North Michigan News

The Northern Michigan University men's swim and dive team, currently ranked eighth nationally, will host the eleventh-ranked Wayne State Warriors this weekend in Marquette. The events are scheduled to take place at the PEIF Pool, starting with a Skins Meet on Friday, November 7 at 5 p.m., followed by a dual meet on Saturday, November 8 at 10 a.m.

A Skins event consists of a series of sprint races conducted in quick succession. Swimmers are eliminated after each round until two remain for a final head-to-head race. The format tests both speed and recovery as rounds occur at short intervals.

Admission to the meets is free for spectators. Streaming coverage will be available through Flo Sports once live.

Northern Michigan has posted strong performances early in the season across four meets. Freshman Timothee Garin leads the Wildcats in distance events, holding the third- and fourth-fastest times in the conference for the 500 and 1000 freestyle. Both times have met Division II B standards, with his 9:21.12 in the 1000 freestyle ranking twelfth nationally among Division II swimmers.

Olympian and All-American Leo Nolles has achieved top marks as well. He holds the fastest time in the conference for the 50 butterfly and is second-fastest in both the 50 freestyle (20.00 seconds) and 100 butterfly; his times meet D2 B standards. Nationally, Nolles’ performance ranks him second in the country for the 50 freestyle—behind Evan Scotto Divetta of Grand Valley State—and places him seventh nationally in both butterfly distances. William LaCount’s time of 20.38 seconds is third-best in conference competition and twelfth nationwide.

Freshman Matteo Ballardin has also made an impact, securing second-place conference rankings in four events: 200 freestyle, individual medley (IM), breaststroke, and butterfly—all while meeting D2 B standards for two of those events. On a national level among Division II athletes, Ballardin's times rank sixth (200 breaststroke), eighth (200 IM), and thirteenth (200 fly).

Jef Leroux holds a D2 B standard with an eighth-fastest time regionally in the 100 freestyle. Diver Tobie Stiles leads all competitors nationally on one-meter springboard with a score of 489.25 points; he is also second nationally on three-meter with a score of 305.94.

Both NMU’s relay teams have shown competitive results: their 400 relay squad holds fifth place nationally while their 200 relay stands eighth among Division II programs; within their conference they are second-fastest overall for both relays. Medley relay teams are currently ranked third (200 medley) and fourth (400 medley) regionally.

"Heidi VoigtMedia Availability - 10/28/25"