Men's S&D Set to Host Conference Foe Miami (OH) - Ball State University Athletics

Friday, October 30

Muncie, IN

5:30 pm

Ball State University

Miami University (OH)

Men's S&D at Indiana Intercollegiate 10/24/2026

October 29, 2026 | Men's Swimming and Diving

MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men's swimming & diving team opens Missouri Valley Conference action on Oct. 30 as the squad welcomes Miami (OH) to Lewellen Aquatic Center. Competition is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. ET.

Strong Opening Week for the Cardinals
Multiple Cardinals turned in strong performances as Ball State opened the 2026-27 campaign on Oct. 22 at IU Indy. Despite falling 210-160, the Cardinals earned six event victories and 18 top-three finishes before placing third overall with 424.5 points at the Indiana Intercollegiate two days later.

William Raches, George Patterson, Aidan Biddle and AJ Friend each earned individual victories against the Jaguars, while also combining to win the 400 medley relay (3:14.64). Raches claimed the 100 backstroke (49.38), Patterson won the 200 freestyle (1:38.33), Biddle took the 100 breaststroke (54.56) and Friend placed atop the 200 butterfly (1:48.94).

Raches and Patterson continued their strong starts at the Indiana Intercollegiate, with Raches placing second in the 100 freestyle (44.35) and Patterson finishing third in the 200 freestyle (1:37.78) and fourth in the 100 freestyle (44.75). Friend added a third-place finish in the 50 freestyle (20.38), while Biddle placed fourth in the 100 breaststroke (54.50).

Ball State also received a record-breaking performance on the diving boards from Zach Shaddy. After winning the 1-meter competition at IU Indy with a score of 347.85, Shaddy scored 394.75 on 3-meter at the Indiana Intercollegiate to place third and shatter his previous program record of 365.70. Shaddy also placed second on 3-meter (336.30) against the Jaguars, while Ryan Farmer added a pair of top-five finishes on 3-meter over the opening week.

Following the strong opening to the campaign, Ball State swept the MVC's weekly awards, as Shaddy was named MVC Diver of the Week and Raches earned MVC Swimmer of the Week.

History Versus the RedHawks
Ball State and Miami (OH) have met in 22 documented dual meets dating back to 2002, with the RedHawks holding a 21-1 advantage in the all-time series. The Cardinals' lone victory came in the first documented meeting on Nov. 2, 2002, when Ball State earned a 146-97 win in Muncie. The two programs most recently met on Jan. 16, 2026, in Oxford, with Miami earning a 163.5-135.5 victory.

Live results for Friday's meet are available on Meet Mobile.

In the MVC Rankings
In the latest NCAA Division I Top Time Rankings compiled by CollegeSwimming.com, the Cardinals have 17 student-athletes ranked in scoring positions in their respective events heading into this weekend's meets.

Men's Swimmers Currently Ranked in the MVC Top 16
50 Freestyle: 3rd – AJ Friend (20.38), 6th – Leo Gustavsson (20.70), 15th – Zack Vervlied (21.08), 16th – Kade Opsal (21.13)
100 Freestyle: 1st – William Raches (44.35), 5th – George Patterson (44.75), 12th – Zack Vervlied (45.98), 14th – Lochlan Huerth (46.15, 16th – Leo Gustavsson (46.20)
200 Freestyle: 2nd – George Patterson (1:37.78), 8th – Malcolm Slater (1:40.26), 12th – William Raches (1:41.32), 15th – Anthony Korchnak (1:41.69)
500 Freestyle: 15th – Malcolm Slater (4:39.94)
1000 Freestyle: 7th – Malcolm Slater (9:27.33), 14th – Seth Blossom (9:45.55)
1650 Freestyle: N/A
100 Backstroke: 6th – William Raches (49.38), 13th – Anthony Korchnak (50.05), 14th – Colin Walrond (50.16)
200 Backstroke: 9th – Anthony Korchnak (1:49.43), 13th – Ike Ruszkowski (1:50.74)
100 Breaststroke: 3rd – Aidan Biddle (54.50), 10th – Ike Ruszkowski (56.73), 16th - Brogan Wilson (57.43)
200 Breaststroke: 5th – Aidan Biddle (2:03.66)
100 Butterfly: 3rd – AJ Friend (47.91), 13th – Henry Ko (50.23)
200 Butterfly: 5th – AJ Friend (1:49.89), 6th – Henry Ko (1:49.89), 12th Luke Pryor (1:52.90)
200 IM: 6th – Ike Ruszkowski (1:53.11), 11th – Nathan Harper (1:55.24)
400 IM: 13th – Ike Ruszkowski (4:13.48)
200 Freestyle Relay: 1st – Ball State (1:20.98)
400 Freestyle Relay: N/A
800 Freestyle Relay: N/A
200 Medley Relay: 3rd – Ball State (1:28.03)
400 Medley Relay: 2nd – Ball State (3:14.64)

From the Diving Boards
Fourth year Zach Shaddy currently leads the Cardinals on the 1M board (347.85) and 3M board (394.75).

Zach Shaddy (4th) – 347.85* on 1M / 394.75* on 3M
Ryan Farmer (2nd) – 254.60 on 1M / 337.75* on 3M
Emilio Perez (3rd) – 273.08 on 1M / 295.13 on 3M
Mitchell Mauck (3rd) - 266.63 on 1M / 242.40 on 3M
NCAA Zone Diving Qualifying Marks: 300 on 1M / 320 on 3M

EVENT WINNERS:
As a squad, the Cardinals have chalked up five individual event wins, and one relay win so far this season.

2026-27 Men's Individual Event Winners (5)
1 – George Patterson (2nd)
Oct. 22 at IU Indy: 200 Freestyle (1:38.33)

1 – William Raches (4th)
Oct. 22 at IU Indy: 100 Backstroke (48.38)

1 – Aidan Biddle (4th)
Oct. 22 at IU Indy: 100 Breaststroke (54.56)

1 – AJ Friend (3rd)
Oct. 22 at IU Indy: 200 Butterfly (1:48.94)

1 – Zach Shaddy (4th)
Oct. 22 at IU Indy: 1-Meter Diving (347.85)

2026-27 Men's Relay Winners (1)
1 – 400 Medley Relay
Oct. 22 at IU Indy: Raches, Biddle, Friend, Patterson (3:14.64)