East Michigan News

Eastern Michigan University's freshman diver, Megan Lupa, has been named the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Freshman Diver of the Year. This accolade was awarded as the Eagles concluded their participation in the 2025 MAC Swimming and Diving Championships. The event took place at the University at Buffalo's Dorsi Raynolds Pool on March 1.

Megan Lupa, hailing from Campden, Ontario, is only the second Eagle to receive this honor. The first was Micaela Schempf during the 2017-18 season. In her events, Lupa achieved a seventh-place finish in the 3m dive final with a score of 255.75 points—the highest among freshmen—and placed 15th in the 1m finals with a score of 226.95 on February 27.

The Eastern Michigan team finished seventh overall with a total of 215 points after earning qualifications for eleven finals and scoring 73 points on their most successful night of the meet.

The team's standout performances included Lupa's diving achievement and a seventh-place finish by the 400-yard freestyle relay team consisting of Marlee Christie, Emma Littrell, Sophie Gatrall, and Kiersten Russell. Their relay time was a season-best at 3:23.94, contributing significantly to their overall score.

In other individual performances, Nehir Oz led EMU in the 1650-yard freestyle with a personal best time of 17:09.49, while Ashley George and Morgan Hofmeister also posted season-best times in this event.

Emma Littrell and Marlee Christie added to their contributions from earlier events by securing additional points in the finals for the 100-yard freestyle.

Abby Szadorski swam her fastest time this season in the finals for the 200-yard breaststroke with a finish that earned four points for her team.

Olivia Clarino and Sydney Ulmer rounded out EMU’s notable performances in swimming events with strong finishes in the finals for the 200-yard butterfly.

Final standings saw Akron take first place with Ohio and Miami following closely behind. Eastern Michigan ended up seventh among eight teams competing.

Looking ahead, select swimmers from EMU will compete at upcoming CSCAA NICs scheduled to be held from March 13-15 in Ocala, Florida. Qualified divers will participate in NCAA Zone C Diving Championships hosted by Ohio State from March 10-12.

For updates on Eastern Michigan University's swimming and diving teams' progressions through these competitions, fans are encouraged to follow along via EMUEagles.com or through social media platforms like Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook.