Katy Knoechel qualifies for NCAA III Championships
Kalamazoo College senior Katy Knoechel has qualified for the 2010 NCAA III Swimming/Diving Championships to be held March 17-20 in Minneapolis. Knoechel will compete in the 100 butterfly. At last year's NCAA III Championships, Knoechel earned honorable mention All-American honors with a 10th place finish in the 100 butterfly. She also finished 31st in the 200 butterfly and 49th in the 200 individual medley. Championships Web Site

Two Women's Swimmers earn All-MIAA honors
Two members of the Kalamazoo College women's swimming and diving team, Katy Knoechel and Taryn Edsall, received All-MIAA honors on Wednesday, Feb. 17. Katy Knoechel, a senior from Kalamazoo (Kalamazoo Central HS), earned All-MIAA honors for the third time in her career. Knoechel captured MIAA championships in the 100 butterfly and the 200 butterfly this season. Taryn Edsall, a freshman from Kentwood (Kelloggsville HS), earned All-MIAA honors after finishing third and setting a school record in the 50 freestyle at the MIAA Championships. Both swimmers were members of relay teams that finished second in the 400 Medley and third in the 400 Free, and both relay times were new school records. The Kalamazoo College women's swimming and diving team finished third at the 2010 MIAA Championships.

Men finish second, Women third at MIAA Swimming/Diving Championships
Saturday: Men win four events; Katy Knoechel wins 200 Butterfly
The men's swimming and diving team fell just 25 points short of an MIAA championship, finishing second with 853 points while Hope won the event with 878 points. On the women's side, Kalamazoo finished third with 442 points. On Saturday, Kalamazoo claimed three individual championships on the men's side: Paul Ellis (200 Backstroke), Craig Fleming (100 Freestyle), and Chris Manning (200 Breaststroke). The Men's 400 Free Relay (Bazzell, Ellis, Manning, Fleming) also won the title, giving Kalamazoo championships in all five relay events. Ellis, Fleming and Manning finished with three individual championships each. Bazzell also finished third in the 100 Freestyle on Saturday. On the women's side, Katy Knoechel won the 200 Butterfly on Saturday, giving her league championships in two events. Katie Grue finished second. The 400 Free Relay (Weber, Knoechel, Edsall, Grue) finished third. The teams will now begin preparations for the NCAA III Championships March 17-20 in Minneapolis, Minn. Results

Second Day of MIAA Swimming/Diving Championships
Men's Swimmers win six events; Katy Knoechel wins 100 Butterfly
The The men's swimming and diving team won six events on the second day of competition at the 2010 MIAA Championships hosted by Calvin. The Hornets won two more relays on Friday, making it 4-for-4 overall. Kalamazoo won the 200 Medley (Ellis, Espinosa, Greiner, Bazzell) and the 800 Free (Bazzell, Benmark, Manning, Fleming) on Friday. Paul Ellis won two events, the 100 Butterfly and the 100 Backstroke. Chris Manning won the championship in the 100 Breaststroke. Craig Fleming won the title in the 200 Freestyle as the Hornets went 1-2-3 in the event (Brian Bazzell was second, Tyler Benmark, third). Kevin Lodewyk finished third in the 400 IM. The Hornets remain in second place with 562 points, but are now just 37 behind the leader, Hope. The Kalamazoo women's team remains in third place overall. Katy Knoechel captured a league championship in the 100 Butterfly while Loren Weber finished third. The 800 Free Relay team also finished third (Bresnahan, Bair, Lewis, Grue). The championship meet wraps up Saturday evening. Friday's Results

Opening Day of MIAA Swimming/Diving Championships
Men's Swimmers win four events; Women break two school records
The men's swimming and diving team won four events on the opening day of the 2010 MIAA Championships hosted by Calvin. Kalamazoo won both relays, the 200 Free (Bazzell, Ellis, Armstrong, Fleming) and the 400 Medley (Ellis, Espinosa, Mueller, Fleming). The Hornets also took first place in the 200 IM (Chris Manning) and the 50 Freestyle (Craig Fleming). Brian Bazzell finished second in the 50 Freestyle. The men's team is currently in second place with 254 points, 51 behind Hope. The Kalamazoo women's team is currently in third place with 132 points. Both Kalamazoo relays finished second, the 200 Free (Weber, Baumann, Grue, Edsall) and the 400 Medley (Weeks, Edsall, Knoechel, Weber). The 400 Medley team broke the school record, and Weeks' opening 100 backstroke also set a school record. Taryn Edsall broke the school record in the 50 Freestyle and finished third. Thursday's Results

