Evansville vs Valparaiso
- Friday, October 15, 2021
- Evansville, Indiana
- Final Results
Courtesy: Evansville Athletics
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Roy and Mary Wyttenbach Pool at the University of Evansville has seen a lot of history through the years. On Friday, it witnessed more, as the UE swimming and diving teams set three pool records during a dominant sweep of the visiting Valparaiso Beacons.
Junior Riccardo Di Domenico (Johannesburg, South Africa) set his second pool record in the last seven days, as he set a Wyttenbach Pool record in the men’s 100-yard freestyle with a time of 45.85. Junior Sarah Jahns (Lilburn, Ga./Parkview) also rewrote the UE pool record book with a time of 2:02.54 in the 200-yard backstroke. The UE men’s 400 free relay team of freshmen Daniel Santos Lopez (Madrid, Spain) and Jakob Grundbacher (Long Beach, Calif.), senior Zeke Metz (Topeka, Kan./Seaman) and Di Domenico also set a new pool record with a time of 3:06.60.
“We had some great swims today, and I thought that everyone swam out of their comfort zone and swam great,” said UE swimming and diving coach Stuart Wilson. “Setting three pool records is always fun to see, especially this early in the year.”
In addition to the three pool records, a pair of UE freshmen joined UE’s top 10 fastest swimmers in the 200-yard breaststroke. Freshman Carlos Souto Vilas (A Coruna, Spain) became the 10th-fastest male swimmer in event, as he cruised to an individual title with a time of 2:08.47. Fellow freshman Mari Mueller (Aschaffenburg, Switzerland) also became the eighth-fastest female at UE in the 200-yard breaststroke, as she clocked in at 2:23.42 to take first place. Overall, UE placed first in every single individual and team event in the meet.
“Like I said, I thought that we had some great swims across the board,” said Wilson. “Obviously, the records were impressive, but we also had other swimmers step up and really shine, like Jessie Steele in the women’s 100 free (individual winner with a time of 53.02). Across the board, I was pleased with how both teams did.”
Friday’s meet also was the first meet for the six UE divers, as they competed in both the one-meter and three-meter boards. Honorable mention all-Missouri Valley Conference diver Maggie Franz (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein) picked up right where she left off in the spring, as she won both the one-meter and three-meter competitions with scores of 229.12 and 228.60 respectively. She was able to hold off fellow senior Fae-Siri Keighley (Johannesburg, South Africa) in the one-meter competition, as Keighley posted a score of 227.85 to place second. Sophomore Madison Rollett (Evansville, Ind./Reitz) finished second in the three-meter competition with a mark of 219.83.
“This being the first meet for the divers this year, I feel very encouraged in the direction that we are headed and look forward to Illinois State next weekend,” said first-year UE diving coach Dustin Bredemeier. “Having once stood on the same boards as my divers, it was a very reflective moment and, yet, very exciting to coach my first meet, and once again be on the pool deck for a competition at UE.”
The UE men will take the next week off from competition, while the women will be in the pool once again next Saturday, as they travel to Normal, Illinois to take on the Redbirds of Illinois State at 2 p.m.
Courtesy: Valpo Athletics
The Valpo men’s and women’s swimming teams returned to the pool Friday afternoon with a dual meet at Evansville, the first of back-to-back meets this weekend for the Beacons. The dual against the Purple Aces was the first of three against conference opponents for both the men and the women this season.
How It Happened
- Four individuals posted second-place finishes to lead Valpo on Friday, three of which came on the women’s side. The Beacons claimed runner-up honors in both of the distance swims, as junior Sophie Morelock (Milan, Mich./Milan) took second-place points in the 1000 free with a time of 11:37.91 and sophomore Trinity Springer (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) placed second in the 500 free with a time of 5:43.14.
- Also earning a second-place finish on the women’s side was freshman Haley Hume (Ballwin, Mo./Marquette), as she touched the wall second in the 200 back with a time of 2:16.32.
- On the men’s side, sophomore Brett Little (Princeton, Iowa/North Scott) was second-quickest in the 50 free, posting a time of 22.22 for the sprint.
- Valpo’s 400 medley relay squad earned a second-place finish as well with a time of 3:38.73. Senior Dominic May (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) recorded the fastest final split of the race, completing his 100 free in 47.35.
- Hume added a third-place individual finish to her second-place showing in the 200 back, as she touched the wall in 2:03.48 in the 200 free to lead Valpo in that event. Also leading the Beacons with third-place individual finishes were freshman Bridget Pollard (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield South) with a time of 2:20.99 in the 200 IM and senior Chiara Robinson (Castle Pines, Colo./Rock Canyon) with a time of 56.15 in the 100 free.
- The men had five different individuals lead the way for Valpo in their respective events with third-place showings. In the distance races, freshman Alex Koetter (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller) touched third with a time of 10:31.88 in the 1000 free and senior Derek Eidson (Ventura, Calif./Ventura) came home in 5:11.12 in the 500 free.
- May added a third in the 100 free to his impressive relay split, posting a time of 48.90. Freshman Ethan Welker (Clear Spring, Md./Saint James School) touched third in the 200 IM with a time of 2:01.88, while sophomore Ian Jaegers (Los Alamos, N.M./Los Alamos) posted a time of 2:08.42 in the 200 back.
- The Purple Aces won the team scoring on both fronts — 155-50 on the men’s side and 166-53 on the women’s side.
Next Up
It’s a quick turnaround for the swimmers, as Valpo returns to the pool Saturday at the Indiana Intercollegiates in West Lafayette, hosted by Purdue. The meet is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. CT, and links for live video and scoring are available at ValpoAthletics.com.
