by Eric Willuweit
Chicago, Ill. – Coming off a successful return to competition last weekend, the Illinois Tech swimming and diving team looks to continue their momentum as they travel to Bloomington, Illinois on Saturday to face a couple of College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) teams in a tri-meet at host Illinois Wesleyan University. Carthage College rounds out the competition, which starts at 1:00 PM CT.
The meet can be viewed live HERE.
Last Saturday, the Scarlet Hawks hosted Manchester University and North Central College in a double-dual at Ekco pool, and both the men's and women's squads came out victorious.
The men defeated North Central 180-12 and defeated Manchester 164-53. In addition to placing first in both the medley and freestyle relays, the men's squad swept all individual events:
- 1000 Yard Freestyle – Cole Kincart – 10:31.65
- 200 Yard Freestyle – Mark Klinchin – 1:48.72
- 50 Yard Freestyle – Mitchell Lucky – 23.02
- 200 Yard IM – Gabriel Beutel – 2:06.93
- 1 Meter Diving – Evan Standish – score 206.75
- 100 Yard Butterfly – David Halmy – 54.83
- 100 Yard Freestyle – Don Rose – 49.90
- 100 Yard Backstroke – Gabriel Beutel – 57.47
- 500 Yard Freestyle – Mark Klinchin – 4:51.00
- 100 Yard Breaststroke – Sam Kalenowski – 1:02.08
The women defeated North Central 133-46 and defeated Manchester 140-54. The women's squad took first in the 200-yard medley relay, and had first-place winners in the following events:
- 1000 Yard Freestyle – Anna Malik – 12:26.18
- 200 Yard Freestyle – Anna Slominski – 2:01.55
- 50 Yard Freestyle – Gabby Anich – 27.19
- 200 Yard IM – Kristen Hampton – 2:23.24
- 100 Yard Butterfly – Nethmi Bopearatchy – 1:05.27
- 100 Yard Freestyle – Gabby Anich – 58.36
- 500 Yard Freestyle – Anna Slominski – 5:30.51
- 100 Yard Breaststroke – Kristen Hampton – 1:16.79
Coach's Comments:
"Overall, very happy with how this meet went for the team" said Interim Head Coach Billy Bafia. "Coming out of our training trip (FIU Sprint Invitational -January 3rd), we were going to still be tired, but the important part for today was executing on the little things we have been focusing on in our training. The team did a nice job holding their technique in their races, so this gives us the confidence we are looking for going into our taper for the conference championship" Bafia continued.
"Our Women's team showed up confidently to claim their first two wins since 2020" said Bafia. "Very happy with the support they've been giving each other and for coming together to win many events at the meet. The training trip was a huge turning point for them and I am eager to see their success shine at conference" Bafia continued.
"This was also our first meet with the brand-new, 1-meter diving board" added Bafia. "The divers loved it and performed phenomenally. Our investments in our diving program continues to pay off and we are looking forward to having this diving team be an integral balance in our team's competition strategy" said Bafia.