Nogaj Earns Back to Back Swimmer of the Week Honors
MAC Women's Swimmer of the Week
Paulina Nogaj, Akron
Sophomore, Radom, Poland (Polish Swimming Federation)
Akron’s sophomore swimmer Paulina Nogaj won four individual events and also helped the Zips to a relay win over the course of two meets last weekend. She won the 200 butterfly (2:00.77) and the 100 butterfly (54.23) in a meet where Akron was edged by No. 15-ranked Ohio State, 174.5-124.5, but topped Denison, 223-75. In a Mid-American Conference dual where Akron defeated Ball State, 176-121, Nogaj added two more individual wins in the 50 butterfly (25.23) and 100 freestyle (51.96). Additionally, she swam the initial leg of the Zips' 200 medley relay team that placed first with a time of 1:45.50.
MAC Men's Swimmer of the Week
Kayky Mota, Miami University
Sophomore, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Sophomore swimmer Kayky Mota helped lead the men to a dominating 208-92 win over Cleveland State on Saturday. Mota won three individual events and finished third as part of a relay team. He crushed the 200 IM (1:51.37), beating the second-place swimmer by over five seconds. Mota swept the competition in the butterfly, winning the 100 (48.28) and the 200 (1:49.54). He won the 200 fly by over two seconds. Mota also swam a leg of the 400 medley relay (3:25.01), finishing third. His 100 fly time ranks 30th in the nation among DI swimmers.
Other Nominees
Rachel Bertram, Ball State
Junior, Buffalo, Minn. (Buffalo)
Rachel Bertram had a fantastic weekend on the boards for Ball State with wins in three of the four events she competed in. Bertram had a strong showing in BSU's win over Eastern Illinois by playing first in the 3M with a 309.75. One day later, Bertram swept the diving events against nationally ranked Akron with a 264.08 on the 1M and a 284.30 in the 3M. Bertram has been consistent all year for the Cardinals and has already completed an NCAA zone cut earlier in the year at Bowling Green.
Nicole Swartz, Eastern Michigan
Senior, Dayton, Ohio (Centerville)
Eastern Michigan senior Nicole Swartz earned two event titles in the Eagles 190-110 victory over Ohio University, Saturday, Nov. 3. For the third straight meet, Swartz recorded top finishes in the 500 and 1000 Freestyle, touching in with her season-best times of 4:57.76 and 10:09.19, respectively. The Dayton, Ohio native’s finishes against the Bobcats earned her the second-fastest 1000 Free finish in the conference this season, while her 500 Free time ranks sixth-best seen in the MAC during the 2018-19 campaign.
Hannah Fuchs, Miami University
Junior, Louisville, Ky. (Sacred Heart Academy)
Junior Hannah Fuchs earned four wins (three individual) in Miami's dominant win against Cleveland State last weekend. Fuchs swept the breaststroke competition, winning the 200 breast (2:17.85) by over five seconds as well as the 100 breast (1:04.51). She also beat the field by almost five seconds in the 200 IM (2:04.93). Fuchs rounded out her impressive performance with a 400 medley relay win (3:49.59), beating the second-place relay squad by 4.7 seconds.
Joelle Gallais, Toledo
Freshman, Lumsden, Saskatchewan
Freshman diver Joelle Gallais continued her impressive start to the season last weekend in UT’s home dual against Youngstown State. Gallais won in dominating fashion, earning a 1-meter score of 279.83, 72 points ahead of YSU's Kayla Wrasman. In addition to being an NCAA zone "C" qualifying time, Gallais' score ranks third all-time at UT. Gallais followed up in the 3-meter with a score of 291.08, 73 points ahead of Wrasman. Gallais' total ranks fourth-best all-time at UT and also hit the NCAA zone “C” 3-meter qualifying mark.
Logan Ackley, Ball State
Junior, Uniondale, Ind. (Norwell)
Logan Ackley played a large part in Ball State picking up a win against Eastern Illinois on Friday. Ackley claimed first place in both the 100 and 200 Backstroke with times of 53.65 and 1:57.23. Ackley then competed in the 200 IM where he recorded a time of 2:03.43 to snag third place. Ackley was also a member of Ball State's 200 Medley Relay team that finished first with a time of 1:37.31
Brandt Hudson, University of Evansville
Junior, Dalton, GA (Dalton HS)
In the duel this weekend against Valparaiso, junior Brandt Hudson was the top scorer for the Aces. He anchored the winning 400 Freestyle Relay that clocked in a final time of 3:33.96. Individually, he took the win with a 1:42.97 the 200 freestyle, and the 200 backstroke with a 1:57.40.
