Owls crown three champs on NCAC’s third day

GRANVILLE, Ohio -- Individual highlights were abundant for the Kenyon College men's swimming and diving team, which crowned three event champions on Friday, the third day of the four-day North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Swimming and Diving Championships.

Right off the bat, sophomore Roman Savage collected his first-ever conference title. He did so in the 100-yard butterfly, a race he finished in 47.98, well ahead of second place Andre Beduschi of Denison University, who took second in 48.69. Backing up Savage, other Kenyon swimmers in the championship final were first-year Neil Abrahamson, who placed seventh with a personal record of 49.48, and Leo Karnitz, another first-year, who took ninth place in 50.17.

Ethan Manske then successfully defended his NCAC title in the 400-yard individual medley. The Kenyon junior, who won the 2024 title in 3:53.81, took the 2025 crown Friday with a season-best time of 3:52.32. His win marked the fifth consecutive season a Kenyon swimmer was victorious in the event. Not too far behind Manske were Teo Jaworski in fourth place (3:56.90), Nicholas Theodos in seventh place (4:03.91), and Philip Howard in eighth place (4:09.90).

The results of those first two events pulled the Owls within 119 points of the first-place Big Red, who had a lead of 151 at the conclusion of the Championship's second day.

The Kenyon momentum, however, took a hit in the next event, the 200-yard freestyle. Denison grabbed the top three spots and pumped its lead to 187. The Owls' top finisher was first-year Charlie Green, who took fifth place in a time of 1:40.58.

More of the same unfolded in the 100-yard breaststroke. The Big Red claimed the top two spots and four of the top-five to push their lead over Kenyon to 207 points. Owls' sophomore Noel Tumbasz prevented a top-four Denison sweep by logging a third-place showing with personal-best time of 54.49, which would have been an NCAC record had not the Denison finishers ahead of him clocked in at 54.33 and 53.34.

In the final individual event of the session, Djordje Dragojlovic saved Kenyon's best for last. The junior won the 100-yard backstroke in an NCAC and a Trumbull Aquatics Center record time of 47.33. The previous NCAC record was 47.53 set by Kenyon's Daniel Brooks in 2023 and the previous pool record was 47.56 set by Denison's Robert Barry in 2012. The individual event title was Dragojlovic's second of the meet and the fifth of his career.

The final swimming event of the evening was the 200-yard freestyle relay. Denison's entry won by almost a second, but Kenyon claimed the runner-up spot. The Owls went with Peter Dunson, Abrahamson, Dragojlovic, and Spencer Stluka. That quartet finished in 1:20.48, Kenyon's best time of the season.

The Owls will continue to hunt the Big Red on Saturday, the fourth and final day of the 2025 NCAC Championship. Denison currently sits atop the standings with 1,287 points, while Kenyon holds second with 1,074 points. Wabash College is a step back in third, counting 727 team points.

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Players Mentioned

Daniel Brooks: Senior

Djordje Dragojlovic: Junior

Peter Dunson: Sophomore

Philip Howard: Senior

Teo Jaworski: Junior

Ethan Manske: Junior

Roman Savage: Sophomore

Nicholas Theodos: Junior

Noel Tumbasz: Sophomore

Neil Abrahamson: First-Year

Players Mentioned

Daniel Brooks
: Senior

Djordje Dragojlovic
: Junior

Peter Dunson
: Sophomore

Philip Howard
: Senior

Teo Jaworski
: Junior

Ethan Manske
: Junior

Roman Savage
: Sophomore

Nicholas Theodos
: Junior

Noel Tumbasz
: Sophomore

Neil Abrahamson
: First-Year