Men’s S&D Set For Pair of Weekend Meets

MUNCIE, Ind. - - It will be a busy weekend of action to start the new year for the Ball State men's swimming & diving program with two meets on the docket. First up, a trip to the Vigo County Aquatic Center to battle UIndy and Southern Illinois in a 1 p.m. contest hosted by Indiana State.

The Cardinals will have a quick turnaround following the double dual, as it returns to the Lewellen Aquatic Center Saturday for a 2 p.m. Senior Day battle versus Evansville. Ball State's women will also be in action for Saturday's showdown with the Aces.

The men's seniors set to be recognized during Saturday's meet are Michael Burns, Reece Manning, Michael Mitsynskyy, Erkan Ozgen and Ethan Pheifer.

Ball State last dueled Southern Illinois to close the 2024 regular season, suffering a 181-118 setback on Feb. 10. The Cardinals won five events on the day, led by diver Porter Brovont who swept the boards with scores of 307.73 on 1M and 328.50 on 3M. SIU also took third at last season's MAC Championships, two spots ahead of the Cardinals.

When the Cardinals last met UIndy at the Butler Invite in February of 2024, Ball State came out on top with an overall score of 1205.5. UIndy came in second place with a score of 1105.5. The 1650 freestyle event was dominated by Seth Blossom, Tommy Brunner and Alexander Eddy who claimed a 1-2-3 sweep. Blossom's first place finish is the seventh-fastest time in program history.

The last time the Cardinals saw Evansville during the regular season was Jan. 17, 2020, with the Aces earning a 156-132 victory in its home pool. The teams did battle together at last season's MAC Championships, with BSU placing fifth (414) and UE taking sixth (262).

Fans can follow the action in this weekend's meets via Meet Mobile.

IN THE MVC RANKINGS
In the latest NCAA Division I Top Time Rankings as compiled by CollegeSwimming.com, the Cardinals have 12 student-athletes ranked in scoring position in their respective events heading into this weekend's meets.

Men's Swimmers Currently Ranked in the MVC Top 16
50 Freestyle: 14th - Jacob Siewers (20.56) / 15th - Ethan Pheifer (20.66) / 16th - AJ Friend (20.73)
100 Freestyle: 11th - Jacob Siewers (44.68)
200 Freestyle: 5th - Jacob Siewers (1:38.04) / 15th - Malcolm Slater (1:39.61)
500 Freestyle: 3rd - Malcolm Slater (4:27.61) / 8th - Alexander Eddy (4:33.04) / 9th - Tommy Brunner (4:33.80)
1000 Freestyle: 4th - Malcolm Slater (9:31.78) / 7th - Tommy Brunner (9:35.50) / 16th - Seth Blossom (9:51.69)
1650 Freestyle: 1st - Malcolm Slater (15:44.50) / 2nd - Tommy Brunner (15:45.80) / 7th - Alexander Eddy (15:58.21) / 12th - Seth Blossom (16:11.47)
100 Backstroke: T-7th - Ethan Pheifer (49.25)
200 Backstroke: N/A
100 Breaststroke: 6th - Aidan Biddle (55.17) / 7th - Michael Burns (55.21) / 14th - Cutter Shipman (56.11)
200 Breaststroke: 8th - Cutter Shipman (2:02.00) / 9th - Aidan Biddle (2:02.09) / 13th - Michael Burns (2:03.60)
100 Butterfly: 15th - AJ Friend (49.46)
200 Butterfly: 11th - Michael Mitsynskyy (1:50.99) / 13th - Luke Pryor (1:52.09)
200 IM: 13th - Michael Burns (1:51.81)
400 IM: 9th - Tommy Brunner (4:01.98)
200 Freestyle Relay: 4th - Ball State (1:21.10)
400 Freestyle Relay: 4th - Ball State (2:59.82)
800 Freestyle Relay: 4th – Ball State (6:44.95)
200 Medley Relay: 5th - Ball State (1:29.67)
400 Medley Relay: 5th - Ball State (3:17.48)

FROM THE DIVING BOARDS:
Junior Porter Brovont currently leads the Cardinals on both the 1M (293.03) and 3M (304.85) boards.

Ball State Divers Top Results in 2024-25
Porter Brovont (Jr.) - 293.03 on 1M / 304.85 on 3M
Mitchell Mauck (Fr.) - 239.63 on 1M / 233.93 on 3M
NCAA Zone Diving Qualifying Marks: 300 on 1M / 320 on 3M

MVC AWARD WINNERS:
So far this season, the Cardinals have already claimed three Missouri Valley Conference weekly award with freshman AJ Friend being named the MVC Men's Freshman of the Week twice and junior Porter Brovont earning MVC Diver of the Week honors once.

Swimming Award Winners:
10/16/2024 - AJ Friend MVC Freshman of the Week
10/23/2024 - AJ Friend MVC Freshman of the Week

Diving Award Winners:
10/23/2024 - Porter Brovont MVC Diver of the Week

EVENT WINNERS:
As a squad, the Cardinals have chalked up 15 individual event wins and two relay victories so far this season.

2024-25 Men's Individual Event Winners (15)
7 - Malcolm Slater (So.)
      Oct. 12 vs. UIC: 200 Freestyle (1:41.42) / 500 Freestyle (4:41.59)
      Oct. 18 at Miami: 500 Freestyle (4:36.99) / 1000 Freestyle (9:38.82)
      Nov. 23 at Bellarmine: 500 Freestyle (4:41.30) / 1000 Freestyle (9:36.95)
      Dec. 7 at Miami Invitational: 1650 Freestyle (15.44.50)

3 - AJ Friend (Fr.)
      Oct. 12 vs. UIC: 50 Freestyle (21.43) / 100 Butterfly (51.38)
      Oct. 18 at Miami: 50 Freestyle (21.33)

2 – Porter Brovont (Jr.)
      Oct. 18 at Miami: 1M Diving (267.75) / 3M Diving (285.95)

2 - Jacob Siewers (Jr.)
      Oct. 12 vs. UIC: 100 Freestyle (46.84)
      Nov. 23 at Bellarmine: 100 Freestyle (46.59)

1 - Ethan Pheifer (Sr.)
      Oct. 12 vs. UIC: 100 Backstroke (52.08)

2024-25 Men's Relay Winners (2)
2 - 400 Freestyle Relay
      Oct. 12 vs. UIC: Friend, Young, Clarkston, Siewers (3:08.05)
      Nov. 23 at Bellarmine: Clarkston, Friend, Perkowski, Siewers (3:07.99)

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Aidan Biddle

Seth Blossom

Porter Brovont

Tommy Brunner

Michael Burns

Alexander Eddy

AJ Friend

Reece Manning

Mitchell Mauck

Michael Mitsynskyy

Erkan Ozgen

Ethan Pheifer

Luke Pryor

Cutter Shipman

Jacob Siewers

Malcolm Slater