Beckwith, Maxwell, Knight and Sanders named to 2011 All-MIAA Swimming and Diving Teams

OLIVET, Mich. -- Olivet College seniors Kellen Beckwith (Farmington Hills/North Farmington) and Rafe Maxwell (Bay City/Western), sophomore Joel Knight (Battle Creek/Lakeview) and freshman Cody Sanders (Battle Creek/Lakeview), have been named to the 2011 All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Men's Swimming and Diving team. They helped the Comets finish in third-place at the 2011 MIAA Championships Feb. 17-19 at the Jenison High School Aquatic Center.

Beckwith, who is now only the second swimmer in school history to earn All-MIAA honors for four consecutive years, won the conference title in the 100 and 200 backstroke, and placed fifth in the 200 individual medley. His times in the backstroke events were NCAA Championships consideration cuts, while the times in the 200 backstroke and 200 IM broke the school record.

"Kellen's development as a well rounded swimmer came together incredibly well this year," said Olivet Head Coach Jake Taber. "His decision to swim the 200 IM instead of the 50 freestyle was a very team oriented decision. His commitment to his off-season training also paid off dividends when he won the 200 backstroke for the first time."

Maxwell capped his senior season by defending his MIAA title in the 200 butterfly in a school record time. He also finished in third-place in the 100 butterfly and 14th in the 200 IM.

"Rafe really prides himself on his ability to finish the 200 butterfly very strong," said Taber. "A big part of his race is under water and despite being one of the most grueling events, he finds a way to utilize his walls to literally kick away from his competition. Winning the 200 was great way to cap off his career at Olivet."

Knight placed third in the 200 butterfly, fourth in the 100 butterfly and sixth in the 100 backstroke. During the preliminaries of the 100 butterfly, he broke the school record.

"Joel has the ability to swim a number of different events," said Taber. "Committing to the team's success, he decided to swim both butterfly events and the 100 backstroke. Joel is probably capable of placing in the top eight in as many as six different events. As well rounded as his swimming is, Joel is equally as light hearted. He's a valuable part of the team not only because of his swimming talents but also because he can always lighten the mood and get a smile out of any one of his teammates."

Competing in his first MIAA championships, Sanders was the runner-up finisher on both the one- and three-meter diving boards. His point total on the three-meter was enough to be considered for the NCAA Championships.

"Cody burst onto the scene at Olivet this year," said Taber. "He has a lot of energy and strong passion for diving. Cody loves the boards and spends a lot of time on them. He understands the sport very well and has a lot of respect for it."

The 2011 NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving Championships will take place March 23-26 at the University of Tennessee.