When swimmers and divers compete on an international stage, the chances are that a Buckeye will be in attendance. At the 2022 FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, eight Ohio State student-athletes will compete for their respective countries in the two-week-long event.
Those representing the Buckeyes are Hunter Armstrong (United States), Charlie Clark (United States), Ruslan Gaziev (Canada), Ciara McGing (Ireland), Kristen Romano (Puerto Rico), Lena Hentschel (Germany), Alex Axon (Canada) and Bill Dorenkott (United States).
Armstrong qualified for the FINA World Championships after a tremendous performance at the Phillips 66 Team Trials in April. He broke the 50m backstroke world record with a 22.71-second swim and went on to lower four school records at the event. Armstrong will race in the 50m backstroke, 100m backstroke and the 3x100m freestyle relay.
On Friday, Armstrong was named the Ohio State Male Athlete of the Year, accompanying women’s ice hockey defenseman Sophie Jaques who won the Female Athlete of the Year award. Because he took the Buckeyes men’s crown, Armstrong has a chance to be the Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year, which will be announced in late June.
Clark will race in the 800m and 1500m freestyle, He qualified at April’s International Team Trials with runner-up finishes in both events. He also set Ohio State records with those swims. Clark also managed to lower his own program record with an improved mark in the 400m freestyle.
Gaziev won the 200m freestyle in a school-record time of 1:04.44 seconds at the 2022 Bell Canadian Swimming Trials. He broke another school record with a second-place finish in the 100m freestyle to qualify for both races in Budapest.
McGing is one of two Irish divers who will be competing at the World Championships over the next 14 days. She makes her debut on the 10m platform after setting the Irish points record in February. She scored a 319.25 at the Big Ten Championships to best her previous national record of 307.
Romano is one of 11 Puerto Rican athletes representing the country’s swimming federation at the FINA World Championships. She makes her event debut in the 50m pool after previously competing in the FINA Short Course World Championships in December 2021. Romano is set to race in the 200m backstroke and 200m and 400m medley.
Hentschel will be a freshman at Ohio State this fall, but before he enrolls as a Buckeye, he will represent Canada in open water racing in Budapest. Hentschel will race in the 5km and has previously raced in the 2018 FINA Open Water World Junior Swimming Championships. He also won the 1.5km and the 5km races at the 2019 FEST Open Water Swimming Festival.
Dorenkott is one of five assistants for the United States national team. His appointment marks the fourth time coaching the American squad on an international trip. Dorenkott is the director of men’s and women’s swimming and diving at Ohio State.
The 19th FINA World Championships begin Saturday and conclude on July 3. Swimming will race June 18-25, while diving begins June 26, with the women’s 10m being contested June 26-27. The 3m springboard will run from July 1-2 and 3m synchro will be held on July 3. Open water racing also starts on June 26 with the 5km race on June 27.
