This quartet of swimmers set all kinds of records — the GLIAC record, meet record, pool record and NMU record, along with swimming the fastest time nationwide this season — with their performance in the 200-yard freestyle relay at the GLIAC Championships on Feb. 19. From left, Will LaCount, Gabriel Fulconi, Daniel Khmara and Leo Nolles clocked 1 minute, 17.76 seconds to win the event. (Photo courtesy NMU)

HOLLAND — Northern Michigan University junior Leo Nolles made the biggest splash of any swimmer after he was named the 2025 GLIAC Male Swimmer of the Year when he won five gold and seven overall medals at the men’s GLIAC Championships meet held at the Holland Aquatic Center in downstate Holland from Feb. 19-22.

He and several of his teammates are looking forward to the five-day-long NCAA Division II Championships that begin today in Indianapolis.

At the GLIAC meet, the NMU men finished third among eight teams, compiling 579 points. Grand Valley State, which won the women’s meet, was atop the men’s standings, too, with 809, while Wayne State was runner-up with 707.

Following the Wildcats in fourth was St. Cloud State with 496, then Saginaw Valley State with 369, Davenport 345, Augustana 229 and Lake Superior State with 16.

Nolles had two individual and three relay victories, interestingly, all coming on the first day and on the fourth and final day.

To open the meet, he won the 50-yard freestyle in an NMU-record time of 19.51 seconds, while fellow junior William LaCount was second in 19.88, each an NCAA Division II national meet “B” provisional cut qualifying time.

Then the pair became part of something bigger at the end of that session, day 1 on Feb. 19.

They joined sophomore Gabriel Fulconi and junior Daniel Khmara to smash all kinds of records with their win in the 200 free relay in 1:17.76. That not only was the fastest Division II time in the country all season, but set the GLIAC record, the conference championships meet record, the pool record and a Northern record, with the GLIAC record having stood since 2022.

Their splits — each of their 50-yard times — was LaCount in 19.80 seconds, Fulconi in 19.72, Khmara in 19.51 and Nolles in 18.73, with Nolles’ timing just about three-quarters of as second faster than his individual 50 free winning time.

Nolles apparently didn’t fill up on pizza and Three Musketeers candy bars while waiting for the final day on Feb. 22, since on that day he won the 100 free in 42.72 seconds, setting another fastest time in the nation, along with meet, pool and NMU records.

And to finish it off, he joined another relay team that tied the GLIAC record in the 400 free relay in 2:54.13. He again joined LaCount, Fulconi and Khmara for that victory. Their splits were LaCount in 44.72 seconds, Fulconi 43.88, Khmara 43.61 and Nolles in 41.92, again beating his individual time at that distance by more than three-quarters of a second.

And Nolles’ fifth gold? That came back on day 1, when he joined junior Ian Rocheleau, senior Wyatt Dickman and LaCount to win the 200 medley relay in 1:26.52, a Wildcats’ record and a time that made the NCAA “B” cut.

Rocheleau swam his opening 50-yard backstroke leg in 22.84, Dickman the breaststroke in 23.58, LaCount the butterfly in 21.05 and Nolles the 50 free in 19.05.

Nolles rounded out his medal haul with two more on day 2. He was third for bronze in the 100 fly in 47.33 seconds, then joined Rocheleau, Dickman and LaCount to place runner-up for silver in the 400 medley relay in 3:11.17.

But Nolles wasn’t the whole story at this meet, though he was NMU’s brightest star.

In all, NMU won eight individual medals and five more in relays for 13 altogether.

Nolles got in all three of NMU’s medals on day 1, but on day 2, senior Daniel Lopez-Aponte was third in the 400 individual medley in 3:53.84, while sophomore Alessandro Rosatelli was also third in the 200 free in 1:37.43, the latter a school record, too.

The Wildcats had several close calls for the medal stand on day 1 when Rosatelli was fourth, Dickman fifth and Fulconi sixth in the 200 IM, while on day 2, LaCount was fourth in the 100 fly, Dickman fifth in the 200 free and junior Tobie Stiles fifth in three-meter diving.

On day 3, Feb. 21, Dickman picked up Northern’s lone individual medal with a second-place finish in the 100 breast in 53.26 seconds, then he joined the 800 free relay to also finish second in 6:31.07. His teammates in that race were Rosatelli, Fulconi and Khmara.

And junior Javier Pena-Reyes had NMU’s close call of fifth place in the 200 fly.

On day 4, Dickman again was a runner-up, this time in the 200 breast in 1:56.86, while Stiles was also runner-up in one-meter diving with 451.30 points.

The close calls here were LaCount sixth in the 100 free and Rocheleau sixth in the 200 back.

Story contents based on Northern Michigan University Sports Information press releases reviewing each day of the meet. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.