Ella Dyson, a junior at Rice University from Melbourne, Australia handily won the 2024 College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) National Collegiate Open Water Swimming Championship in dominant fashion, over 3 minutes over second place Miriam Frass (@miriam.frass) of Youngstown State University and third place Marlene Blanke of Villanova University.

Dyson defended her title from the last CSCAA Championship held in 2022. This year, she earlier finished fourth at the European Junior Open Water Championships and competed in the 500 and 1650 yard freestyle events at the NCAA Division I Championships.

The junior freestyle specialist thrived in the choppy waters of Biscayne Bay with steady winds churning things up in Miami, Florida. Her head coach and longtime open water enthusiast Seth Huston said, “Wow! Ella jumped out in the lead and just kept getting farther and farther away from the field. It was an Incredible performance.”

“I had lots of fun racing in some tough, windy conditions,” said Dyson. “I had a good start and found a comfortable rhythm which helped me to grow my lead and finish strong.”

Samantha Barany, CSCAA Executive Director said, “Today’s championship reflects the incredible talent and dedication of our student-athletes. A heartfelt thank you to Florida International University for their gracious hospitality in hosting this important event. The contributions of the staff and volunteers were instrumental in ensuring a smooth and successful championship experience.”

Host and Race Director, Florida International University Head Coach Randy Horner, summed up the national competition, “Today was an incredible success. Open water provides such a unique and valuable experience for our sport. It’s amazing to see all NCAA divisions come together to compete for a national title. For the second consecutive time, the men’s champion came from Division II — how cool is that? I’m proud that FIU could play a role in making this event happen.”

The women’s team title was similarly defended again by the Owls of Rice University. Times were based on the fastest three swimmers from each school. In addition to Dyson’s victory, Rice swimmers Ava Hamblett, Amelia Kane, and Ava Portello finished at fifth, sixth, and seventh. Coach Huston commented, “Ava, Amelia, and Ava really had great swims. They were all patient and moved up in the field as the race went on securing 5-6-7 finishes among 125 competitors. It was definitely a team victory today [as Rice was the only squad in the women’s competition to have all of its athletes finish in the top eight].”

Team Title Results

1. Rice University 3:17:44 with lla Dyson (1:03:32) + Ava Hamblett (1:07:05) + Amelia Kane (1:07:07)
2. University of South Carolina 3:22:16 with Nora Fluck (1:06:42) + Sianna Savarda (1:07:15) + Emma Reiser (1:07:32)
3. Purdue University: 3:23:38 with Adele Sands (1:07:20) + Reagan Mattice (1:07:22) + Caitlin M Hurley (1:07:34)

5 km Women’s Top 20 Results

1. Ella Dyson of Rice University 1:03:31.40
2. Miriam Frass of Youngstown State University 1:06:40.41
3. Marlene Blanke of Villanova University 1:06:41.78
4. Nora Fluck of University of South Carolina 1:06:41.80
5. Ava S Hamblett of Rice University 1:07:04.17
6. Amelia L Kane of Rice University 1:07:06.71
7. Ava C Portello of Rice University 1:07:08.73
8. Peri Gaguzis of Villanova University 1:07:10.77
9. Sianna Savarda of University of South Carolina 1:07:14.11
10. Libby Michel of University of Cincinnati 1:07:14.11
11. Adele E Sands of Purdue University 1:07:19.48
12. Tori N Shoemaker of University of Alaska Fairbanks 1:07:20.70
13. Reagan G Mattice of Purdue University 1:07:21.51
14. Celine S Petruschke of University of North Carolina Asheville 1:07:23.61
15. Ella S Dyjak of Florida State University 1:07:26.92
16. Natalie M Stuart of University of Richmond 1:07:28.43
17. Ashlyn Massey of University of Miami Florida 1:07:28.89
18. Lise Coetzee of Tulane University 1:07:30.58
19. Emma Reiser of University of South Carolina 1:07:31.79
20. Caitlin M Hurley of Purdue University 1:07:33.43

Full results of the women’s competitors are posted here.

© 2024 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

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