazoo women's team ranked seventh in Division III with a 3.49 cumulative GPA. The Hornet men ranked 14th with a 3.28 GPA. Katie Stefl earned Women's All-Academic Team honors with a 4.0 GPA. Katy Knoechel, also with a 4.0 GPA, earned honorable mention All-Academic Team honors. On the men's side, Bobby Dekker (4.0) and Brian Bazzell (3.85) earned All-Academic Team honors. Ryan Booms (4.0) earned honorable mention All-Academic Team honors. As a team (combined men and women), Kalamazoo ranked sixth with a 3.888 cumulative GPA. Of the nine Kalamazoo swimmers to earn NCAA cuts last season, four had 4.0 GPAs and five earned All-American honors. Link to All-Academic Teams and Individuals