Nova Southeastern wins fourth consecutive national title
A few years ago, Nova Southeastern University swimming/diving coach Ben Hewitt wasn’t so sure about recruiting Maya Esparza, a two-sport standout from the St. Louis suburbs.
Hewitt wasn’t certain Esparza had the swim talent he required, but he watched her play volleyball as a 6-foot middle blocker, and he became intrigued.
“I saw her spiking the ball, and she’s the one dancing and getting everyone jacked up,” Hewitt said. “I thought she could add personality that we needed. I thought she would be the the type of kid who would be genuinely excited when her teammates did well.”
Indeed, Esparza takes pride in being loud and extroverted.
“I was a personality recruit,” Esparza said. “But at 6-foot tall, it wasn’t a bad gamble.”
As it turns out, it was a great gamble. Earlier this month, Esparza swam the anchor leg on three relay teams that won gold medals at the NCAA Division II national finals in Evansville, Indiana. Her effort helped the Sharks win their fourth consecutive national title in swimming/diving.
Here are your five takeaways:
1: THE HEADLINER: NSU’s Kristina Orban, a 5-5 sophomore from Sweden, was named the National Swimmer of the Year after winning six gold medals, including three on relays.
She also won three individual national titles (100 butterfly; 100 freestyle; and 200 freestyle).
Her efforts helped the Sharks accumulate 486 points. Second-place Tampa scored 424.5 points.
“I challenged Kristina with a tough double — 100 fly and 200 free on the same day — and she won both,” Hewitt said. “Two of her relay teams set national records.
“She is fiercely competitive, and I’m grateful I get to coach her every day.”
2: THE COACH: Hewitt, named the National Coach of the Year for the third time, was a swimmer in his younger days at Wabash, an NCAA Division III college in Crawfordsville, Indiana.
He was also a big baseball fan, which explains why he treasured his college internship at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
“It was the year [2005] that Wade Boggs and Ryan Sandberg were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame,” Hewitt said. “For a ribbon-cutting ceremony, I handed scissors to guys like Yogi Berra; Rollie Fingers; Don Sutton; and Phil Niekro.
“I also worked a camp with Bill Lee, Brooks Robinson, Orlando Cepeda and Buck O’Neil. It was the coolest internship ever.”
Hewitt wanted to parlay his internship into a career in baseball. But after a disastrous run in ticket sales with the San Francisco Giants, Hewitt returned to Wabash as an assistant coach. That eventually led him to apply for — and get — an assistant coaching job at NSU in 2010. NSU swimming was a first-year program at that time.
In July 2016, he became NSU’s second swimming head coach. His predecessor, Hollie Bonewit-Cron, is now the head coach at Penn State.
As for Hewitt, baseball’s loss is NSU’s gain.
3: THE CHAMPION: Emilia Ronningdal, a 5-5 senior from Sweden, is the only athlete in NSU history who was an active member of four consecutive national championship teams.
Ronningdal had lost her love for swimming while in high school back home. But after getting recruited to NSU, she was reinvigorated.
“I found a new way to practice at NSU,” she said. “We go fast all the time — no rest — and I found my love for swimming again.”
Ronningdal will graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in applied professional studies with minors in sports management and nutrition. She plans to return to Sweden to hopefully work in nutrition with a sports team.
“I’m going to miss my NSU teammates,” she said. “They are a big part of my life.
“In Sweden, we are very individual. When I got here, I wasn’t used to all this team spirit. I was thinking, ‘These girls are crazy. Why are they always hugging? Why are they barking like dogs?’
“I dance around now, too, and the other coaches hate us!”
4: THE TEAM: The record for NCAA Division II consecutive national titles in women’s swimming is seven, and it’s held by Queens University of Charlotte.
Queens, which won those seven titles from 2015 to 2022, moved to Division I right after that, opening the door for NSU to dominate the past four years.
Hewitt said he would love to break Queens’ record, but he is instead focused on 2026-2027. Of the 28 Sharks on the roster this season, 13 were seniors/graduate students, which means Hewitt has a lot of work to do in recruiting.
As for Queens, the Sharks faced them this past November in Charlotte. NSU won the multiteam event, known as Fall Frenzy.
“It’s not really a rivalry, but they are a good source of motivation for us,” Hewitt said. “We continue to compete with them even though they are now in Division I.”
5: THE CLOSER: Esparza was on NSU’s roster as a freshman, but she didn’t make nationals.
“I was aware they didn’t take me seriously my freshman year,” Esparza said. “But, as a sophomore, I decided I was going to prove them wrong.”
That’s exactly what Esparza did, becoming a huge part of the past three championships.
Esparza said she loves swimming the anchor leg on relays.
“It’s nerve-wracking because there’s nobody after you,” she said. “Your teammates have done their jobs, and it’s time to bring it home.
“I like the pressure. When I get on the block, I’m excited. I shine in those moments.”
Esparza, 22, is set to graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in sports management. Her goal is to become a sideline reporter, something she has already done for NSU men’s basketball games.
Her own experience as a basketball player, however, didn’t go so well.
“I was in the eighth grade, and I shot the ball into the wrong basket,” Esparza said. “That’s way too old to be shooting into the wrong basket.”
