NSU Swimming and Diving Team Takes Step Forward at 2015 NCAA National Championship

The Nova Southeastern University swimming and diving program has ascended to new heights after this past weekend’s NCAA National Championship, an event in which the Sharks won six national titles and combined for 18 top-three finishes.

“We came off the heels of a fantastic conference meet and I was really pleased with the approach our athletes took going into the NCAA Championship meet,” said head coach Hollie Bonewit-Cron, who has led the program in its five years of existence. “They understood the level of competition they were up against and they immediately stepped up the challenge and were competitive from the very start.”

Stepping up was a theme for the Sharks’ run at this year’s championships. It took four years to win three individual national championships leading up to the 2014-15 season. Erin Black owns two of them, winning the women’s 500-yard freestyle in 2012 and 2013, while Oskar Nordstrand claimed the men’s 500-yard freestyle in 2013. This year’s team doubled that total in just four days, setting multiple national records throughout.

“For our program to make that kind of jump, especially coming off last year, it was a huge step forward in the direction that we are continuing to grow into,” stated Bonewit-Cron. “We have a very young team, and because of that, we only had four veterans out of the 16 athletes that have been there before. Moving forward, our athletes will know a whole other level of competition and what it takes to be at that level.

“I think we can be competitive with those higher level teams (2015 NCAA National Champions Queens, Drury, etc.) and we’re well on our way to doing that. I think a lot of that has to do on the coaching end… the changes that we make and the recruits that we bring in. Our athletes also need the comradery they’ve had this year and make sure they carry it into next season.”

To recap, the Sharks won the following six NCAA National Championships:
Bryndis Hansen – 50-yard freestyle – 22.53 – At the time, a NCAA Division II record.
Courtney DeVeny – 400-yard individual medley – 4:16.63
Thiago Sickert – 200-yard freestyle – 1:35.07
Anton Lobanov – 100-yard breaststroke – 51.63 – The sixth fastest short course time ever.
Anton Lobanov – 200-yard breaststroke – 1:57.71 – The eighth fastest short course time ever.
Thiago Sickert – 100-yard freestyle – 43.18

Outside of those six titles, the Sharks displayed a complete team effort and earned 60 All-American and All-American Honorable Mention honors. Below is a complete list of athletes honored as among the nation’s elite:
WOMEN
Courtney DeVeny – 400-yard IM All-American; 400-yard medley relay All-American; 200-yard IM Honorable Mention
Bryndis Hansen – 50-yard freestyle All-American; 100-yard freestyle All-American; 200-yard medley relay All-American; 200-yard freestyle relay All-American; 200-yard freestyle All-American; 800-yard freestyle relay Honorable Mention; 400-yard freestyle relay Honorable Mention
Emma Lawrenz – 200-yard medley relay All-American; 400-yard medley relay All-American; 200-yard freestyle relay All-American; 100-yard fly Honorable Mention; 400-yard freestyle relay Honorable Mention
Brooke Munion – 800-yard freestyle relay Honorable Mention; 400-yard freestyle relay Honorable Mention
Jordan Shows – 200-yard freestyle relay All-American; 400-yard medley relay All-American; 800-yard freestyle relay Honorable Mention; 400-yard freestyle relay Honorable Mention
Emma Wahlstrom – 200-yard medley relay All-American; 200-yard freestyle relay All-American; 200-yard freestyle All-American
Malin Westman – 200-yard medley relay All-American; 400-yard medley relay All-American; 100-yard breaststroke Honorable Mention; 800-yard freestyle relay Honorable Mention; 200-yard breaststroke Honorable Mention

MEN
Marco Aldabe – 800-yard freestyle relay All-American; 200-yard IM Honorable Mention; 200-yard medley relay Honorable Mention; 400-yard IM Honorable Mention; 200-yard backstroke Honorable Mention
Javier Caballero – 800-yard freestyle relay All-American
Shane Kleinbeck – 200-yard freestyle relay All-American; 200-yard freestyle All-American; 800-yard freestyle relay All-American; 400-yard freestyle relay All-American
Anton Lobanov – 100-yard breaststroke All-American; 200-yard breaststroke All-American; 200-yard freestyle relay All-American; 400-yard freestyle relay All-American; 200-yard medley relay Honorable Mention
Magnus Lundgren – 200-yard freestyle relay All-American; 400-yard freestyle relay All-American; 50-yard freestyle Honorable Mention; 200-yard medley relay Honorable Mention; 100-yard freestyle Honorable Mention
Michael Ragan – 200-yard freestyle relay All-American; 200-yard medley relay Honorable Mention
Thiago Sickert – 200-yard fly All-American; 100-yard freestyle All-American; 200-yard freestyle All-American; 50-yard freestyle All-American; 800-yard freestyle relay All-American; 400-yard freestyle relay All-American
Blake Woodrow – 1,650-yard freestyle All-American; 1,000-yard freestyle Honorable Mention; 50-yard freestyle Honorable Mention

“Their comradery is a result of the commitment they have made…the discipline they have,” said Bonewit-Cron. “They’ve been able to come together the whole season, and a lot of that is not only because of the leaders, but because of how new our team was. Everyone was experiencing things for the first time, or at least a lot of our athletes were. With that comes a level of unity between our athletes. They found a unique family atmosphere within our team. That propelled them forward to this success.

“It was my first experience at NCAA Nationals,” noted Sickert. “We had a big, strong group with great support from the staff. The dynamic of the meet was different from what I’m used to in Brazil, the awards were different as well. The field was very strong, many of the times were very competitive for Division II. This group is really strong for next season, we just have to keep working throughout the offseason.”

NSU will say goodbye to nine seniors this spring, including three All-Americans in Lawrenz, Kleinbeck and Lundgren. However, the Sharks will return a majority of both teams, a group that is much improved with this experience. For the returners, this meet served as a stepping stone to bigger things. The members of this program believe they can win a team NCAA National Championship and will shoot for it in 2016.

The 2015-16 schedule will begin in September, but for the Sharks, the march to Nationals has already started.