Missouri State vs UIC vs Evansville
- January 26, 2024
- Chicago, Ill.
- SCY (25 yards)
- Results
Courtesy: Missouri State Athletics
CHICAGO – Missouri State swimming & diving opened up its weekend bout of meets in Chicago by sweeping UIC and Evansville in the final dual meet of the season. The Mo State women defeated the Flames 162-78 and took down the Purple Aces, 187-42. The men pulled off an equally impressive 132-107 win over UIC and a 168-69 win over Evansville.
The Bears won 15 of the 26 events, with 10 of them coming from the women’s side.
The women continued their streak of strong relay races at the start of meets. Freshman Caitlyn Friebe, senior Cabrini Johnson, junior Payton Smith and senior Jordan Wenner combined their efforts to win the 400-yard medley relay with a time of 3:52.93.
Missouri State excelled in the endurance races as well, sweeping the podium in the 1,650-yard freestyle led by sophomore Sophia Coleta (16:55.83). Not far behind was freshman Claire Culberson in second (16:55.89). Reigning MVC Freshman of the Week Lindsey Hervey rounded out the top three in third (17:14.57), beating the next-best finisher by over 30 seconds.
Senior Lilly DeSpain continued her strong month following her three wins last weekend against Drury. The Arkansas native took the 400 IM with a time of 4:19.57, just shy of her MVC-leading time of 4:19.13 she earned at the Purdue Invitational in November.
The Bears backed up their performance in the endurance events with some more impressive results in the shorter sprint events. Senior Anika Lam secured her first individual win this season in the 50-yard free with a time of 23.72. Missouri State also swept the podium with freshman Cameryn Johnson in second (23.98) and Wenner in third (24.22).
Lam led the podium domination with another top-three sweep in the 100-yard butterfly as she won with a time of 55.96. She was followed by senior Marina Ortega Bonilla (57.07) in second and DeSpain (57.26) in third.
“I’m pleasantly surprised and proud of the way I swam today,” Lam said. “As a senior, it meant a lot to me to get my first Bear wins at my last college dual meet alongside my teammates. Watching their enthusiasm and belief in me and everyone else is what fuels this team. We had a lot of good swims across the board and I’m excited to see how we can continue our momentum into tomorrow.”
In the very next event, senior Anna Lucas led a sweep of the top four positions in the 100-yard freestyle. Lucas won with a 52.59, followed by Cameryn Johnson (52.96), freshman Makenzie Kurre (53.00) and sophomore Lana Johnson (53.34).
Seniors continued to step up for the Bears. Kelly Sego of Batavia, Illinois, not far from Flames Natatorium, won by over a second in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 57.02.
Another upperclassman junior Payton Smith destroyed the 500-yard freestyle with her season-best 5:04.80. Sophomore Ainsley Jenkins followed her with a 5:09.52 time that was over 10 seconds better than the next finisher.
Cabrini Johnson built off her two breaststroke wins last week against Drury with another victory in the 100 breast against the Flames and Purple Aces (1:05.38).
The Bears ended their meet the same way they started. The quartet of Cameryn Johnson, Lucas, Wenner and Janson won the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:36.31, beating out a UIC group by just over half a second.
The men started the same way as the women with a win in the 400-yard medley relay. Senior Robert Hill, sophomore Luigi Maciel da Silva, freshman Nadim Elgohary and sophomore Lucas Chadwell came in with a time of 3:20.75, nearly three seconds ahead of UIC’s A Team entry.
The 200-yard freestyle relay was a different story with freshman Matvei Chesakov, Suzuki-Tomiyama, Hill and Chadwell battling neck-and-neck against UIC. The Flames led by about a second halfway through the race, but the Bears closed the gap in the end to take the win (1:23.18) and sweep all four relay events across the men and women.
Junior Brunno Suzuki-Tomiyama earned his third individual win of the season and first outside the 200 IM with a 46.66 time in the 100-yard freestyle. His win was immediately followed by Hill, who took his seventh individual win of the year with a 49.31 time in the 100-yard backstroke.
