Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Simon Fraser University Athletics

Top scoreboard

VanderHelm Breaks Clan 200 Free Record, Finishes 3rd At Nationals

Sophomore Adrian VanderHelm turned in a record-setting performance and finished third in the 200 yard freestyle on Day 2 of the swim nationals.

swim
Ron Hole

Swimming - W | 3/10/2016 8:33:00 PM

RESULTS

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Sophomore Adrian VanderHelm turned in a record-setting performance and finished third in the 200 yard freestyle on Day 2 of the 2016 NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving Championships.
 
VanderHelm, senior Justin Kiedrzyn, twice, and the men's 400-yard medley relay team all broke SFU all-time records at nationals. While VanderHelm finished third in the 200 free, Kriedrzyn was third in the consolation final of the 100 butterfly, placing 11th overall, and the men's 400 medley relay team was 15th.
 
VanderHelm finished behind Dutch Olympian Dion Dreesens of Queens who set a new NCAA record time of 1:32.46 in the event, and Russian national team swimmer Victor Polyakov (West Chester), who was second. Dreesens notched his second national championship with a DII-record in the 200 free. The 6-7 junior from Venray, Netherlands also won the 1000 free on Wednesday.
 
"It was a very competitive field and the guy who beat me and won (Dreesens) was a semifinalist in the London Olympics, so I am happy to be included in such a strong field," said VanderHelm.
 
VanderHelm battled Polyakov to the wall, ultimately finishing behind him by 7/100ths of a second, 1:35.18 to 1:35.11.
 
"I am usually a back end swimmer so my second 100 (yards) is faster than my first but I have been working on my first 100 and I actually went out pretty well," said VanderHelm. "In the third 50 (yards) Polyakov made his move and I saw him go out of the corner of my eye, scrambled a little, but not enough to beat him."
 
VanderHelm broke his own SFU mark in the 200 free set last year at the NCAA championships by 8/10th of a second when he finished third in 1:35.18. It was the second day in a row VanderHelm broke an SFU all-time record. On Day 1 of the championships VanderHelm set the school record in the 200 individual medley (1:47.07) when he finished fifth. Polyakov won the 200 IM race (1:44.95).
 
Three other Clan swimmers competed in the 200 freestyle, with sophomore Gabriel Lee coming 20th (1:39.09), freshman MacKenzie Hamill 24th (1:39.60) and freshman Colton Peterson 38th (1:41.63).
 
Kiedrzyn set a new SFU all-time record not once, but twice, on Thursday in the 100 fly. Kiedrzyn narrowly beat Niels Muntzenburger 's 2007 school record (48.53) in the morning preliminaries when he touched in 48.30 to qualify for the evening final. He lowered that mark in the consolation final when he was clocked in 48.25. That placed him third among the consolation swimmers, 11th overall.
 
Kiedrzyn and VanderHelm, swimming the final two legs of the 400 medley relay, respectively, teamed with lead-off swimmer Lee and Peterson (2nd leg) to finish seventh in the consolation final, 15th overall. Their time of 3:18.01 was a new Clan record, breaking the 2011 mark of 3:18.51 by half a second.
 
Top eight finishers earn All-American honours.
 
VanderHelm and Hamill will be among the favorites in tomorrow's 500 free. VanderHelm and Hamill are ranked 4th and 5th, respectively, in the event.
 
"I have been working on stretching from just a sprints into a sprint and pace swimmer so I am hoping the 500 free will ultimately become my race in the coming years," said VanderHelm. "I understand Dreesens is going to be in that race, too, so I guess I get another crack at him."
 
Queens sits atop the men's leaderboard with 203 points, followed by Lindenwood University with 192.5 and Florida Southern with 143.5. Simon Fraser is 11th with 57 points.
 
On the women's side, Junior Lauren Swistak was 34th in the 200 freestyle (1:53.00), followed by Robyn Lee in 38th (153.42) and Alicia Khan in 50th (156.41).
 
The SFU women's 200 free relay team of Maran Kokoszka, Swistak, Alicia Kan and Robyn Lee finished 20th overall and the 400 medley relay of Kokoszka, Meaghan Frenks, Swistak, and Lee finished 14th overall.
 
Competition continues Friday and Saturday with preliminary rounds for swimming events each day at 7:30 AM PT at the Natatorium and finals at 3 PM PT.
 
And here are links for tomorrow's live-streaming:

7:30am - DII Swimming & Diving Championship: Day Three - Morning Session
http://www.ncaa.com/live/player?vid=2016/2346&date=2016/03/11
 
3pm - DII Swimming & Diving Championship: Day Three - Evening Session
http://www.ncaa.com/live/player?vid=2016/2347&date=2016/03/11
 
A total of 340 student-athletes, including 157 men and 183 women, are scheduled to compete in the championships. Thirty-one teams are competing for the men's title and 38 teams for the women's championship.
 
Follow the SFU Clan swim team on the club's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/SFU_Swim. 
 
--@SFUClan--   
 
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Justin Kiedrzyn

Justin Kiedrzyn

Freestyle
Senior
Gabriel  Lee

Gabriel Lee

Backstroke/Butterfly
Sophomore
Adrian VanderHelm

Adrian VanderHelm

Freestyle/IM
Sophomore
Colton Peterson

Colton Peterson

IM/Breaststroke
Freshman
MacKenzie Hamill

MacKenzie Hamill

Butterfly/Distance Freestyle
Freshman
Meaghan  Frenks

Meaghan Frenks

Breastroke
Sophomore
Alicia  Kan

Alicia Kan

Butterfly
Freshman
Maran Kokoszka

Maran Kokoszka

Backstroke/Freestyle
Sophomore
Lauren Swistak

Lauren Swistak

Butterfly
Junior
Robyn Lee

Robyn Lee

Freestyle
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Justin Kiedrzyn

Justin Kiedrzyn

Senior
Freestyle
Gabriel  Lee

Gabriel Lee

Sophomore
Backstroke/Butterfly
Adrian VanderHelm

Adrian VanderHelm

Sophomore
Freestyle/IM
Colton Peterson

Colton Peterson

Freshman
IM/Breaststroke
MacKenzie Hamill

MacKenzie Hamill

Freshman
Butterfly/Distance Freestyle
Meaghan  Frenks

Meaghan Frenks

Sophomore
Breastroke
Alicia  Kan

Alicia Kan

Freshman
Butterfly
Maran Kokoszka

Maran Kokoszka

Sophomore
Backstroke/Freestyle
Lauren Swistak

Lauren Swistak

Junior
Butterfly
Robyn Lee

Robyn Lee

Freshman
Freestyle