Courtesy: Augustana Athletics
Women
WHEATON, Ill. – Jimmy Carter was a resident in the White House the last time the Augustana women’s swimming & diving team picked up a dual meet victory over Wheaton. The Vikings of head coach Dan Lloyd won four of 11 events but used depth to squeeze past the Thunder for the first time since January 19, 1980. Augustana’s 99-98 win gave the Vikings a 2-0 record on the young season.
“I am so proud of our women’s team,” said Lloyd. “This was another complete team effort. They did an incredible job racing under pressure today. Their commitment to excellence in training definitely paid off. Each person did her job and came together for a truly dramatic victory. Today was another great moment in the history of our program.”
Junior Aviana Zahara (Pleasant Valley HS, Moline, Ill.), the winner of the “Swimmer of the Week” honor in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin last week, won a pair of individual events. She took the 50 freestyle in :24.99 and then won the 100 backstroke in 1:00.60.
Freshman Olivia White (Moline HS, Moline, Ill.) picked up a win in the 200 freestyle in 2:02.19 and was second in the 500 freestyle in 5:25.97. The other victory for the Vikings came in diving when freshman Kaite Zaborenko (Glenbrook South HS, Glenview, Ill.) led a one-two sweep with junior teammate Amy Nicholson (East Leyden HS, Schiller Park, Ill.) placing second.
The 200 medley relay team of Zahara, junior Madelynn Marunde (Belvidere North HS, Belvidere, Ill.), sophomore Dominique Valentine (Walnut Hills HS, Cincinnati, Ohio) and junior Isabelle Seten (Champaign Centennial HS, Champaign, Ill.) was second in 1:51.40 to lead off the meet. The 200 freestyle relay unit of sophomore Megan Frost (McHenry East HS, Lakemoor, Ill.), Seten, junior Alicia Garcia (Seminole HS, Lake Mary, Fla.) and freshman Micaela Koeppen (El Modena HS, Orange, Calif.) closed out the meet with a second place finish in 1:41.35.
Valentine took second in the 200 freestyle behind White’s victory. Valentine recorded a time of 2:03.24 and she was also second in the 100 butterfly in 1:02.37. Seten helped complete a one-two sweep in the 50 freestyle as her :25.29 gave her a second place behind Zahara’s win.
Junior Lauren Raike (Alamo Heights HS, San Antonio, Texas) finished second in the 200 individual medley (2:17.67) and third in the 100 breaststroke (1:11.30).
Garcia was third in both the 100 freestyle (:56.97) and the 500 freestyle (5:44.58). Frost placed third in the 100 backstroke in 1:03.82 and freshman Emily Martin (Fort Zumwalt West HS, Troy, Mo.) took third in the 200 individual medley (2:18.16) and fourth in the 500 freestyle (5:44.60).
Freshman Isabelle Sansom (Tanque Verde HS, Tucson, Ariz.) was fourth in the 200 individual medley in 2:25.04 and fourth in the 100 freestyle in :57.46. Koeppen placed fourth in the 100 butterfly (1:03.99) and Marunde was fourth in the 100 breaststroke (1:11.43).
Men
Courtesy: Wheaton Athletics
In their first in person meet since February 2020, the Wheaton College (IL) Thunder hosted the Augustana College Vikings at the Lederhouse Natatorium on Saturday, January 30. The meet was divided into a women’s session and a men’s session to accommodate safety protocols; the opposite gender of each team cheered from the spectator area. Additionally, relays were swum in “B” heats and “A” heats, with “B” relays facing off and “A” relays facing off.
The women’s session went first and was close the entire meet. Wheaton won the opening medley relay by 0.03, but then Augustana picked up wins in the 200 free and 50 free and diving. Wheaton picked up wins in the 200 IM, 100 fly, and 100 free, then Augustana won the 100 backstroke. Wheaton clicked off wins in the 500 free and 100 breast to leave the meet within 8 points going into the final relay. Wheaton won the “A” 200 free relay by a few tenths in a nail biter. However, both “B” relays were disqualified, leaving Augustana the overall winner of the meet by one point, 99-98.
Double winners were Augustana’s Aviana Zahara (100 back and 50 free) and Wheaton’s Priscilla Min (200 IM, 500 free). Additional individual winners were Liv White (200 free), Abby Rutledge (100 fly), KP Peters (100 free), Abby Pardridge (100 breast), and Katie Zaborenko (diving). Wheaton’s winning medley relay was comprised of Rutledge, Kiki Rogers, Pardridge, and Peters. Wheaton’s winning free relay was comprised of Sophie Pelling, Adi Shepherd, Min, and Peters.
On the men’s side, Wheaton was victorious 122-71. However, Augustana produced the only double winner, as Jack Blumenfeld won the 50 free and 100 free, plus the 200 free relay. Other winners were Dawson Bremner (200 free), Ethan Kile (200 IM), Jack Ryken (diving), A.J. Staiti (100 fly), Abe Plimpton (500 free), Nick Phillips (100 back), and Anthony Fitzgerald (100 breast). Wheaton’s winning medley relay was comprised of Connor Davis, Andrew Rogers, Fitzgerald, and Staiti, while Augustana’s winning free relay was comprised of Phillips, Jeremy Wof, Aidan McConkey, and Blumenfeld.
You can get full results and watch the meet on our livestreams at the links below
Full PDF results – https://s3.amazonaws.com/
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Watch on Instagram @whtnswimndive – https://www.instagram.com/