In a wild turn of events, a pair of Bears tied for first place in the 100-yard breaststroke. Maciel da Silva and senior Nicholas Schuster touched the wall at the exact same time of 56.49. The result marked Schuster’s first career college win.
“I am extremely pleased with my performance in the 100 breaststroke and proud of my teammates’ determination to win a hard-fought meet,” Schuster said. “I feel that this puts our team in a great position to finish off the season strong heading into championship season.”
Missouri State swimming & diving will stay in the Chicago area as it is set to compete in the UIC/NCC Invitational on Saturday at FMC Natatorium in Westmont, Illinois. The meet will begin with the 200-yard medley relay at 10:30 a.m. CT with both UIC and Evansville competing against the Bears again as well as Augustana College, IUPUI, Millikin and North Central College.
Courtesy: UIC Athletics
CHICAGO (Jan 26, 2024) – On a night of celebration for the 11 UIC seniors, the Flames’ swimming and diving teams were victorious against Evansville, but fell short against Missouri State in a tri-meet on Friday evening at Flames Natatorium.
FINAL SCORES
Men’s
UIC 145, Evansville 88
Missouri State 132, UIC 107
Missouri State 168, Evansville 69
Women’s
UIC 156, Evansville 64
Missouri State 162, UIC 78
Missouri State 187, Evansville 42
COMMENT FROM HEAD COACH ASHLEY DELL
“Tonight was an absolute blast. It was a different kind of line-up than we usually do, so it was great to see the mile and 400 individual medley for the first time in a while. It was awesome for our women to compete against last year’s Missouri Valley Conference champions in Missouri State. It was also great for the men to have such a close meet against a Mid-American Conference top-two team in Missouri State. That is a great accomplishment.”
COMMENT FROM ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH/HEAD DIVING COACH SUSAN BROMBERG
“I thought that overall everyone did great. The highlights were when Bruno Carrillo and Hunter Trautmann each made NCAA Division I Zone Diving Championship cuts on the three-meter diving board. Sami Kassir had season-best scores on both boards!”
DIVING
Men’s
- UIC took the top four spots on the three meter-diving board to open the meet. Junior Cole Tremewan (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) finished first with 348 points, while sophomore Harrison Nolan (Riverside, Ill./Riverside Brookfield) placed second (343.65 points) in the event. Sophomore Bruno Carrillo (Oak Forest, Ill./Oak Forest) finished in third with 339 points and senior Hunter Trautmann (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) placed fourth with 322.50 points, with Carrillo and Trautmann both qualifying for the NCAA Division I Zone Diving Championships in March.
- Later in the meet, Nolan won on the one-meter board with a score of 339.40 points. Carrillo was not far behind, placing second with 324.20 points.
- Freshman Sami Kassir (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central) earned career high marks on the three-meter board (241.55 points) and the one-meter board (247.35 points).
Women’s
- Junior Ciara McCliment (Farmington Hills, Mich./Mercy) finished second with a three-meter score of 259.50 points.
- Sophomore Kerry-Leigh Morrison (Gauteng, South Africa/St. Mary’s School)placed third on the three-meter board, finishing with 246.45 points. Morrison followed that up with a win on the one-meter board, scoring 247.30 points.
- Sophomore Kathryn Kleczka (Franklin, Wis./Divine Savior Holy Angels) finished third in the one meter competition with 224.70 points.
SWIMMING
Men’s
- UIC’s first individual win of the night came from freshman Jack Mills (Toronto, Ontario/Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute) in the men’s 1,650 free with a time of 15:48.23. His second first-place finish came in the 500 free (4:38.05).
- Senior Jan Komorowski (Lódz, Poland/Lódz University of Technology) earned a first-place finish in the men’s 200 free with a time of 1:41.51.
- Freshman James McCarthy (Minnetonka, Minn./DeLaSalle) finished first in the 400 individual medley (3:58.28).
- Junior Daniel Galinski (Elmwood Park, Ill./Elmwood Park) finished third in the 100 breaststroke, finishing in 56.51 seconds.
Women’s
- Sophomore Madison Helmick’s (Bingham Farms, Mich./Birmingham Groves) finished first in her lone individual race of the night, the 200 free (1:53.76).
