Eastern Illinois University Panthers has picked up in-state backstroke talent Lauren Oostman for the class of 2019. Oostman is a senior at Normal Community High School and swims with Waves Bloomington/Normal Y Swim Team.
At the 2014 IHSA Girls Sectional Meet at Perkins Community High School, Oostman swam the 100 free and 100 back, winning the latter and qualifying for the Illinois State Meet. Her top times over the last two years have been:
| 50y back: 28.97 | 50m back: 32.71 |
| 100y back: 58.80 | 100m back: 1:07.83 |
| 200y back: 2:05.44 | 200m back: 2:24.54 |
| 200y IM: 2:15.86 | 200m IM: 2:33.97 |
| 400y IM: 4:44.36 | 400m IM: 5:26.45 |
| 500y free: 5:19.01 | 400m free: 4:43.65 |
Oostman is the first official NLI for new head coach Jacqueline Michalski, who came on board in August 2014. The women’s team is working to improve on its sixth-place finish at Summit League conference championships last year, and Oostman is a step in the right direction. Her top 200 back time would have made the A-final, while her 100 back would have placed her in the B-final. These are all important points for the Panthers, who will also get leverage on their relays with Oostman.
