Season Review: Men’s Swimming & Diving enjoys great year in 2022-23

By Wes Mayberry

ADA — The Ohio Northern men's swimming and diving team had a spectacular 2022-23 season that included new records and a 22nd straight top-three finish at the Ohio Athletic Conference Championships.

"We had such a fun year, and it flew by," fifth-year head coach Austin Veltman said. "This group of guys has been eager to get better all year long and to have fun doing it. They train hard, they race hard, and they cheer for each other. They've earned all the successes they've had. It was just a great year for them."

The Polar Bears posted a 7-2 record in their regular-season dual meets before placing third at the 2023 OAC Championships at the University of Akron's Ocasek Natatorium.

This year's conference meet was highlighted by a trio of new school records being set.

Sophomore Holden Cubberley (Celina) broke his own school record score of 500.50 in 3-meter diving to win the conference title with a 527.30. He subsequently broke both the school and conference records in 1-meter diving in winning the OAC championship with a score of 524.35. The old conference record was 510.20 set in 2008, and the previous school mark was 496.30 set in 1985.

Cubberley, who won conference titles in both the 1- and 3-meter diving as a freshman in 2022, was named the OAC Diver of the Year for the second straight season. He also earned recognition as the OAC Diver of the Month for both November and January, giving him three such honors in his career.

Cubberley later advanced to the NCAA Division III Diving Regionals for the second straight season, finishing sixth on the 1-meter board and 13th at three meters to narrowly miss out on qualifying for the national meet.

"Holden has had his eye on several school records all year long, and he achieved two new ones while improving on another he already owned," Veltman said. "It was great to see him chase down those goals. He was so consistent at the OACs."

Freshman Selby Wilt (Findlay) also put his name in the ONU record books at the conference meet, earning All-OAC recognition with a second-place finish in the 50 free in :20.34. The previous school record in the event was :20.84 set in 2015.

Wilt also earned All-OAC status with a second-place finish in the 100 free and as a member of the runner-up 200 free relay team en route to scoring a team-best 77.5 points.

"Selby came in with a quiet strength, and I think he may have even surprised himself," Veltman said. "We as coaches knew that he could break that record, but he crushed it."

Fifth-year senior Jackson Stanley (Beavercreek) also swam well at the conference meet, winning the OAC title in the 100 fly to go with an All-OAC third-place showing in the 200 fly. He finished with 65 points, which ranked third on the team.

Stanley is now a seven-time All-OAC performer.

"Jackson has been a leader and captain for our team for several years now, and to see him go out with a win in the 100 fly was special. There were a lot of memorable races from the OACs, but I don't know that there was one more memorable than his 100 fly," Veltman said. "Jackson is a terrific testament to what you can achieve when you pay attention to detail. I'm so happy for him."

In all, the Polar Bears earned 16 All-OAC accolades among nine student-athletes.

Senior Calob Cope (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead) is now a 10-time All-OAC honoree after earning three such accolades this season. He finished second in the 500 free and third in both the 1,650 free and 400 IM.

"Calob has done a great job of owning our distance events," Veltman said. "He is going to leave some big shoes to fill."

Freshman Nathan Clark (Cleves/Elder) finished second on the team in scoring 69.5 points at the conference meet, earning All-OAC recognition with a second-place showing in the 100 breast and joining Wilt on the 200 free relay team. Earlier in the season, he was named the OAC Men's Swimmer of the Week on Oct. 24.

"Nathan is a racer and a very gutsy swimmer. He came through in the final stretch of races all season long," Veltman said. "He's confident and likes to race and works hard and works smart. I was thrilled to see him do so well at the OACs. He deserves it."

Junior Charlie Spyker (Harrod/Shawnee) placed third in 1-meter diving and advanced to the NCAA Diving Regionals for the second straight season, finishing 32nd overall. He is now a four-time All-OAC honoree in diving and relay events.

"Charlie is so versatile. Not only can he compete in both swimming and diving, but he does both extremely well," Veltman said. "He comes through for the team in both areas every year."

Sophomore Brady Horgan (New Richmond/McNicholas) and freshmen Aiden Magoolaghan (Hinckley/Highland) and Carter Detweiler (Newton, Pa./Council Rock) rounded out ONU's All-OAC performers at the 2023 meet.

Detweiler finished second in the 200 free, and Horgan and Magoolaghan joined Wilt and Clark on the 200 free relay team.

The Polar Bears also had a successful season in the classroom, earning recognition as a CSCAA Scholar All-America team after posting a teamwide 3.06 GPA in the fall 2022 semester.

Cubberley, Spyker, Horgan and sophomore Vincent Morando (Mansfield/Lexington) earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District accolades and joined sophomores Nathan Gibbs (Parker, Colo./Legend) and Noah Shaw (Port Clinton) on the Academic All-OAC team.

With several of the team's top performers returning for next season, Veltman is excited to see what 2023-24 has in store for the Polar Bears.