- Sophomore Isabella Drake (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead Union) had a strong showing in the 100 backstroke, finishing second with a time of 58.35 seconds.
- Senior Taira Juronis (Palos Hills, Ill./Amos Alonzo Stagg) ended up in second place in the 200 breaststroke, finishing in 1:06.78.
- Freshman Coco Roy (Orlando, Fla./Lake Highland Preparatory) came in third in the 400 individual medley with a 4:45.41 time.
UP NEXT!
The Flames return to competition Saturday, playing host to the UIC Invitational, which is set to take place in two different locations. The swimmers will be competing at the FMC Natatorium in suburban Westmont, Ill., while the divers will be competing back at the Flames Natatorium. Both locations are free to the public and are scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m. (CT). Fans are encouraged to follow on Meet Mobile, downloadable on both Apple and Android phones.
Courtesy: Evansville Athletics
CHICAGO, Ill.—Competing against traditional conference powers Missouri State and UIC on Friday night, the University of Evansville swimming and diving team had a strong showing, posting three individual victories and seven podium finishes at the Flames Natatorium in Chicago, Illinois.
Junior swimmer Daniel Santos Lopez (Madrid, Spain) won a pair of events on the evening, taking home the title in the 50-Yard Freestyle with a time of 20.74, before coming back two events later to cruise to a win in the 100-Yard Butterfly in a time of 49.07. Senior Madison Rollett (Evansville, Ind./Reitz) continued her strong senior season as well, winning the women’s three-meter diving competition with a score of 265.50.
“With a month or so out from the conference championships, I think that both the men and women are showing some good signs in preparation for the big meet,” said UE swimming and diving head coach Stuart Wilson. “We competed against two strong teams tonight, and it was good for the team to be pushed.
“With Dani winning both the 50 Free and 100 Fly, and Maddie winning the three-meter competition, both are looking prime to be one of the top finishers in the conference.”
Rollett opened the meet for UE by posting her second-best three-meter score ever to take the women’s competition with a mark of 265.50. Fellow senior Jackson Caudill (Mount Sterling, Ky./Montgomery County) then followed shortly thereafter with a podium finish in the men’s 1,650-Yard Freestyle, placing second in a time of 15:55.47. Freshman Joseph Capo (Luling, La./Jesuit) nearly joined Caudill on the podium, placing fourth in a time of 16:03.88. During Capo’s 1,650 Free effort, he clocked in with a 1,000-Yard split time of 9:41.09, which is a season-best mark and solidified himself in third place on UE’s career chart.
Santos Lopez would follow two events later with his victory in the men’s 50-Yard Freestyle with a time of 20.74. Sophomore Daniil Goncharuk (Kyiv, Ukraine) joined Santos Lopez on the podium in the 50 Free, placing third in a time of 20.93.
Freshman Omar Ashraf Hassan (Doha, Qatar) followed in the next event with a personal-best time of 4:04.59 in the 400-Yard IM to move up to the seventh-fastest male in UE history in the event. Santos Lopez then followed in the next event with a victory in the 100-Yard Butterfly in a time of 49.07.
Freshman Michael Pruett (Nolensville, Tenn./Nolensville) continued the strong run of swims for UE in the next event – the men’s 100-Yard Freestyle – placing second in a time of 47.27. Junior Jakob Grundbacher (Thalwil, Switzerland) was not far behind in fourth place, finishing in a time of 47.70.
Junior Mari Müller (Zurich, Switzerland) collected UE’s final podium finish of the evening with a third-place finish in the women’s 100-Yard Breaststroke with a time of 1:06.78. UE also collected nine fourth-place finishes overall against Missouri State and UIC. Missouri State is the preseason favorite and reigning Missouri Valley Conference champion on the women’s side, and placed second in the Mid-American Conference a year ago.
Evansville will not have long to rest, as the Purple Aces will be back in action again on Saturday, taking part in the UIC Invitational at the FMC Natatorium in Westmont, Illinois. The meet will begin at 10:30 a.m.
