IOWA CITY, IA.- University of Southern Indiana Women’s Swimming and Diving finishes in sixth place at the 2025 Summit League Championships, totaling 272 points.
The Screaming Eagles continue to move in the right direction in year three, improving by 115 points from their 2024 total. After failing to record an A-Finalist or medalist in the 2023 and 2024 season, USI made significant achievements with five A-Finalists, 13 B-Finalists, one bronze medal, and one silver medal.
University of Denver earned its 12th straight conference title, totaling 885 points. University of South Dakota came in second for the fourth straight year (712). The following order included University of Nebraska-Omaha (568.5), University of St. Thomas (395), South Dakota State University (325.5), USI (272), and Eastern Illinois University (184).
Wednesday
Day one featured the women’s one-meter, 200 medley relays, and 800 freestyle relays. USI found success, breaking three school records. The meet started with diving prelims as all three Eagles qualified for finals and contributed points.
Sophomore Maranda Uttke snuck into the B-Finals placing 13th in prelims, while freshman Gabbie Meier also qualified for B-Finals, sneaking into the final slot. Meier stepped up, capturing four points with a fifth-place finish in the B-Finals, while Uttke grabbed one point.
Freshman Anna Bunnell became the first women’s diver to reach an A finals, following her fourth-place prelim performance (238.80 pts). The Evansville native returned for the night cap, placing fifth in the A-Finals and earning 14 hard-earned points.
The USI relay teams were strong, starting with the 200 medley team of freshman Elizabeth Ketcham, sophomore Hayden Shurtz, junior Sarah-Catherine Dawson, and freshman Simone Green. The squad broke the previous record by a full second at 1:45.16.
The 800 freestyle team of sophomore Caiya Cooper, junior Mattilynn Smith, sophomore Reagan Holmes, and freshman Ailyn Zurliene broke another school best at 7:40.49. Cooper’s relay lead off shattered her own 200 freestyle record at 1:52.95.
The Eagles finished day one in fourth place with 69 points, marking their highest position ever at the Summit League Champs.
Thursday
Day two featured the 500 freestyle, 200 IM, 50 freestyle, and team diving springboard events. The Eagles continued to improve by setting four school records and earning a bronze diving medal.
The diving trio of Bunnell, Meier, and Uttke secured third place in the team springboard event, rotating dives to earn a bronze medal with 243.15 points.
Three different Eagles advanced to B-Finals events on the swimming side. Cooper reset her own 500 freestyle school record with a blazing prelim time (5:03.37). The sophomore finished 13th overall. Smith also qualified for the B-Finals and finished right behind Cooper at 14th overall, stepping up her game in the final heat (5:04.91).
Freshman Emma Gabhart improved her best time by three seconds in the 200 IM, capturing the school record in the B-Finals. The blazing time (2:07.05) slotted her into 13th overall. After day two, USI moved to fifth at 138 points with two days left.
Friday
Day three brought multiple standout performances from the Eagles, featuring the 100 butterfly, 400 IM, 200 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke, three-meter dive, and 400 medley relay events. USI finished day three with four new school records, five A-Finalists, and a silver diving medal.
The diving squad excelled in the three-meter with a historic day. Bunnell finished prelims with the top score among the field at 277.40 pts. This mark dismantled her previous school record of 253.00 pts, shocking the competition and qualifying for the nightcap. Meier also advanced into the A-Finals, snatching the final spot with a score of 229.60 pts. Uttke qualified for B-Finals and contributed six big points with a score of 224.00 pts. The duo of Bunnell and Meier became the first Screaming Eagle duo to compete in the A-Finals together.
Fast forward to the nightcap finals, Meier stepped up her performance with a fifth-place finish at 239.35 pts. Bunnell delivered another clutch performance, finishing second and becoming the first individual to earn a silver medal in the program’s existence. The freshman’s score of 273.55 pts was only 0.80 pts shy of the gold medal. However, Bunnell will continue to be a problem for the rest of the league after earning the highest place in the program’s history as just a freshman.
Ketcham led the Eagles swimmers, dazzling in the 100 butterfly prelims, recording a new school record (56.05) and finishing eighth in the A-Finals. The freshman continued her monsterous day in the 100 backstroke event with another school record (57.33). The 100 backstroke record marked a huge accomplishment for Ketcham, breaking a record dating back to 2023.
Shurtz picked her first career A-Finals qualification in the 100 backstroke (104.06). The sophomore leader picked up 11 points for the squad. The USI relay team of freshman Alivia Scott, Cooper, Shurtz, and Ketcham snatched the school record in the 400 medley relay (3:56.86). USI finished the third day in fifth place at 226 points as they looked to empty the tank on Saturday.
Saturday
The final day included the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, and 200 butterfly events. Sophomore Naomi Weaver earned a personal best in the 200 butterfly (2:13.51), qualifying for B-Finals. The sophomore earned 14th overall with an even better finals time (2:12.60). Gabhart and Shurtz qualified for the B Finals in the 200 breaststroke, placing 12th and 14th.
The 400 freestyle relay squad of Holmes, Ketcham, Green, and Cooper smashed the school record to close the night (3:30.86). Holmes crossed a huge milestone, surpassing her 100 freestyle record to start the relay (52.12).
What’s Next
The Screaming Eagles finish 2025 with strong improvements in year three. USI finished with a head-to-head meet record of 5-4 with big wins over Northern Kentucky University, Valparaiso University, Eastern Illinois, University of Evansville (twice), and numerous school records and personal bests along the way. The Eagles look forward to season four with plenty to feel confident about.
