The John Carroll University Men’s Swimming & Diving Team finished 13th at the 2022 NCAA DIII Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships on Saturday, March 19, at the IUPUI IU Natatorium. 

Over the course of four days competing, the Blue Streaks made history, earning their best finish since joining the Ohio Athletic Conference in the 1989-1990 season. 

The meet also marked a historic point total by the Blue Streaks as they scored 94 points, the most in the program’s history. 

On Wednesday, March 21, John Carroll got off to a hot start, scoring 28 points. 

The highlight of the opening night was the 200 Medley Relay’s fifth place finish, earning the quartet of Liam McDonnell ‘23, Jonah Venos ‘23, Forrest Campbell ‘22 and Adam Lenz ‘22 All-American honors. 

On top of the All-American honors, the 200 Medley Relay team captured a school record in the event via their 1:27.85 time. 

On the second day, John Carroll’s success in the pool continued. For the second straight day, the Blue & Gold had another All-American relay. 

In the 200 Free Relay, Lenz, Campbell, Michael Heller ‘23 and McDonnell posted an impressive time of 1:21.20 in the race, earning them an eight place finish and JCU’s second All-American trophy of the weekend. 

The 2021 OAC Swimmer of the Year, McDonnell continued his record breaking season, earning a third-place finish in the 100 Fly. McDonnell’s 47.13 time gave him an individual All-American honor. 

As the week went on, John Carroll struggled to earn as many points as they had hoped to get. 

McDonnell’s slower preliminary performance in the 100 Back placed him in the B Final on Friday night. Despite being in the B Final, McDonnell made the most of it by earning another school record in 47.53 seconds. 

On the fourth day, John Carroll’s rocky morning led them to not having anyone in the finals on the final day. 

Despite being seeded high, McDonnell missed the finals for the 100 Free, coming in 14th place in the preliminary swim. McDonnell did earn a spot in the B final, finishing with a time of 44.60 seconds and a 12th place finish. 

Campbell also competed in the 100 free but missed the mark for the B finals. 

The Blue Streak’s final relay team of the weekend, Campbell, Lenz, Jacob Farr and Liam McDonnell, also fell short in advancing to the finals for the 400 Free Relay. 

Despite a tough final two days, the Blue Streaks still finished with one of their best seasons in OAC history. 

Next year, John Carroll will miss the presence of Lenz, Campbell and Westin Fishel ‘22, but the remaining five 2022 NCAA Championship qualifiers will return for another remarkable season. 

As the Blue Streaks turn to the offseason, Barton is expecting a strong season with many star swimmers returning next year.