Swim teams win dual meets at Alma
The men's and women's swimming and diving teams wrapped up the dual meet portion of the season with wins at Alma on Saturday, Jan. 30. The Hornet men won 180-64 while the women won 145-97. Winning events for the women's team: 200 Medley Relay (Weeks, Edsall, Weber, Lewis), Kelly Bresnahan (200 freestyle), Kaitlin Weeks (100 backstroke), Kate Chamberlain (100 breaststroke, 200 IM), Taryn Edsall (50 freestyle), Lindsay Gaston (1M & 3M Diving), Emily Bair (500 freestyle), and Katy Knoechel (100 butterfly). Winning events for the men's team: 200 Medley Relay (Armstrong, Bazzell, Mueller, Fleming), Kenny Heidel (1000 freestyle, 200 butterfly), Steve Brower (100 backstroke, 500 freestyle), Alfonso Espinosa (100 breaststroke, 200 IM), Craig Fleming (50 freestyle), Dustin Hennigar (1M & 3M Diving), Brian Bazzell (100 freestyle), Chris Manning (200 backstroke), Colin Dueweke (200 breaststroke), Tyler Benmark (100 butterfly), and the 200 Free Relay (Ellis, Lodewyk, Greiner, Brower). The teams will spend the next week and a half in preparation for the MIAA Championships held Feb. 11-13 at Calvin. Results

Swim teams host dual meet with Calvin
The men's and women's swimming and diving teams competed against Calvin at home on Saturday, Jan. 23. The Kalamazoo men defeated Calvin 153-121 while the women's team fell 187-113. The men's 200 medley relay (Armstrong, Manning, Greiner, Bazzell) was victorious while the 200 free relay (Bazzell, Robinson, Armstrong, Smith) also posted the top time. The Hornets went 1-2-3 in the 50 freestyle and the 100 freestyle with Craig Fleming winning both events. Other event winners included: Jay Daniels (1000 freestyle), Tyler Benmark (200 freestyle, 200 backstroke), Steve Brower (100 backstroke), Alfonso Espinosa (100 breaststroke), Kevin Lodewyk (200 butterfly, 200 breaststroke) and Colin Mervak (1M Diving). The Kalamazoo women went 1-2-3 in the 200 butterfly led by Katie Grue. Other event winners included: Kaitlin Weeks (100 backstroke), Taryn Edsall (50 freestyle), Erin Campbell (1M Diving) and Katy Knoechel (100 butterfly). The swim teams return to action next Saturday, Jan. 30 at Alma. Results

Men's Swimming wins Wheaton Quad Meet
The men's swimming and diving team won the Wheaton Quad Meet on Saturday, Jan. 16. The Hornets scored 546 points, just two more than conference rival Hope. The Kalamazoo women's team finished fourth. Kalamazoo won both men's relays: 400 Medley (Ellis, Espinosa, Mueller, Bazzell) and 400 Freestyle (Bazzell, Ellis, Benmark, Fleming). Other event winners included Craig Fleming (200 freestyle, 100 freestyle), Brian Bazzell (50 freestyle), Chris Manning (400 IM), and Paul Ellis (200 backstroke). Taryn Edsall had the best finish for the women's team, finishing second in the 50 freestyle. The Hornets host Calvin on Saturday, Jan. 23 at 1 p.m. in the final home meet of the season. Results

Swim teams compete in Chicago
The men's and women's swimming and diving teams traveled to the University of Chicago on Saturday, Jan. 9, the day after an exciting dual meet with Hope. At Chicago, the Kalamazoo men defeated Carthage (134 - 84), but lost to Chicago (148 - 92). On the women's side, Carthage defeated Kalamazoo (129.5 - 101.5) and Chicago defeated Kalamazoo (187 - 56). The Kalamazoo men won both relay events, the 200 Medley (Ellis, Espinosa, Greiner, Bazzell) and the 200 Freestyle (Bazzell, Ellis, Manning, Fleming). Other event winners for the Hornet men included Craig Fleming (50 freestyle, 100 freestyle), Paul Ellis (100 backstroke), and Alfonso Espinosa (100 breaststroke). Top performances by the women's team included second place finishes by Taryn Edsall (50 freestyle), Erin Campbell (1M & 3M Diving), Katy Knoechel (100 butterfly), and Kaitlin Weeks (100 backstroke). The swim teams return to action next Saturday, Jan. 16 in a quad meet at Wheaton College. Complete Results

