Northwestern’s swim and dive teams opened their season with a double win over Miami (OH) at the Norris Aquatics Center on Saturday night. The men’s team won 187-130 and the women’s team won 230-87, with standout performances from Stuart Seymour, Kyle Ly, and Flavia Kamzol.
The Men’s Team Sweeps Diving and Relays
The men’s squad, coached by Rachel Stratton Mills, won 11 of the meet’s 17 events, sweeping both the relays and the diving competitions. Seymour anchored three winning relays: the Seymour-Kos-Ha-Duncan team in the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:20.51), the Seymour-Shuster-Duncan-Kos team in the 400-yard freestyle relay (2:53.23), and the Seymour-Staples-Schuster-Kos team in the 200-yard medley relay (1:25.42).
A diver from California named Kyle Ly took home first place in both the one-meter and three-meter dives. The two schools tied the individual swimming events at six apiece, which happened in part because the ‘Cats’ top swimmers entered some secondary events instead.
Miami (OH) swimmer Owen Hoban claimed the meet’s high point award by winning the 200-yard breaststroke in a time of 2:00.23, the 200-yard butterfly in 1:46.44, and the 100-yard individual medley in 49.84. Seymour placed second in the high point standings with victories in the 50-yard freestyle in 20.10, the 100-yard backstroke in 45.74, and three relay events, while Ly rounded out the top three.
The Women’s Team Dominates From Start to Finish
The women’s team secured victories in 14 of the meet’s 17 events, beating the Redhawks by a 143-point margin. They swept the relays too: the Davis-Papanicholas-Kamzol-Pan team won the 200-yard medley relay (1:39.81), the Pan-Davis-Kamzol-Martin team took the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:32.10), and the Bleakney-Smith-Teply-Chow team won the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:22.65).
Seven individual event winners emerged, four of whom took multiple events:
- Flavia Kamzol won the 100-yard backstroke (53.71) and 100-yard butterfly (52.76)
- Maggie Papanicholas won the 100-yard breaststroke (1:01.61) and 200-yard breaststroke (2:14.05)
- Zoe Nordmann won the 500-yard freestyle (4:51.05) and 200-yard butterfly (2:00.49)
- Chloe Sharp won both the one-meter (261.10) and three-meter (280.05) diving
Kamzol, a first-year student, earned the meet’s high point award in her very first Northwestern competition. She was not alone among her fellow freshmen. Sprinter Aya Ferguson also delivered a strong performance, finishing sixth in the high point standings after winning the 50-yard freestyle event (22.92). Iris Kim added to the group’s success with a second-place finish in the 800-yard freestyle (8:03.63) and a third-place result in the 500-yard freestyle (4:58.41).
The Schedule Ahead
Northwestern’s strength of schedule changes dramatically after this opener. On Friday, the ‘Cats travel south to Bloomington to face the Indiana Hoosiers, where they will be heavy underdogs.
Led by legendary coach Ray Looze, the Hoosiers’ men’s team won the Big Ten in 2026 and was ranked No. 2 in SwimSwam’s preseason poll. Their women’s team finished second in the Big Ten in 2026 and was ranked No. 5 in SwimSwam’s preseason poll.
Oct. 23 brings a matchup between Northwestern and Notre Dame, which kicks off a stretch that closes out the month with Short Course World Trials in Westmont, Illinois, running Oct. 28-31.
What This Opener Shows
A strong showing against Miami (OH) points to the ‘Cats are ready to compete. The men’s team defending its best finish at Big Ten Championships since 2008, while the women’s squad claimed a commanding victory even though it was paced by a freshman competing for the first time.
Both squads boast a deep pool of talent, with seven individual winners and multiple relay sweeps among their ranks. Kamzol’s standout high point performance signals she came prepared, while Ly and Sharp’s veteran presence offered steady leadership throughout.
Before the Short Course World Trials in Westmont, the upcoming Indiana meet offers a chance to see how much NU has improved. That national event will showcase the team’s best athletes.
| Fixture | Date |
|---|---|
| Indiana Hoosiers | Friday |
| Notre Dame | Oct. 23 |
| Short Course World Trials | Oct. 28-31 |
Northwestern has already made a statement. Now the schedule gets tougher.
Source material: “Swim & Dive: Northwestern kicks off season with wins over Miami (OH),” Yahoo Sports.
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