Ben Pickrel of the Kalamazoo College men's swimming & diving team was selected as the MIAA Men's Swimmer of the Week on Monday (Oct. 10). Entering his second season as a Hornet, this is Pickrel's first time earning the distinction.
The men's swimming & diving team traveled to Saginaw Valley to compete in a tri-meet, including Alma. At the meet, the Hornets defeated the Scots by a score of 214-77 and then were defeated by the Cardinals 231-69. This competition was the season opener for the Kalamazoo swimming & diving teams.
Pickrel picked up where he left off last season as the Hornets' best swimmer. He had two second-place finishes and one third-place finish as an individual, then also placed third in a relay at the tri-meet. In the 200 Fly, Pickrel had a time of 1:59.81, which was good for second and is just four seconds off his best time from last season at the MIAA Championships. His other second-place finish was in the 200 IM with a time of 2:03.69, a career-best by nearly two seconds. Coming in third in the 200 Back at 2:01.63, Pickrel is eight seconds off his personal best again from the 2021-22 MIAA Championships. In the 200 Medley Relay with Erik Danielson, Oliver Tye, and Tim Karubas, Pickrel and the team finished in third with a time of 1:39.69.
The Hornets compete again on Friday (Oct. 14) in a dual at Albion, beginning at 5 p.m.