Swim teams edged at home by Hope
The men's and women's swimming and diving teams both lost close dual meets at home to Hope on Friday, Jan. 8. The men lost by just nine points (148-139) while the women fell 162-120. On the men's side, Kalamazoo took first place in both relays; the 200 medley relay (Ellis, Espinosa, Greiner, Bazzell) and the 200 freestyle relay (Bazzell, Ellis, Benmark, Fleming). Also finishing first for the Hornets were Paul Ellis (100 backstroke), Alfonso Espinosa (100 breaststroke), Brian Bazzell (50 freestyle), and Craig Fleming (100 freestyle). On the women's side, Erin Campbell won the 1M and 3M diving events, Katy Knoechel won the 100 butterfly and the 200 IM, and Kalamazoo won the 200 freestyle relay (Edsall, Weber, Baumann, Grue). Both teams travel to Chicago on Saturday, Jan. 9 to face Chicago and Carthage. Complete Results

Swim teams wrap up weekend at Calvin Invitational
Men finish second, Women fifth
The men's and women's swimming and diving teams wrapped up the three-day Calvin Winter Invitational on Saturday, Dec. 5. The men's team maintained second place throughout the event, finishing only behind Grand Valley State University. The women's team was fifth throughout. The only Division III school to finish ahead of the Hornets was Calvin. Saturday's highlights included more pool records. The men's 200 Medley Relay started things off by taking first place and setting a pool record with a time of 1:30.72 (Ellis, Espinosa, Greiner, Bazzell). The Hornets also had a team place third in the event (Armstrong, Stetson, Mueller, Smith). The Hornets also took first and third in the 200 Breaststroke with Chris Manning setting a pool record (2:04.13). Alfonso Espinosa finished third. The Hornets took first and second in the 100 Freestyle as Craig Fleming set a pool record (44.90) with Brian Bazzell finishing second. Chris Manning set a pool record and won the 200 IM (1:52.08). Paul Ellis finished second int he 100 Butterfly (:51.03). Tyler Benmark finished third in the 500 Freestyle (4:43.80). On the women's side, Katy Knoechel finished fifth in the 100 Butterfly. The 200 Medley Relay team also finished fifth (Weeks, Edsall, Knoechel, Weber). Complete Meet Results

Swimmers set pool records in Friday action at Calvin
The men's swimming/diving team remained in second place while the women's team is in fifth after Friday's action at the Calvin Winter Invitational. The Kalamazoo men took first place and set a pool record with a "B" cut time of 1:22.90 in the 200 Free Relay (Bazzell, Ellis, Armstrong, Fleming). The Hornets went one-two-three in the 200 Freestyle with Brian Bazzell taking first with a pool record 1:42.00. Craig Fleming finished second and Tyler Benmark finished third as all had "B" cuts. The Hornets went one-two-three in the 50 Freestyle as well as Bazzell set another pool record with a time of :20.99. Fleming finished second and Paul Ellis came in third as Bazzell and Fleming both had "B" cuts. Ellis had the only "A" cut of the night, finishing second in the 100 Backstroke with a time of :49.07. The Hornets had two more "B" cuts in the 100 Breaststroke as Alfonso Espinosa finished second (:56.44) and Chris Manning finished third. Other "B" cut performances were turned in by the 400 Medley Relay, Chris Manning in the 400 IM, and Alex Armstrong and Steve Brower in the 100 Backstroke. Competition concludes on Saturday. Friday's Results - Compelte results can be followed live each day at: http://www.calvin.edu/swimscoreboard/

Swimming competes on opening night at Calvin Invitational
The men's and women's swimming and diving teams began competition at the three-day Calvin Winter Invitational on Thursday, Dec. 3. With just four scored events Thursday night, the Kalamazoo men are in second place behind Grand Valley State University. The women's team is currently fifth and trails only Calvin among Division III opponents. Highlighting the performances on Thursday was a first place finish by the men's 800 Free Relay team (Bazzell, Benmark, Manning, Fleming) with a time of 6:44.26. The 800 Free Relay team set Kalamazoo College and MIAA records and was a National "B" cut. Thursday's Results - Compelte results can be followed live each day at: http://www.calvin.edu/swimscoreboard/

