YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - The Oakland University men's and women's swimming and diving program took home its first victories of the year over Youngstown State during a two-day duel meet at Beeghly Natatorium.

DAY ONE
Oakland quickly took charge on Friday, showcasing several impressive individual and relay performances. The diving events began with Hannah Clark leading the Golden Grizzlies, securing a second-place finish in the women's three-meter dive. Owen Cox and Liam James placed third and fifth in the men's one-meter competition.

The women kicked off the swimming events with a victory in the 200 medley relay. The team of Lydia Soldatke, Maya Dobry, Ava McNamara, and Kendra Venter finished with a winning time of 1:44.28. The men's top relay squad of Harry Nicholson, Christopher Palvadre, Micah Scheffer, and Charles Brown just missed first by less than a second, finishing runner-up.

Nicholas Karel Subagyo clinched the top spot in the 1650 freestyle (15:47.55), edging YSU's top swimmer by just eight-hundredths of a second. On the women's side, Megan Donnelly and Kelley Hassett finished second and fourth in the same event.

The Golden Grizzlies continued their momentum in the backstroke and sprint events, with Soldatke winning the 100 back (54.94) and 200 back (1:59.64), while Nicholson swept the men's 100 back (49.07) and contributed key relay splits. Scheffer dominated the 50 free with a time of 20.42, followed closely by Charlie Brown and Caleb Rohacs.

Chris Palvadre, the reigning breaststroke Horizon League champion, swept both distances on the men's side, winning the 100 (53.79) and 200 (1:58.88). Charisse Hickman followed suit for the women, capturing the 200 breaststroke (2:17.96) and placing second in the 100 (1:04.56).

The women's 400 freestyle relay concluded the evening with another victory. Grace Albrecht, Viviane Partridge, Kendra Venter, and Erika Pietras combined for a time of 3:26.78.

At the end of Day One, the Golden Grizzlies were up against the Penguins, with the men ahead 167-114 and the women up 150-130.

DAY TWO
Oakland returned to the pool Saturday morning, continuing to win multiple events across both teams and demonstrating impressive depth.

The Golden Grizzlies started strong with a sweep in the 400 medley relay. The women's "A" team of Soldatke, Dobry, McNamara, and Pietras secured first place with a time of 3:49.37, while the men's relay of Ezzat, Palvadre, Haney, and Nicholson claimed gold with a time of 3:14.86, finishing three seconds ahead of the competition.

In the individual medley events, Kelley Hassett and Charisse Hickman finished first and second in the women's 400 IM, clocking times of 4:33.85 and 4:36.02. Cooper Dillman followed with a victory in the men's race at 4:03.20, contributing to an Oakland sweep of the top four positions.

Subagyo continued his standout weekend by winning the 200 freestyle (1:37.93) and the 500 freestyle (4:29.81). Teammates Ike Martinez and Victor Teeters finished closely behind in the 500, taking second and third.

The Grizzlies flexed their sprint dominance once again, with Micah Scheffer and Charlie Brown leading a one-two finish in the 50 freestyle (20.61, 20.71). On the women's side, Kendra Venter and Avery Beal mirrored this success by finishing first and second in the 50 free (23.70, 23.86) before Beal won the 100 free with a time of 52.21.

Ajjuub Ezzat added to Oakland's victories by winning the 50 back (22.76), 100 back (49.24), and 100 IM (50.97). Palvadre completed another breaststroke sweep, winning both the 50 (25.08) and the 100 (55.10) for a second time.

The meet concluded with a thrilling finish as Oakland's 200 freestyle relay teams both claimed victories. Scheffer, Nicholson, Palvadre, and Brown clocked 1:21.62, narrowly out-touching YSU by just seven-hundredths of a second. The women's team of Albrecht, Soldatke, Pietras, and Beal took the win in 1:36.53, edging YSU by a tenth of a second.

The Oakland men triumphed with a score of 196-85, and the women claimed a 187-94 victory, completing a dominant two-day performance to open the 2025-26 season.

Complete results of the duel meet are available for both day one and day two.

UP NEXT: The Golden Grizzlies will host a tri-meet against Cincinnati and Purdue at the OU Aquatic Center on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.

How to Follow Oakland Swimming and Diving: For complete information on Oakland Swimming and Diving, follow the team on Instagram and on X at @OAK_swim_dive.