Emmanuel Chosen to Win Fourth Straight Men’s Swimming Title in Conference Carolinas Preseason Poll

9/21/2023 1:00:00 PM

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Emmanuel, the three-time defending Conference Carolinas champion, has been selected as the favorite in the 2023-24 Conference Carolinas Men’s Swimming Preseason Poll.

The conference office officially released the preseason poll on Sept. 21, 2023. The preseason poll was voted on by the league’s head coaches.

The Lions topped the poll with 25 points and five-of-six first-place votes while Barton was picked second with 19 points just ahead of Lees-McRae who tallied 18 points and the remaining first-place nod. Chowan (11), King (10) and first-year program Converse (7) rounded out the poll.

The 2024 Conference Carolinas Men’s and Women’s Swimming Championships are scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 21-Saturday, Feb. 24 at the Kingsport Aquatic Center in Kingsport, Tennessee.

2023-24 Conference Carolinas
Men’s Swimming Preseason Poll

School	Total (First Place)
Emmanuel	25 (5)
Barton	19
Lees-McRae	18 (1)
Chowan	11
King	10
Converse	7

2023-24 Conference Carolinas Men’s Swimming
Swimmers to Watch

Barton

Ethan Koekemoer, So., Waterfalls, South Africa (2023 400 Freestyle Relay Conference Carolinas Champion, 400 Medley Relay Second Team All-Conference Carolinas, 100 Backstroke, 200 Medley Relay, 200 Freestyle Relay Third Team All-Conference Carolinas)
Ethan Maddrey, Sr., Sims, North Carolina (2023 400 Freestyle Relay Conference Carolinas Champion, 400 Medley Relay Second Team All-Conference Carolinas, 200 Freestyle, 200 Freestyle Relay, 800 Freestyle Relay Third Team All-Conference Carolinas; 2021 500 Freestyle Third Team All-Conference Carolinas; 2022 200 Freestyle Relay, 400 Medley Relay, 400 Freestyle Relay Second Team All-Conference Carolinas, 800 Freestyle Relay Third Team All-Conference Carolinas; 2021 500 Freestyle, 800 Freestyle Relay Third Team All-Conference Carolinas)
Owen Rasinske, Jr., Hillsborough, North Carolina (2023 400 Freestyle Relay Conference Carolinas Champion, 800 Freestyle Relay Third Team All-Conference Carolinas)

Chowan

Aleksei Belolipetskii, So., Volgograd, Russia (2023 200 Individual Medley Conference Carolinas Champion, 200 Medley Relay, 200 Freestyle Relay Second Team All-Conference Carolinas, 100 Freestyle, 100 Breaststroke, 400 Medley Relay Third Team All-Conference Carolinas)
Robert Liz Cabrera, So., Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (2023 200 Freestyle Relay Second Team All-Conference Carolinas)

Converse

Micah Lesley, Fr., Belton, South Carolina
Daniel Merzthal, Fr., Lima, Peru
Henry Winstead, Fr., Charleston, South Carolina

Emmanuel

Anton Akopian, Sr., West Drayton, United Kingdom (2023 200 Medley Relay, 200 Freestyle Relay Conference Carolinas Champion, 400 Freestyle Relay Second Team All-Conference Carolinas, 50 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle, 100 Butterfly Third Team All-Conference Carolinas; 2022 400 Freestyle Relay Conference Carolinas Champion, 100 Freestyle Third Team All-Conference Carolinas)
Amadeusz Kielczewski, Sr., Szczecin, Poland (2023 1000 Freestyle, 1650 Freestyle Conference Carolinas Champion; 2022 800 Freestyle Relay Conference Carolinas Champion, 1650 Freestyle Conference Carolinas Champion, 1000 Freestyle Second Team All-Conference Carolinas; 2021 800 Freestyle Relay Conference Carolinas Champion, 1000 Freestyle Second Team All-Conference Carolinas, 1650 Freestyle Third Team All-Conference Carolinas)
Jan Michalak, So., Skierniewice, Poland (2023 400 Individual Medley Conference Carolinas Champion, 200 Individual Medley, 200 Backstroke Second Team All-Conference Carolinas)

King

Jean Ducastel, Fr., Pont Remy, France
Carson Eliasen, Sr., Gig Harbor, Washington (2021 200 Medley Relay Third Team All-Conference Carolinas)
Efe Ertuzun, Fr., Izmir, Turkey

Lees-McRae

Asad Buttar, Fr., Mooresville, North Carolina
Josh Wall, Jr., Raleigh, North Carolina (2023 800 Freestyle Relay Second Team All-Conference Carolinas, 200 Butterfly Third Team All-Conference Carolinas)
Thomas Ware, Jr., Freestyle, Cleveland, Georgia (2023 500 Freestyle, 1000 Freestyle, 1650 Freestyle, 800 Freestyle Relay Second Team All-Conference Carolinas; 2022 1000 Freestyle Third Team All-Conference Carolinas)