Swim teams remain undefeated with wins at Olivet
The men's and women's swimming and diving teams remained perfect with wins at Olivet on Saturday, Nov. 14. The men's team defeated Olivet 172-106 while the women's team won 185.5-97.5. Winning results for the men were: 400 Medley Relay (Ellis, Espinosa, Mueller, Fleming), Kenny Heidel (1000 freestyle), Brian Bazzell (200 freestyle, 50 freestyle), Alfonso Espinosa (100 breaststroke), Colin Mervak (1M, 3M), Steve Brower (200 backstroke), Chris Manning (200 breaststroke, 200 IM), 200 Free Relay (Bazzell, Ellis, Smith, Fleming). Winning for the women were: 400 Medley Relay (Weeks, Edsall, Knoechel, Grue), Katy Knoechel (200 freestyle, 100 butterfly), Kaitlin Weeks (100 backstroke), Katie Grue (200 butterfly, 200 backstroke), Taryn Edsall (50 freestyle), Christine Lewis (100 freestyle), Kate Chamberlain (200 breaststroke), Erin Campbell (3M), Kelly Bresnahan (200 IM), and the 200 Free Relay (Edsall, Knoechel, Weeks, Baumann). Men's Results - Women's Results

Men's and Women's Swimming/Diving teams defeat Albion
The men's and women's swimming and diving teams defeated Albion at home on Saturday, Nov. 7. The men's team won 166.5-114.5 while the women's team won 160-135. Winning events for the women's team were: 200 Medley Relay (Weeks, Chamberlain, Knoechel, Edsall), Katie Grue (200 freestyle), Kaitlin Weeks (100 backstroke, 200 backstroke), Taryn Edsall (100 breaststroke), Katy Knoechel (200 butterfly, 100 freestyle, 200 IM), Loren Weber (100 butterfly), and the 400 Freestyle Relay (Edsall, Chamberlain, Baumann, Grue). Winning events for the men were: 200 Medley Relay (Armstrong, Espinosa, Mueller, Smith), Kenny Heidel (1000 freestyle), Chris Manning (200 freestyle, 200 IM), Steve Brower (100 backstroke, 200 backstroke), Alfonso Espinosa (100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke), David Scasny (200 butterfly), Paul Ellis (50 freestyle, 100 butterfly), Nick Smith (100 freestyle), Jay Daniels (500 freestyle), and the 400 Freestyle Relay (Hennigar, Janes, benmark, Fleming). Kalamazoo's next meet is Saturday, Nov. 14 at Olivet. Results

Swim teams win season's first dual meets
The Kalamazoo College swimming and diving teams got off to a good start as the women's team defeated Saint Mary's 180-107 and the men's team defeated Wabash 170-126 at Notre Dame on Friday, Oct. 30. Winning events for the women's team were: 200 Medley Relay (Weeks, Chamberlain, Knoechel, Edsall), Katie Grue (200 freestyle, 200 butterfly), Kate Chamberlain (100 breaststroke), Taryn Edsall (50 freestyle, 100 freestyle), Erin Campbell (1m diving, 3m diving), Kaitlin Weeks (200 backstroke) and the 200 Freestyle Relay (Edsall, Baumann, Chamberlain, Grue). Winning events for the men were: 400 Medley Relay (Ellis, Espinosa, Mueller, Bazzell), Paul Ellis (100 backstroke), Alfonso Espinosa (100 breaststroke), Brian Bazzell (50 freestyle), Craig Fleming (100 freestyle), Steve Brower (200 backstroke), Chris Manning (200 breaststroke), Barret Mueller (100 butterfly), Colin Mervak (3m diving) and the 400 Freestyle Relay (Bazzell, Ellis, Espinosa, Fleming). The swimming and diving teams have their first home meet of the season next Saturday, Nov. 7 at 1 p.m. against Albion. Complete Results

2009-10 Swimming/Diving Season Preview
Despite losing 12 seniors to graduation, the men and women’s swimming and diving teams have gained 19 freshmen and aren’t looking to go anywhere but up.

On the men’s side, seventh-year head coach Kathy Milliken wants an MIAA conference title and at least a top ten, if not top five, finish in the country.

“The returners have done a really good job of training in the off-season, and have addressed some of the weaknesses they had,” she said.

With the addition of 13 freshmen, the largest men’s class Milliken has brought in to date, she isn’t worried about having graduated two of her national qualifiers.

