2026 BUTLER INVITATIONAL
- January 31, 2026
- Fishers, Ind.
- SCY (25 yards)
- Results
Courtesy: Buter Athletics
Butler defeated Valparaiso 141-120 in the 17th annual Butler Invite on Sunday afternoon. The event was held at the Fishers High School Natatorium in Fishers, Indiana. Butler also honored its 10 seniors — Sadie Brown, Ava McGonigle, Olivia McKee, Elizabeth Naylor, Sophie Resner, Kate Schilling, Olivia Stotts, Megan VanValkenburgh, Cotter Welch and Caroline Zimner — and their contributions to the program over the past four seasons.
Final Results
Butler University: 141 points
Valparaiso University: 120 points
“Today’s meet was extremely exciting and heartwarming as we honored our 10 seniors on the team,” assistant coach Hannah Cressman said. “On top of a win in our final dual meet of the season, it was especially gratifying to reflect on the legacy this senior class has left on Butler swimming.”
“They have changed our team’s culture, our team’s record board and our belief in what we are capable of both individually and as a team. In recognition of all they have contributed to the program, the coaches named the entire class the swimmer of the meet.”
Notable Swims
200 Medley Relay
Butler’s B relay placed first with a time of 1:48.00
– Backstroke: Caroline Zimner (27.76)
– Breaststroke: Lydia Eberlein (30.27)
– Butterfly: Kate Schilling (24.93)
– Freestyle: Elizabeth Naylor (25.04)
1,650 Freestyle
• Kayla Wright won the event with a time of 17:50.22
200 Freestyle
• Kate Schilling won the event in 1:52.54
• Caitlin Herring placed third in 1:58.09
100 Backstroke
• Sadie Brown won the event in 1:01.63, less than 0.10 seconds off her career-best time
• Ashlyn Canale placed third in 1:02.33
100 Breaststroke
• Lydia Eberlein won the event in 1:05.85
• Caroline Zimner placed second with a career-best time of 1:07.43
200 Butterfly
• Caitlin Herring placed second in 2:13.17
• Emma Ciesla placed third in 2:13.28
50 Freestyle
• Sadie Brown posted a career-best time of 25.61 to place fourth
100 Freestyle
• Megan VanValkenburgh placed second in 54.97
• Elizabeth Naylor placed third in 55.81
200 Backstroke
• Sarah Jones won the event in 2:08.33
• Kate Schilling placed third with a career-best time of 2:10.73
100 Butterfly
• Ashlyn Canale won the event in 1:00.30
• Meghan Voelker and Emma Ciesla tied for third in 1:02.25
400 Individual Medley
• Sadie Brown won the event in 4:36.92
• Caroline Zimner placed second in 4:39.99
400 Freestyle Relay
Butler’s A relay — comprised entirely of seniors — finished in 3:36.91 to narrowly win the event by less than a second, highlighted by a strong anchor leg from Kate Schilling.
– Elizabeth Naylor (55.32)
– Caroline Zimner (55.78)
– Megan VanValkenburgh (55.36)
– Kate Schilling (50.45)
Courtesy: Ball State Sports
FISHERS, Ind. – The Ball State men’s swimming and diving program closed its regular season with 11 event wins, including 40 top five finishes, to best Valparaiso 191-70 for its third-straight victory at the Butler Invitational.
AJ Friend led the Cardinals inside of the Fishers High School Natatorium, capturing individual wins in both the 100 backstroke (50.47) and 100 butterfly (48.23). His time in the 100 fly shaved .04 off his second-fastest time in program history, which he set at House of Champions earlier this season (Nov. 20-22).
Both the 100 back and 100 fly saw the Cardinals claim the top five positions.
In the backstroke event, George Patterson followed .03 behind Friend with a time of 50.50. The next three positions were filled with Colin Walrond who earned third (50.99), Benjamin Clarkston who placed fourth (51.49) and Max Kruglov who finished fifth (51.75). In the 100 fly, Friend was accompanied by Clarkston (50.54), Mason Young (50.85), Henry Ko (51.82), and Luke Pryor (51.96).
Friend, William Raches and Patterson aided in both of Ball State’s relay victories, first joining Aidan Biddle to combine for a winning time of 1:29.46 in the 200 medley relay. To close the afternoon, the trio teamed with Benjamin Clarkston to take the 400 freestyle relay (3:00.54).
Adding to Ball State’s dominance Sunday afternoon was a top four sweep in the 200 butterfly, which was led by Malcolm Slater (1:51.06). Slater was followed by Ko (1:52.28), Pryor (1:53.20) and Reeve Ferber (1:53.70).
The men’s team claimed a 1-2-3 finish in the 50 freestyle, as Raches earned his first win in the event with a time of (20.89). Zack Vervlied placed second with a time of 21.49, and Young followed closely in third (21.53).
Seth Blossom took top placement in the meet’s longest event, posting a time of 16:05.08 in the 1650 freestyle.
Also earning wins in the pool were Dominick Perkowski in the 200 freestyle (1:41.81), Biddle in the 100 Breaststroke (55.76), Patterson in the 100 freestyle (45.23) and Ike Ruszkowski in the 200 breaststroke (2:04.66).
The men’s program now sets its focus on the 2026 Missouri Valley Conference Championships, which takes place Feb. 25-28 at the Deaconess Aquatic Center in Evansville, Ind.
