Youngstown State University
Oakland
Penguins Continue Fall Slate with Dual at Oakland
10/1/2026 4:48:00 PM | Swimming and Diving
Youngstown, Ohio — The early portion of Youngstown State's 2026-27 swimming and diving season continues this week with a two-day meet at Oakland. The Penguins and Golden Grizzlies will compete in the first session at the OU Aquatic Center in Rochester, Mich., at 5 p.m. on Friday, and they'll be back in the pool at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
Youngstown State opened its new era under head coach Hannah Saiz on Sept. 11-12 against IU Indy and Cleveland State in Indianapolis. In the earliest start to a season in program history, the Penguins got a glimpse at two Horizon League opponents, and they will get a look at another this weekend against Oakland. Both Golden Grizzlies teams were selected as the favorites in the 2026-27 Horizon League Swimming and Diving Preseason Poll.
Recapping Last Meet
- Top 10 Entries: The Penguins made four new entries onto their top-10 all-time list at the season-opening meet, all by newcomers. On the men's team, Nathan Spetz's time of 4:06.04 in the 400 IM ranks eighth in program history, Joey Chang's time of 45.60 in the 100 free ranks 10th and Elijah Dredge's time of 1:55.11 in the 200 back ranks 10th. For the women, Lily Ho's time of 27.31 in the 50 back to lead off the 200 medley relay ranks eighth in program history.
- Top Finishers: Spetz and Olivia Sweetman both posted a pair of third-place individual finishes in the season-opening meet. Spetz's third-place finishes came in the 500 free and the 400 IM, while Sweetman placed third in the 500 free and 1,000 free. Chloe Moore recorded three top-five finishes, placing third in the 100 free and fifth in both the 50 free and 100 fly.
- Newcomer Debuts: There were 14 new swimmers and two new divers who made their Youngstown State debuts at the meet. Competing in their first meet on YSU's women's team were Tova Axelsson, Lexxi Chavez (diving), Sage Gillibrand, Lily Ho, Kylie Kwoka, Isobel Munnoch and Elif Tetik. Men making their debuts for the Penguins included Jaxon Arenholz, Joey Chang, Elijah Dredge, Henry Geitz, Sam Grojean, Jeremy Mitchell (diving), Adam Speedie, Nathan Spetz and Zachary Totin.
Meet Schedule
Session 1: Friday at 5 p.m.
- 200 Medley
- 400 IM
- 200 Free
- 100 Fly
- 100 Breast
- 50 Free
- 500 Free
- 100 Back
- 400 Free Relay
- Men's 1-Meter Diving
- Women's 3-Meter Diving
Session 2: Saturday at 10 a.m.
- 400 Medley Relay
- 1000 Free
- 200 IM
- 200 Back
- 100 Free
- 200 Fly
- 200 Breast
- 200 Free Relay
- Men's 3-Meter Diving
- Women's 1-Meter Diving
Up Next
Youngstown State's next meet will be the Zips Classic at Akron on Oct. 16-17. For more information on YSU's swimming and diving programs, follow @ysuswimdive on Instagram, Facebook and X.