Seniors Alfonso Espinosa and David Greiner, both of whom qualified for nationals in their freshmen and sophomore seasons, return after a year abroad, and Milliken added that senior captains Colin Dueweke, Paul Ellis, and Barret Mueller have “stepped up and done a wonderful job.”

The Hornets also return junior MIAA champions and record-holders Brian Bazzell and Craig Fleming, both of whom competed at nationals last spring, as well as sophomore MIAA champion and national competitor Chris Manning. Ellis also competed at nationals last spring.

Milliken cited the strength of the team as being its all-around sprinting dominance, and said that the team’s biggest MIAA competition will be Hope, who finished first in the conference last season.

The women’s team, though, has both Hope and Calvin to look out for.

Led by senior captain Katy Knoechel and junior captains Kandice Keen and Kaitlin Weeks, and with the addition of six freshmen, Milliken hopes to close the gap between her team and the top two MIAA powerhouses.

“It would be great to finally get Kalamazoo some relays at nationals, and continue to gain on those two teams,” she said.

Knoechel and sophomore Katie Grue return after receiving All-MIAA honors and competing at Nationals last spring. Sophomore diver Erin Campbell was close to qualifying as well, and is expected to make contributions this year, as is Weeks.

“We had some holes last year,” said Milliken, “but this year I don’t think we have any big weaknesses, and that’s our strength.”

Both teams competed at the MIAA Relays hosted by Calvin on Saturday, Oct. 24, and Milliken is excited after seeing her team in action.

“We saw some speed out of people that we hadn’t seen yet, which was great,” she said.

The teams open dual meet competition at Notre Dame on Friday, Oct. 30. The women will compete against MIAA foe Saint Mary’s, while the men take on Wabash. Kalamazoo will host its first home meet on Saturday, Nov. 7 in a conference match-up with Albion.

Swim teams compete at MIAA Relays
The men's and women's swim teams competed at the MIAA Relays hosted by Calvin on Saturday, Oct. 24. The Kalamazoo men won five relays, including the 200 medley, 200 backstroke, 200 breaststroke, 500 freestyle and 200 butterfly. The Kalamazoo women took second place in three relays, the 200 medley, 200 backstroke and 200 breaststroke. The teams open dual meet competition next Friday, Oct. 30 at Notre Dame. The women's team goes against Saint Mary's while the men compete against Wabash. MIAA Relays

Tim Kearney selected as assistant coach of men's and women's swimming
Kalamazoo College announced the hiring of Tim Kearney as assistant men’s and women’s swimming coach on Thursday, Sept. 10. 

Kathy Milliken, Head Coach of the Hornets, commented, “The team and athletic department are very excited that Tim will be joining our staff.  It became very apparent during the interview process that Tim is a highly intelligent and organized individual who has a great passion for swimming and an effective communication style.  He truly cares about helping his athletes excel in every aspect of their lives.” 

Kearney is a 2007 graduate of Hamilton College where he was a four-year letter winner and a team captain while majoring in philosophy.

Kearney remained at Hamilton as an assistant coach for the 2007-08 season and worked with all areas of the program, including the management of recruiting efforts. 

Most recently, Kearney served as head coach of the Bellevue (Wash.) High School  boys’ swimming and diving teams, as well as aquatics director and head coach for Overlake Golf & Country Club. At Bellevue, Kearney led the squad to a 7-2 dual meet record, a sixth-place finish at the conference championships, a third-place finish at districts and a seventh-place finish at the state championships. His team more than doubled the number of individual state qualifiers from the previous season.  At Overlake, Kearney compiled a 4-1 record and led the Otters to their first Division III A-Dual Meet Championship in eight years.

In addition to his collegiate and high school coaching experience, Kearney has served as a club coach, masters’ coach, summer aquatics director and as a coach at various swim camps.

Kalamazoo swimmers earn Scholar All-American honors
Several members of the Kalamazoo College men's and women's swimming and diving teams have been recognized by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America. Katie Stefl, Katy Knoechel, Ryan Booms, Bobby Dekker, Brian Bazzell and Craig Fleming have been named CSCAA Scholar All-Americans. Erin Campbell, Kaitlin Weeks and Danielle Williams have been recognized as CSCAA Honorable Mention Scholar All-Americans. In addition, the men's and women's teams have been recognized as CSCAA Scholar All-American teams as the men's team had a 3.24 cumulative GPA and the women's team had a 3.33 cumulative GPA.

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