BALL STATE RESULTS
200 Medley Relay | Program Record – 1:26.35 by Pheifer, Garberick, Handshoe, Chaye in 2023
1st – William Raches, Aidan Biddle, AJ Friend, George Patterson – 1:29.46
2nd – Colin Walrond, Reeve Ferber, Henry Ko, Benjamin Clarkston – 1:31.91
3rd – Max Kruglov, Ike Ruszkowski, Malcolm Slater, Mason Young – 1:34.09
1650 Freestyle | Program Record – 15:33.58 by Magnus Ohlsson in 1995
1st – Seth Blossom – 16:05.08
2nd – Tommy Brunner – 16:27.66
5th – Kenny Reed – 17:31.67
200 Freestyle | Program Record – 1:35.98 by George Patterson in 2025
1st – Dominick Perkowski – 1:41.18
2nd – Nathan Harper – 1:41.28
100 Backstroke | Program Record – 48.32 by Jared Holder in 2021
1st – AJ Friend – 50.47
2nd – George Patterson – 50.50
3rd – Colin Walrond – 50.99
4th – Benjamin Clarkston – 51.49
5th – Max Kruglov – 51.75
100 Breaststroke | Program Record – 51.93 by Joey Garberick in 2024
1st – Aidan Biddle – 55.76
2nd – Ike Ruszkowski – 57.48
200 Butterfly | Program Record – 1:46.93 by Bryce Handshoe in 2024
1st – Malcolm Slater – 1:51.06
2nd – Henry Ko – 1:52.28
3rd – Luke Pryor – 1:53.20
4th – Reeve Ferber – 1:53.70
50 Freestyle | Program Record – 19.89 by Owen Chaye on Two Occasions
1st – William Raches – 20.89
2nd – Zack Vervlied – 21.49
3rd – Mason Young – 21.53
100 Freestyle | Program Record – 43.58 by Owen Chaye in 2023
1st – George Patterson – 45.23
4th – Seth Blossom – 49.21
200 Backstroke | Program Record – 1:47.38 by Ethan Pheifer in 2025
2nd – William Raches – 1:51.59
3rd – Nathan Harper – 1:53.10
4th – Max Kruglov – 1:53.78
200 Breaststroke | Program Record – 1:54.78 by Joey Garberick in 2024
1st – Ike Ruszkowski – 2:04.66
500 Freestyle | Program Record – 4:27.13 by George Patterson in 2025
2nd – Dominick Perkowski – 4:41.82
4th – Aidan Biddle – 4:48.94
100 Butterfly | Program Record – 47.84 by Bryce Handshoe in 2024
1st – AJ Friend – 48.23 – second in program history
2nd – Benjamin Clarkston – 50.54
3rd – Mason Young – 50.85
4th – Henry Ko – 51.82
5th – Luke Pryor – 51.96
400 IM | Program Record – 3:57.18 by Zach Zishka in 2023
2nd – Malcolm Slater – 4:03.17
5th – Tommy Brunner – 4:18.18
400 Freestyle Relay | Program Record – 2:56.24 by Friend, Patterson, Raches, Siewers in 2025
1st – AJ Friend, William Raches, Benjamin Clarkston, Goerge Patterson – 3:00.54 – sixth in program history
3rd – Ike Ruszkowski, Colin Walrond, Reeve Ferber, Aidan Biddle – 3:14.84
Courtesy: Valpo Athletics
The Valpo men’s and women’s swimming teams completed their final meet before heading to the MVC Championships, traveling to the Butler Invitational in Fishers, Ind. Sunday.
How It Happened
- Five Valpo women won one event apiece on Sunday, highlighted by Natalie Eaton (Tulsa, Okla./Jenks) taking top honors in the 200 breast with a time of 2:25.52 to improve upon her sixth-fastest time in program history.
- Eaton’s swim led a Valpo sweep of the top three spots in the 200 breast, something the Beacon women did in three events — Bri Keese (Brighton, Colo./Brighton) touched the wall first in the 50 free (24.84) to lead a 1-2-3 Valpo finish, while Ally Unruh (Peoria, Ill./Dunlap) did the same in the 500 free with a winning time of 5:15.73.
- Valpo’s other event victories came from Kailyn Benoit (Sussex, Wis./Hamilton), who earned her win in the 200 fly with a time of 2:10.73, and Una Dizdarevic (Bloomingdale, Ill./Lake Park), who came home in front in the 100 free with a time of 54.37.
- A trio of Beacons led the team in a pair of individual events Sunday. In addition to their event wins, Eaton paced the squad in the 100 breast (1:07.80) and Benoit led Valpo in the 100 fly (1:00.73), while Audrey Morgan (Villa Park, Ill./Willowbrook) was Valpo’s fastest in the 200 free (1:55.64) and the 200 back (2:09.31).
- Mille Hayosh (Brighton, Mich./Brighton) missed cracking Valpo’s top-10 chart in the 1650 free by less than two-tenths of a second, covering the distance in 18:11.57.
- On the men’s side, Valpo’s top individual finishes came from Evan Curran (Golden, Colo./Golden) and Gabe Vasquez (Houston, Texas/Memorial). Curran came home in second place in the 100 free (47.34) and also paced Valpo in the 200 free (1:41.49), while Vasquez took the runner-up spot in the 200 breast (2:07.39) and also led the Beacons in the 100 breast (57.72).
- Caleb Smesko (Green, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) was the top Valpo swimmer in both backstroke events as well, posting times of 52.35 in the 100 back and 1:55.18 in the 200 back.
- Matthew Mantz (Spokane, Wash./Mead) swam a team-best time of 16:45.63 in the 1650 free, less than two seconds away from cracking the program’s top-10 chart in the event.
Next Up
Valpo now sets its sights on the MVC Championships, being held in Evansville, Ind. Feb. 25-28. Swimmers who won’t be competing at the conference meet will take to the pool at the Wabash Last-Chance Meet Feb. 22.
