HOLLAND, Mich. -- The second day of competition at the 2026 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Men’s Swimming & Diving Championships Presented by Collegiate Credit Union took place Thursday at the Holland Aquatic Center, as teams continued to accumulate points across a full slate of swimming and diving finals.
Hope College opened the evening with a victory in the 200-yard freestyle relay, as the quartet of juniors Josh Bordovsky, Graham Eisenmann, Christian Hoeksema, and sophomore George Marsh combined for a winning time of 1:20.49. Calvin University kept the pressure on with a runner-up finish in 1:20.94 behind freshman David Gabrielle, senior Charles Platt, freshman Jackson Merkel, and freshman Kellen Morford. The Alma College quartet of freshman Nolan Kaiser, senior Brent Riehl, and juniors Andrew Barrett and Sam Couch placed third in 1:26.75.
Hope’s depth shined in the 500 freestyle, sweeping the top three spots. Sophomore Joe Engle led the charge with a winning time of 4:31.75, followed closely by sophomore Everett Cox (4:32.43) and freshman Hunter Latham (4:33.60), extending the host school’s lead in the standings.
Hope's Bordovsky delivered one of the night’s signature performances in the 200 individual medley, breaking the MIAA meet record with a time of 1:48.85 to edge last year’s mark of 1:48.89. Calvin senior Jacob Ziegler placed second in 1:50.49, while Hope's Hoeksema secured third for Hope in 1:51.25.
Calvin answered in the sprint events, as senior Charles Platt captured the 50 freestyle title in 19.97. Hope’s Eisenmann (20.40) and Marsh (20.54) finished second and third, respectively, in another tightly contested race between the conference rivals.
On the diving boards, Kalamazoo College freshman Troy Richard III claimed the one-meter title with a winning score of 486.70. Hope freshman Finn Sanders finished second at 456.70, while Kalamazoo sophomore Zander Ligman placed third with 443.50, giving the Hornets a strong showing in the diving competition.
Calvin closed the evening with a win in the 400 medley relay, posting a time of 3:15.62. The winning relay featured senior Charles Platt on backstroke, sophomore Andrew Taulbee on breaststroke, freshman David Gabrielle on butterfly, and senior Jacob Ziegler on freestyle. Kalamazoo finished second in 3:33.04 with junior Zachary Heikka, sophomore Reed Dixon, freshman Teague Westra, and junior Avery Jones, while Albion College placed third in 3:40.81 with freshman Harper Prutch, freshman Tyler Deubel, senior Jalen Hung, and freshman Brody Roberts.
After two days of competition, host Hope leads the team standings with 423 points, followed by Calvin with 369.5. Kalamazoo sits third with 178 points, narrowly ahead of Albion (175), Alma (164.5), and The University of Olivet (2).
The championships continue Friday with preliminary heats at 10:00 a.m. and finals at 5:00 p.m., as teams battle for position heading into the final stretch of the four-day meet.
MIAA Champions - Thursday
200 Free Relay - Hope | Josh Bordovsky, Graham Eisenmann, Christian Hoeksema, George Marsh | 1:20.49
500 Free - Joseph Engle, Hope | 4:31.75
200 IM - Josh Bordovsky, Hope | 1:48.85 (MIAA Record)
50 Free - Charles Platt, Calvin | 19.97
1m Dive - Troy Richard III, Kalamazoo | 486.70
400 Medley Relay - Calvin | Charles Platt, Andrew Taulbee, David Gabrielle, Jacob Ziegler | 3:15.62