Ball State vs Bowling Green
- January 18, 2025
- Muncie, Ind.
- SCY (25 yards)
- Results
Courtesy: Ball State Sports
MUNCIE, Ind. — The Ball State women’s swimming & diving program defended home territory against Bowling Green, claiming nine out of 16 event wins in a 157–143 victory Saturday afternoon.
Junior Payton Kelly brought her individual win total to 12 as she led the Cardinals with two top finishes in the 200 freestyle (1:53.94) and 100 freestyle (51.49).
Kelly also helped give Ball State the first event win of the meet, swimming anchor in the opening 200 medley relay (1:45.00), joining Lila Newkirk, Laura Wright and Anna Keen. Kelly also put the exclamation point on the event, anchoring the Cardinals to a first-place finish in the concluding 400 freestyle relay (3:31.08) alongside Keen, Haley Sakbun and Ava Butterfield.
Keen’s aid in the afternoon freestyle sweep continued after she took first in the 50 freestyle (24.34). Freshman McKenna Potteiger had a successful afternoon in the distance freestyle events, capturing first place in the 1000 freestyle (10:27.95) and the 500 freestyle (5:07.67).
Wright and sophomore Alexa Von Holtz posted their seventh individual event wins of the season, with Wright taking first in the 100 breaststroke (1:05.38) and Holtz taking first in the 200 butterfly (2:02.61).
Junior Hannah Justice and freshman Eeva-Liisa Gibson claimed their season-best on the 1M board, scoring 223.50 and 217.65, respectively. Justice and Gibson also joined sophomore Leelah Fettig with season-high performances on the 3M board as well.
The Ball State women’s swimming & diving program continue conference action Jan. 31, when it travels to Mid-American Conference foe Akron for a 5 p.m. start.
Ball State Results
200 Medley Relay | Program Record – 1:39.69 by Crist, Wright, Jones, A. Sakbun in 2023
1st – Lilia Newkirk, Laura Wright, Anna Keen, Payton Kelly – 1:45:00
3rd – Lauren Fecher, Maya McDonald, Eliza Bader, Ava Butterfield – 1:48.77
5th – Alyssa Messenger, Julia Ofman, Alexa Von Holtz, Haley Sakbun – 1:49.93
1000 Freestyle | Program Record – 10:01.21 by Marcella Riberio in 2021
1st – McKenna Potteiger – 10:27.95
3rd – Callie Tuma – 10:56.69
4th – Kayla Newman – 10:58.53
200 Freestyle | Program Record – 1:47.61 by Payton Kelly in 2024
1st – Payton Kelly – 1:53.94
2nd – Ava Butterfield – 1:55.95
4th – Magdalena Lechowska – 1:57.16
100 Backstroke | Program Record – 54.44 by Hannah Jones in 2022
2nd – Lilia Newkirk – 57.78
4th – Olivia Owens – 1:00.06
5th – Alyssa Messenger – 1:01.82
100 Breaststroke | Program Record – 1:00.58 by Bridgette Ruehl in 2013
1st – Laura Wright – 1:05.38
3rd – Julia Ofman – 1:08.36
4th – Maya McDonald – 1:08.70
200 Butterfly | Program Record – 1:58.58 by Alexa Von Holtz in 2024
1st – Alexa Von Holtz – 2:02.61
4th – Savannah Farlee – 2:15.98
50 Freestyle | Program Record – 22.32 by Payton Kelly in 2023
1st – Anna Keen – 24.34
3rd – Haley Sakbun – 24.85
6th – Natalie Marshall – 25.08
3-Meter Diving | Program Record – 347.78 by Caitlin Locante in 2021
2nd- Leelah Fettig – 259.50
6th – Eeva-Liisa Gibson – 221.10
8th – Hannah Justice – 201.68
100 Freestyle | Program Record – 49.03 by Payton Kelly in 2024
1st – Payton Kelly – 51.49
3rd – Haley Sakbun – 53.87
6th – Natalie Marshall – 55.71
200 Backstroke | Program Record – 1:58.73 by Emily Wisolek in 2013
2nd – Lilia Newkirk – 2:07.57
3rd – Olivia Owens – 2:10.06
6th – Lauren Fecher – 2:14.73
200 Breaststroke | Program Record – 2:11.77 by Bridgette Ruehl in 2013
2nd – Laura Wright – 2:23.71
4th – Maya McDonald – 2:28.49
6th – Julia Ofman – 2:29.15
500 Freestyle | Program Record – 4:48.37 by Marcella Ribeiro in 2021
1st – McKenna Potteiger – 5:07.67
3rd – Kayla Newman – 5:22.17
5th – Callie Tuma – 5:26.85
100 Butterfly | Program Record – 53.64 by Mallory Miles in 2013
2nd – Anna Keen – 57.95
3rd – Ava Butterfield – 59.02
6th – Savannah Farlee – 1:00.27
1M Diving | Program Record – 305.48 by Caitlin Locante in 2021
3rd – Leelah Fettig – 246.45
5th – Hannah Justice – 223.50
7th – Eeva-Liisa Gibson – 217.65
200 IM | Program Record – 2:00.85 by Alexa Von Holtz in 2023
2nd – Alexa Von Holtz – 2:08.59
5th – Maya McDonald – 2:16.22
6th – Magdalena Lechowska – 2:17.15
400 Freestyle Relay | Program Record – 3:21.74 by Kelly, A. Sakbun, Ribeiro, Payne in 2023
1st – Anna Keen, Haley Sakbun, Ava Butterfield, Payton Kelly – 3:31.08
3rd – McKenna Potteiger, Lauren Fecher, Eliza Bader, Natalie Marshall – 3:41.48
Courtesy: BGSU Athletics
MUNCIE, Ind. – In BGSU head coach Tanner Barton‘s return to his alma mater Ball State, the Falcon swim & dive team was grounded by the Cardinals, 157-143, at the Lewellen Aquatic Center.
Bowling Green kept it close with seven individual victories and picked up their first win four events in with Emily McNicol’s 56.73 in the 100 backstroke. Five events after, McNicol earned her second victory of the afternoon in the 200 backstroke with a mark of 2:06.30.
Ava Vial was at the top of the leaderboard in the 200 breaststroke (2:22.87), while Grace Bodrock (57.48) and Taylor Devorace (2:08.45) picked up back-to-back wins in the final individual events in the 100 butterfly and 200 IM, respectively.
The Falcons came away victorious in both diving events, with Evie Long (263.85) picking up the win in the 1-meter and Natalia Mayorga (284.93) earning first in the 3-meter. Mayorga (260.25) came in second in the 1-meter as well.
Abby Toepfer notched second in both distance events, as she went 5:17.65 in the 500 freestyle and 10:51.97 in the 1,000 freestyle.
Samia Becdach was runner-up in both sprint freestyle events, finishing with a time of 24.49 in the 50 freestyle and a mark of 52.50 in the 100 freestyle.
Grace Perlberg (1:07.32) and Bodrock (2:05.48) notched the other second place individual finishes for the Falcons in the 100 breaststroke and 200 butterfly, respectively.
As for the relays, the quartet of McNicol, Vial, Bodrock and Becdach finished with a 1:45.95 in the 200 medley which placed second. Becdach, Sierra Newton, Elayna Krupp and McNicol earned runner-up in the 400 freestyle relay (3:34.03) to end the meet.
Up Next
The Falcons will head to Indianapolis to the Butler Invitational on Sunday, January 26. The first race is set to begin at noon.
