Kenyon’s Sidorko Collects NCAA Title On Night Two

GREENSBORO, NC – One national title and five other top-three finishes highlighted Thursday’s action by North Coast Athletic Conference student-athletes at the 2025 NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships.
 
Through 18 total events at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, North Carolina, NCAC athletes have combined for 20 top-five finishes and 46 All-American efforts.
 
The NYU women moved into first after scoring 156 points Thursday night for a two-day total of 242 points. The Violets hold a 26-point lead over second-place MIT (216), while Denison sits in third (175) just two points ahead of Kenyon in fourth (173) and Emory rounds out the top five one point behind the Owls (172).
 
With nine men’s events in the books, Denison remains in first with a 40-point lead in the team standings with 166 total points. Kenyon sits in second with 126 points, while Chicago is in third just two points behind the Owls (124), NYU sits in fourth 2.5 points away from the Maroons (121.5) and Emory is in fifth (116.5).
 
Women's 400 IM
Williams’ senior Sophia Verkleeren took home the 2025 title in a new NCAA record time of 4:11.23, while Denison junior Emily Harris (Castalian Springs, TN/Ensworth) placed third after touching the wall in 4:18.40. With two swimmers in the consolation finals, Kenyon picked up 13 points to maintain its lead in the women’s team standings.
 
Men's 400 IM
Kenyon junior Kirill Sidorko (Almaty, Kazakhstan/Almaty International) collected the first men’s title of the evening after touching first in a time of 3:48.75, while Owl classmate Ethan Manske (Santa Fe, NM/St. Michaels) placed seventh in the “A” finals in a time of 3:53.68. With two swimmers in the championship final, the Owls picked up 32 points to move up two spots in the team standings to second place with 91 total points, while Denison maintained its lead after collecting six points with one swimmer in the “B” finals for 121 total points.

Women's 100 Butterfly
MIT sophomore Sydney Smith earned the national title in the 100 fly with a time of 53.96, while Denison junior Phoebe Ferguson (Columbus, OH/Grandview Heights) earned third after touching the wall in 54.24 seconds. With another swimmer in the consolation finals, the Big Red gained 21-team points in the event to move up to third place in the team standings with 124 total points, while NYU took over the team lead thanks to three swimmers placing in the top eight of the “A” finals for 151 total points. Kenyon was bumped into fourth (117) after not having a scorer in the event. In the morning session, DePauw sophomore Anya Melson (Wheaton, IL/Homeschooled/US Performance Academy) bettered her time by .31, posting a time of 58.96.

Men's 100 Butterfly
Chicago sophomore Cooper Costello earned the national title after outpacing the field with a new national record time of 45.97. Kenyon sophomore Roman Savage (Claremont, CA/Claremont) picked up nine team points for the Owls with a first-place finish in the consolation finals after touching the wall in 47.37. In the team standings, Denison (121), Kenyon (100) and NYU (81) maintained a hold on the top-three spots.
 
Women's 200 Freestyle
NYU junior Kaley McIntyre claimed her third-consecutive 200 free title in a time of 1:44.88, just .06 off the NCAA record, while Kenyon junior Molly Haag (Middleton, WI/Middleton) touched the wall in 1:48.43 for second and Denison junior Quinn Brown (Portland, OR/Grant) finished sixth in 1:49.65. Kenyon collected 26 points, while Denison picked up 16 in the event after the two teams had one swimmer in both the championship finals and the consolation finals. The pair flipped positions in the team standings, as the Owls moved into third (143) and the Big Red was bumped into fourth (140), while NYU maintained its lead (197). Wooster senior Ollie Bream (Melbourne, Australia/Firbank Grammar School) posted an 18th-place finish in the prelims after touching the wall in 1:51.14, more than a second faster than her seed time. . 
 
Men's 200 Freestyle
Coast Guard senior Colin Twiss took gold in the “A” finals touching the wall in a time of 1:35.68 for the 2025 title. Denison sophomore Jack Hill (Leighton Buzzard, UK/Cedars Upper) placed second just .14 seconds back from Hill after finishing in 1:35.82. Denison continued to hold its lead in the men’s team standings with 138 points, while Kenyon remained in second with 100 points and Emory moved into third (92.5).

Women's One-Meter Diving
Ithaca senior Kailee Payne claimed the one-meter title for the second-straight season with 486.30 points in the championship finals, while the NCAC was represented by Denison senior Alexis Radhakrishnan (Lexington, KY/Paul Laurence Dunbar) in the consolation finals. Radhakrishnan earned 14th overall after posting a score of 391.70 points in the “B” finals to earn three team points. NYU (218) padded its lead in the women’s team standings, while MIT (176) remained in second, Emory (144) elevated to third and Denison and Kenyon moved into a tie for fourth with 143 points apiece.
 
Women's 200 Freestyle Relay
MIT captured the final women’s title of night two after Alexandra Turvey, Sydney Smith, Ella Roberson and Annika Naveen touched the wall in a new NCAA record time of 1:30.00 for the 200 free relay victory. The Denison squad of senior Avery Vogen (Mendota Heights, MN/Two Rivers), junior Phoebe Ferguson (Columbus, OH/Grandview Heights) and seniors Maja Palmroos (San Diego, CA/Del Norte) and Grace Kadlecik (Lansing, NY/Lansing) took third in the championship heat with a time of 1:31.54, while the Kenyon quartet of junior Gwen Eisenbeis (Okemos, MI/Williamston), seniors Jennah Fadley (Silver City, NC/Jordan Matthews) and Sydney Geboy (Milwaukee, WI/Nicolet) and junior Lisa Torrecillas-Jouault (Le Mans, France/CENS) placed fourth in 1:31.92. NYU ended the evening with a hold of the women’s lead, while MIT remained in second, Denison took sole possession of third and Kenyon was bumped into fourth.

Men's 200 Freestyle Relay
In the men's final event on Thursday night, the Chicago squad of Jonathan Tang, Rylan Kruep, Igor Benderskii and Sebastien Vernhes captured the 200 free relay title in a time of 1:18.51. The Denison quartet of sophomore Jack Hill (Leighton Buzzard, UK/Cedars Upper), senior Patrick Daly (New Albany, OH/New Albany), sophomore Andre Beduschi (Saline, MI/Saline) and first-year Nick Hensel (Houston, TX/St. Johns) took fifth in 1:19.57, while the Kenyon team of junior Djordje Dragojlovic (Belgrade, Serbia/Nada Dimic), first-years Neil Abrahamson (Woodbury, MN/East Ridge) and Spencer Stluka (Oregon, WI/Oregon) and sophomore Peter Dunson (Durham, NC/Trinity School) placed sixth in 1:19.62. With the relay win, Chicago moved up to third place in the men’s team standings, while Denison and Kenyon continued to hold the top-two spots.

The 2025 national meet continues through Saturday evening at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, North Carolina, with prelim sessions beginning each morning at 10:00 a.m. and final sessions starting nightly at 6:00 p.m. 

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