ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Oakland Swim and Dive team will be heading off to an exciting weekend of events including the CSCAA National Invitational Championships in Elkhart, Indiana, along with the NCAA Zones Diving Championships in the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatics Center at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Both of these events will start on March 9th and run through March 11th.
Golden Grizzlies Ellie Chalifoux, Alyssa Ruhf, and Victoria Sanders are the three skilled divers going into NCAA Zones Championships at the Zone C site representing Oakland. All of which have recorded a remarkable season leading up to the Horizon League Championships where they ultimately took the gold for their precision off the diving board. Notably, diver Chalifoux led the squad claiming first place in both the women's one-meter, and three-meter diving events. To note, following this competition will be the opportunity for divers to head to the NCAA Championships, if and only if they place in the top ten spot in the one-meter contest, top nine spot in the three-meter contest, and for the top 11th spot in the platform diving contest, respectively.
On the flip side, the swim team will all be headed to NIC following their most recent conference championship road swing in Indianapolis. The Horizon League Champions look to compete against some of the best programs in the nation, and after their incredible performances at Horizon League Championships, the Golden Grizzlies have automatically qualified in their individual events for which they have placed first at conference or with an A-Standard time. It's safe to say that the 2022-23 season held an abundance of record-setting performances and success for both the swimmers and coaches and the team is eager to continue this record-setting streak as they make their way to Indiana.
Overall the Oakland Swim and Dive team reigns the victorious Horizon League Champions for the 10th consecutive year in a row, with multiple conference honors including Ellie Chalifoux named Diver of the Meet, Susan LaGrand named Co-Women's Swimmer of the Meet, Marko Khotynetskyi named Men's Swimmer of the Meet, Larry Albright names Women's Diving Coach of the Meet, and last but not least, legendary head coach Pete Hovland named Women's Swim Coach of the Year.
