by Eric Willuweit
Elsah, Ill. - Anna Slominski took first place in the 50-yard freestyle, the men's A team took second place in the 200-yard freestyle relay, and the Illinois Tech Swimming and Diving team placed in the top three in seven events on day two of the the 2023 Liberal Arts Championships.
The men's A 200-yard freestyle relay team of Don Rose, David Halmy, Mitchell Lucky and Sam Kastan placed second with a time of 1:25.39. Mark Klinchin finished second in the men's 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:35.88, just .05 off the first-place finishing time. In the men's 400-yard medley relay, team A of Gabriel Beutel, Kastan, Halmy and Rose placed third with a time of 3:34.76. On the diving front, Evan Standish took second place in the men's 3-meter diving event with a score of 370. The men's team moved into second place overall after day two with 154 points.
On the women's side, Slominski finished with a finals time of 23.99 in the 50-yard freestyle, placing first out of twelve competitors. The 400-yard medley relay A team of Slominski, Kristen Hampton, Nethmi Bopearatchy and Raven Anich secured third place with a time of 4:04.29. In the 1-meter diving event, Maria Plencner took first place honors with a score of 240.05. The women's team held on to third place overall after the second day of competition with a score of 130.
Coach's Comments
"This was a great session for our divers & they did a tremendous job representing day 1 of diving" said Interim Head Coach William Bafia. "They each took their time and nailed each approach & dive well. For our first time competing as prelims/finals, there was a bit of fatigue, but the team is continuing to learn. We are confident that, for the men, their next session on Saturday will continue the strong showing. On the women's side, I am extremely proud of Maria's exceptional work and natural talent. She had made it a long way this season, and I know that her continued dedication will go a long way to solidifying her dives for next season" concluded Bafia.
"Tomorrow gives us a great opportunity to focus on our sprint strokes. We are looking forward to each of the close races with the competition and each athlete continuing to reap the benefits of the hard work this season." - Volunteer Assistant Coach Seth Wissenbach
Day three on Friday, February 10th will feature the following events: 400-yard IM, 100-yard butterfly, 200-yard freestyle, 100-yard breaststroke, and the 100-yard backstroke.