IOWA CITY, IA.- University of Southern Indiana Men’s Swimming and Diving concludes play at the 2025 Summit League Championships in sixth place with 268 total points.
The Screaming Eagles made a 94-point improvement from the 2024 conference week. USI secured five A-Finalists, ten B-Finalists, one silver medal, and one bronze medal.
University of Denver captures its tenth title in the past 11 years with 975 points. The following order of finish included University of South Dakota (697.5), South Dakota State University (544), University of Nebraska-Omaha (507.5), University of St. Thomas (352), USI (268), and Eastern Illinois University (193).
Wednesday
Day one of the Summit League Championships featured the men’s team springboard diving event, 200 medley relay, and the 800 freestyle relay. USI finished the day with a massive bronze medal, 32-point contribution from the diving squad, along with a new 800 freestyle school record.
Junior Lane Pollock, sophomore Nathan Deputy, and sophomore George Blake teamed up in the springboard event, rotating dives. The squad earned a podium third-place bronze medal finish for their efforts.
The USI relay teams competed in the finals on Thursday night, battling for huge points against the six other squads. The 800 freestyle team of sophomore Sam Smith, junior Jack Hannon, junior Creed Loy, and Connor Harden (6:49.19) smashed their previous school record by an impressive eight seconds.
USI finished day one in fifth with 82 points. This kept the Eagles only six points behind St. Thomas in fourth, while 38 points behind Denver in first.
Thursday
Day two brought a busy slate featuring the 500 freestyle, 200 IM, 50 freestyle, and one-meter dive events. The Eagles started with the one-meter prelim event, where USI earned three qualifications into finals events.
Sophomores George Blake and Nathan Deputy qualified for B-Finals, while junior Lane Pollock finished in sixth overall, moving on to the nightcap finals event. Meanwhile, Blake totaled a career-high point total of 243.75 pts in the prelims. Deputy stepped up in the B-Finals by earning a career-high 270.05 points in the one-meter and securing nine points. Blake finished 12th overall and fourth in the B-Final, adding five points to the leaderboard.
In the nightcap, Pollock garnered his first career podium finish. The Boonville native totaled 277.95 points, placing fifth among the high-competitive field. The 18-point improvement from his prelim performance played a massive role for the team, snatching 14 points.
Sophomore sprinter Joey Smith excelled for the Eagles, breaking the 50 freestyle (20.65) school record in the prelims. Smith advanced in the B-Finals, adding four points and placing 13th overall.
Junior Jack Hannon earned his first finals berth in the 500 freestyle event. Hannon qualified for the B-Finals, placing 16th overall (4:36.97). After day two, USI moved down to sixth at 139 points with two days left.
Friday
Day three featured the 100 butterfly, 400 IM, 200 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke, and 400 medley relay events. USI swimming snatched three more school records on day three.
Hannon delivered another B-Finals contribution in the 200 freestyle (1:40.87) event. The time marked a school record for the junior, which previously stood since 2023. Hannon improved by two full seconds from his previous best.
Sam Smith captured another pivotal A-Finals qualification for the squad in the 100 butterfly (49.25). The sophomore standout broke the record from fellow sophomore Cole Baker. He improved his time in the finals, taking 11 points and resetting the record (49.05).
The 400 medley relay squad of freshman Luke Rich, Crist, Sam Smith, and Joey Smith captured fifth, along with another record (3:21.55). The Eagles finished day three in sixth place with 186 points.
Saturday
The final day included the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, and the three-meter dive.
Sam Smith secured the highest prelim position of any Eagle swimmer, finishing second best in the 200 butterfly (1:48.74), along with resetting his school record. Knauf earned another B-Final qualification in the event (1:53.36). Smith eclipsed his school record time again in the finals, earning silver in the 200 butterfly (1:48.07). The sensational sophomore became the first Eagle swimmer to medal at the Summit League Champs.
Rich completely dismantled his previous school record in the 200 breaststroke (2:04.61) by nearly four full seconds. Joey Smith delivered another strong sprint performance, qualifying for B-Finals in the 100 freestyle (45.90). Sophomore Alek Bandy finished the week strong for the Eagles, snatching the record in the 1650 freestyle (16:44.42).
USI Diving excelled in the three-meter dive as Deputy and Pollock both qualified for the A-Finals, placing fifth and sixth in the prelims. Pollock totaled his career high mark of 293.20 pts in the finals, while Deputy finished just ahead with 294.60 pts. The dynamic duo earned big points, reaching the podium at fourth and fifth.
What’s Next
The Eagles head into the offseason with plenty to be proud of and to improve upon following the third year of the program’s existence. The Eagles finish the season 3-6 in head-to-head meets with memorable victories over Northern Kentucky University, Valparaiso University, and the program’s first win against University of Evansville. The program continues to move in the right direction, and we appreciate the support throughout the season.
