The Case Western Reserve University women's swimming and diving team completed its best season in a generation during the 2023-24 academic year. The Spartans finished 13th at the 2024 NCAA Division III Women's Swimming and Diving Championships and nine members of the team received All-America honors.
Competing at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, North Carolina, CWRU earned its best national finish since the team placed 12th in 2003. The 13th-place finish also marks the third highest national placement in the history of the program, following the 12th-place finish in 2003 and seventh-place finish in 2001. CWRU scored 70.0 points across the four-day championship, the third most in program history and most since accumulating 97.0 points at the 2003 NCAA Championships.
Sophomore Claire Kozma claimed five All-America honors, tied for the second-most by a Spartan at a single championship and the most since 2001, and junior Gabriella Chambers earned four All-America honors. Two-time All-Americans at the meet included junior Kate Menzer, junior Angeli Paull, and junior Abigail Wilkov, with sophomore Eliza Dixon, junior Erica Rice, first-year Maggie Rose Rook, and junior Kelly Vann all recognized as All-Americans in a single event. The nine Spartans scoring at the national meet match a program record set during the 2001 championship.
Wilkov had the best individual finish among CWRU student-athletes, placing sixth in the 3-meter dive and seventh in the 1-meter dive. The sixth-place finish marked the best national placement by any Spartan diver in program history. The 200 Free Relay of Chambers, Dixon, Kozma, and Vann reached the podium by placing eighth. In addition, the 400 Free Relay finished 13th, 800 Free Relay placed 14th, and the 400 Medley Relay placed 16th nationally. As an individual, Kozma added a 10th-place finish in 200 Fly.
Prior to the NCAA Championships, the Spartans placed fifth in the University Athletic Association, their best conference finish since 2005. Wilkov became the first-ever member of the CWRU women's swimming and diving team to earn All-UAA honors in a diving event, placing third in the 3-meter dive. Also, the 200 Free Relay of Dixon, Kozma, Vann, and Chambers placed third to earn the first All-UAA honors in the event since 2010.
Eight school records fell during the 2023-24 season with Kozma (100 Fly), Wilkov (1-meter dive, 3-meter dive), and first-year Ava Ellis (200 Breast) setting individual marks. Records in the 200, 400, and 800 Free Relays and 400 Medley Relay were also set during the season at either the UAA or NCAA Championships.
In dual meets, the Spartans went 5-1, including victories over ranked Carnegie Mellon and SUNY Geneseo. CWRU ended the season ranked 14th in the country by the CSCAA.
In the classroom, Wilkov was named to the CSC Academic All-America First Team and Kozma was named to the All-America Third Team, the fourth and fifth Academic All-America honors in program history. In addition, Paull and Vann were named to the Academic All-District Team and 36 members of the team earned UAA All-Academic recognition.
The Spartans earned the following honors during the 2023-24 swimming and diving season:
All-America
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Abigail Wilkov
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3-meter dive (6th)
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First Team
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1-meter dive (7th)
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Claire Kozma
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200 Free Relay (8th)
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First Team
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200 Fly (10th)
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Second Team
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400 Free Relay (13th)
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800 Free Relay (14th)
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400 Medley Relay (16th)
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Gabriella Chambers
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200 Free Relay (8th)
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First Team
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400 Free Relay (13th)
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Second Team
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800 Free Relay (14th)
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400 Medley Relay (16th)
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Kate Menzer
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400 Free Relay (13th)
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Second Team
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400 Medley Relay (16th)
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Angeli Paull
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400 Free Relay (13th)
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Second Team
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800 Free Relay (14th)
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Eliza Dixon
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200 Free Relay (8th)
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First Team
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Erica Rice
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400 Medley Relay (16th)
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Second Team
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Maggie Rose Rook
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800 Free Relay (14th)
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Second Team
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Kelly Vann
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200 Free Relay (8th)
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First Team
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NCAA Championship Participants
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Gabriella Chambers
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200 Free Relay (8th), 400 Free Relay (13th), 800 Free Relay (14th), 400 Medley Relay (16th), 100 Free (t-25th)
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Eliza Dixon
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200 Free Relay (8th), 200 Medley Relay (25th)
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Claire Kozma
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200 Free Relay (8th), 200 Fly (10th), 400 Free Relay (13th), 800 Free Relay (14th), 400 Medley Relay (16th), 100 Fly (t-28th), 100 Free (30th)
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Kate Menzer
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400 Free Relay (13th), 400 Medley Relay (16th), 200 Medley Relay (25th)
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Angeli Paull
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400 Free Relay (13th), 800 Free Relay (14th)
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Erica Rice
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400 Medley Relay (16th), 200 Medley Relay (25th)
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Maggie Rose Rook
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800 Free Relay (14th)
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Kelly Vann
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200 Free Relay (8th), 200 Medley Relay (25th)
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Abigail Wilkov
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3-meter dive (6th), 1-meter dive (7th)
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The following were the top times/marks for the Spartans during the 2023-24 season:
50 Free
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Claire Kozma
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23.63
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Total Performance Invite
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100 Free
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Claire Kozma
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51.43
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Total Performance Invite
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200 Free
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Claire Kozma
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1:52.06
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UAA Championships
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500 Free
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Ava Ellis
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5:05.59
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Total Performance Invite
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1000 Free
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Ava Ellis
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10:30.41
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Total Performance Invite
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1650 Free
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Ava Ellis
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17:22.32
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Total Performance Invite
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100 Back
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Erica Rice
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56.96
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UAA Championships
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200 Back
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Julia Cho
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2:04.61
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UAA Championships
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100 Breast
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Kate Menzer
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1:05.78
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Total Performance Invite
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200 Breast
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Ava Ellis
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2:23.60 *SR
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Total Performance Invite
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100 Fly
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Claire Kozma
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55.46 *SR
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Total Performance Invite
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200 Fly
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Claire Kozma
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2:04.25
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NCAA Championships
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200 IM
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Kate Menzer
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2:06.83
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UAA Championships
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400 IM
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Maria Pritchett
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4:30.15
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UAA Championships
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1-Meter Dive (11 dives)
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Abigail Wilkov
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509.25 *SR
|
Vs. Kenyon
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3-Meter Dive (11 dives)
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Abigail Wilkov
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552.70 *SR
|
Vs. Kenyon
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200 Free Relay
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Claire Kozma, Eliza Dixon, Kelly Vann, Gabriella Chambers
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1:33.86 *SR
|
NCAA Championships
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400 Free Relay
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Claire Kozma, Angeli Paull, Kate Menzer, Gabriella Chambers
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3:27.12 *SR
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NCAA Championships
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800 Free Relay
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Claire Kozma, Angeli Paull, Gabriella Chambers, Maggie Rose Rook
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7:30.98 *SR
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UAA Championships
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200 Medley Relay
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Erica Rice, Kate Menzer, Eliza Dixon, Kelly Vann
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1:46.09
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NCAA Championships
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400 Medley Relay
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Erica Rice, Kate Menzer, Claire Kozma, Gabriella Chambers
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3:49.31 *SR
|
UAA Championships
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*SR indicates school record