ROCHESTER, Mich. – The Golden Grizzlies kicked off their season at home, hosting Cincinnati and Purdue for a competitive two-day Power Four tri-meet. Over the course of the event, five pool records were broken, with each school claiming at least one.

DAY ONE
The Oakland women's team secured two second-place finishes and a third-place finish. Kendra Venter got things started during the 13th event, finishing second place in the 50 free with a time of 23.32 in a very close race. The momentum continued when Lydia Soldatke claimed the silver in 53.63 just two events later in the 100 back, demonstrating her #HLSD Swimmer of the Week honors. To close out the night, Venter, Soldatke, Avery Beal, and Erika Pietras took third in the 400 free relay (3:22.85).

Oakland's men made the podium in every swimming event, tallying two firsts, four seconds, and four third-place finishes. In a tight race, the Golden Grizzlies took third in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:27.26. The team, featuring Ajjuub Ezzat, Christopher Palvadre, Max Haney, and Charles Brown, later each achieved top-three finishes in their own individual events: Ezzat took second in the 100 back (48.40), Palvadre won the 100 breast (52.70), Haney placed third in the 100 fly (48.77), and Brown was second in the 50 free (20.27).

Freshman Cooper Dillman was Oakland's first individual freshman to the podium, placing third in the 400 IM with a time of 3:58.42. Nicholas Karel Subagyo clinched Oakland's first win in the 200 free with 1:35.42, just 0.04 shy of the school record, and later finished second in the 500 free (4:26.41). In the 50 free, Micah Scheffer was right behind Brown, taking third (20.34). Brown, Palvadre, Joseph Countryman, and Harry Nicholson capped off day one with a second-place finish in the 400 free relay with 2:56.72.

Two pool records were set on day one: Cincinnati's women broke the 200 medley relay record (1:38.71) by 0.04 seconds, and Purdue's women set a new 400 free relay record (3:18.43) by nearly two seconds, both previously held by Oakland since 2020.

DAY TWO
Less than 24 hours later, all teams returned to the pool for the remaining 18 events (nine men, nine women). The women's team matched their previous day's success with two third-place finishes and a first-place win. In the 27th event, Soldatke dominated the 200 back, winning by more than three seconds with a time of 1:56.09. Not only did she win, but she also broke the pool record set in 2023 (1:56.32). In the final two events of the meet, the women reached the podium again. Freshman Charisse Hickman took third in the 200 breast (2:16.66), and the Golden Grizzlies tied for third in the 200 free relay (Beal, Pietras, Grace Albrecht, Venter) with a time of 1:33.64.

The men's team continued to prove they could compete with top programs, earning two wins, three runner-ups, and a third-place finish on day two. Ezzat, Palvadre, Haney, and Nicholson opened the morning with a second-place finish in the 400 medley relay (3:11.57). Subagyo earned his second win of the meet in the 1000 free (9:16.81), finishing over four seconds ahead of second. Haney was runner-up in the 200 IM (1:49.69), and Brown finished third in the 100 free (44.63). Palvadre secured another first-place win in the 200 breast (1:56.77), and Oakland wrapped up the meet with a second-place finish in the 200 free relay (Scheffer, Nicholson, Palvadre, Brown) with a time of 1:20.15.

Along with Soldatke's pool record, two more pool records were broken by the Purdue men on day two: Max Miller set a new 1-Meter diving record with 427.5 points (previously 388.12), and the men's 400 medley relay team edged past the old 2016 Golden Grizzly time of 3:10.42 with their own (3:10.38).

FINAL RESULTS
Women
Purdue vs. Cincinnati          239-114
Cincinnati vs. Oakland        236-117
Purdue vs. Oakland            277-76

Men
Purdue vs. Cincinnati          234-119
Oakland vs. Cincinnati        192.5-154.5
Purdue vs. Oakland            225-126

Both Golden Grizzly squads fell to Purdue, but the men secured a key win over Cincinnati, a major improvement from last year's 137-161 defeat. The women showed significant improvement – narrowing the gap with Cincinnati and matching last season's effort against Purdue. The men's win against Cincinnati over a Power Four school is a testament to the team's hard work and talent, while racing against a Top 25 program like Purdue motivates the team for the season ahead.

Complete results of the meet can be found HERE.

UP NEXT: The Golden Grizzlies travel to Ann Arbor on Nov. 7 to race against Michigan, who is ranked #6 among Division I women and #17 among Division I men.

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.