INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.- For the second time in three days, Manon Compagner can call herself a national champion winning the 100-yard freestyle Saturday night during the final session of the 2023 NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships.
"Manon, I mean holy smokes. What an incredible swim and incredible journey for her. She has come in and continued to grind it out and stay true to the process. She's stayed true to herself. It really shows that hard work, dedication, and trusting what is being put in front of you will work," head swim coach Ben Young said. "It's just fantastic to watch her, and she's meant a lot to this team over the last four years. She's had an incredible career and an incredible comeback story this season".
Compagner won gold in the women's 100-yard freestyle event Saturday in a near-record 48.97 to secure her second national championship of the weekend. The Netherlands native set a new personal record in the event. She also broke her own school record for the event twice in the span of a few hours. She now holds the top-three times for Carson-Newman women's swim in the 100-yard freestyle (49.47, 49.48, 48.47).
The senior's time was less than a second off the NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships 100-yard freestyle record that is at 48.44 by Theresa Michalak from West Florida during the 2017 season.
Compagner also won a national championship in the women's 100-yard butterfly with a time of 52.45 seconds on Thursday. Since the program was created in 2013, no swimmer had been atop the podium at nationals as she became the swim program's first national champion for either the men or the women. The senior now holds the only two national championship trophies for Carson-Newman swim.
With her efforts for the weekend, Compagner tallied five All-American swims at the championships. She also placed fifth in the women's 50-yard freestyle, earning the title of All-American during the first day of national competition. Compagner swam the preliminary event in 22.87 before besting herself in the finals in 22.81. Her efforts added 14 points to the Eagles' score in the championships. Compagner then swam in the 400-yard medley relay with Kyla Blakemore, Breanna Belcher and Kennadi King. The quartet earned a bronze medal with a finals time of 3:41.57. Compagner raced again tonight with King, Natalia Amano, and Lily Parr in the 400-yard freestyle relay. The Eagles placed fifth in 3:22.40. Their efforts made a mark on the history books as the quartet set a new program record for Carson-Newman. The previous record stood since 2017 when Margaret Stansberry, Lisa Postma, Maggie Melhorn, and Elly Culp swam the event in 3:24.32.
Kyla Blakemore locked down her second individual All-American title today in the women's 200-yard backstroke with a third-place finish in 1:58.18. Blakemore set a new personal record in the event, besting her previous top time of 1:59.66 at the South Atlantic Conference Championships. Blakemore also broke the Carson-Newman swim program record for the third time this season. Blakemore now holds the top five times for Carson-Newman women's swim in the event (1:58.18, 1:58.69 1:59.66, 2:00.00, 2:01.18).
"It was an outstanding performance for Kyla tonight. She moved up onto the podium in third. Honestly, I don't think we were expecting it, and I know she wasn't. It really is just a testament to the work she has put in this year. She came in with a mission, and she has accomplished that mission," Young said.
Rachel Peden placed ninth in the women's 1650-yard freestyle finals with a time of 16:58.37, a season best performance in the event.
Carson-Newman men's swim finished sixth in the 400-yard freestyle relay to grab All-American honors in the event. Ridge McCay, Matthew George, Arthur Gluzman, and Hobson Stelling swam the event in 2:55.53, just shy of the program record.
"I'm so proud of the team and the effort they've put forth, not only this week, but throughout the season. Consistent growth is what we were looking for, and these athletes have shown that this season. We are sad to see some people go on and leave their time in the program, but we are also excited for the future. We hope to continue to build upon the legacy of this program and add to our success as we move forward," Young said.
Carson-Newman swim officially closed the doors to the 2022-2023 swimming season at the conclusion of national championships this evening. The women's team finished seventh in the nation, and the men placed 16th in the national meet.
