GREENSBORO, N.C. (March 8, 2022) – Five years ago, when Oklahoma Christian's swimming programs first began competing, it seemed like only a matter of time before the Eagles would make their debut at the NCAA Division II Championships.
But between paperwork issues and the COVID-19 pandemic, that timeline kept being pushed back and OC didn't have a single representative at any NCAA meet for the program's first four years. Finally, though, the Eagles would not be denied in 2022.
Eight OC swimmers – seven male, one female – will be the first to represent OC in the Division II meet, which will begin Wednesday at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. Coached by five-time Olympic medal winner
Josh Davis, OC now has to be considered one of Division II's rising programs, as six of the Eagles' qualifiers are freshmen and the other two (
Brandon Heredia and
Cheyenne Parks) have eligibility remaining beyond this season.
"The first time will be a good one," Davis said Tuesday while watching the Eagles practice in a warmup pool. "The two years of COVID stole a lot from a lot of young people, so this is good to come out on the other end in a good place, swimming faster than ever, no masks, full crowd. Having a full OC squad here for the first time is just perfect.
"Our individuals have a good shot at finishing in the top eight (in their best events) and our relays are positioned well. It's been neat to talk to the coaches on deck. They've told me that, 'We're really glad you guys are here.' They know us. They recognize how (good) our swimmers are and how we're doing. We've kind of made our mark on the national scene."
Perhaps none of OC's swimmers can appreciate being here more than Heredia, a junior from Maryville, Mo. He posted a fast-enough time in the 100-yard freestyle to qualify for the meet in 2019, but wasn't included in the field. After the pandemic resulted in most of the 2020 meet being cancelled, he was the sixth alternate for the 2021 meet and again had to watch from the outside. This year, he'll be a busy man, swimming in three individual events and four relays.
Parks, a sophomore from Guthrie, has a similar story. She qualified for the 2020 meet that was cancelled but just missed a qualifying time last season. She'll swim in four events – one per day – this week and will have the honor to be the first OC swimmer to compete, as she'll swim in a preliminary race for the 200 individual medley on Wednesday morning.
"I'm excited," Heredia said. "This is a really, really nice setup they've got here. It's really, really awesome. I wasn't expecting it to be like this. And I have all these teammates here too. That's even better!"
OC figures to have a trio of individual title threats in Heredia in the 200 freestyle, freshman
Victor Rosado of St. Petersburg, Fla., in the 1,000 freestyle and freshman
J.T. Amrein of Bonner Springs, Kan., in the 200 breaststroke and 100 breaststroke. All three rank fourth or better nationally in their best events, with Amrein tops in the 200 breaststroke in 1:55.22.
The Eagles are guaranteed to race every night in a relay, as they qualified in four of them. OC's 200 freestyle relay team will be freshman
Dereck Montgomery from Rosenberg, Texas, freshman
Felix Berling from Meppen, Germany, Heredia and Amrein, a quartet that ranks 18th in Division II at 1:21.02.
The 400 freestyle relay team, which ranks 17th in Division II at 2:58.60, will be freshman
Caleb Musser from Overland Park, Kan., Amrein, Heredia and Montgomery. Swimming the 800 freestyle relay for OC will be freshman Caleb Fields of Tyler, Texas, Musser, Rosado and Heredia. The Eagles rank sixth in that event with a time of 6:31.72.
The Eagles' 400 medley relay team will be Montgomery, Amrein, Fields and Heredia, a group that ranks 12th in Division II at 3:14.10.
"This is the biggest meet, for all of them, that they've ever been to," Davis said. "Everything is here for them to do well, so we're really excited. The patience has been worth it. The hard work has paid off. We're excited to represent OC on the biggest stage for the first time."
Wednesday's lineup of events will include the 200 IM, 50 freestyle and 1,000 freestyle, with the 200 medley relay and 200 freestyle relay races being held during the evening session.
