WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – No. 6-ranked Indiana swimming and diving earned half of the 500-yard freestyle championship final spots during Thursday (Feb. 22) preliminary action at the 2024 Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships inside the Morgan J. Burke Aquatic Center on the campus of Purdue University.

IU totaled 17 finalists in four events via eight A finalists, five B finalists and four C finalists. The Hoosiers also the No. 2-seeded 400-yard medley relay in the final event of the night.

Senior Anna Peplowski is the top qualifier in the 500 free, posting a personal best and NCAA A cut 4:37.63 – the seventh-best time in the country. The 500 free is a new event for Peplowski, who swam the 100 back at her previous two conference meets. Her personal best coming into this season was 4:48.80.

Fellow juniors Ching Hwee Gan (4:42.52) and Elyse Heiser (4:42.98) and senior Ella Ristic (4:42.98) also earned spots in the championship final, while Mariah Denigan (4:44.69) got into the B heat with her first collegiate swim of the season.

Indiana added three more A finalists on the 1-meter springboard, as senior and reigning conference champ Anne Fowler finished third in the prelim with a 291.05 mark – just 9.85 points behind the leader. Freshmen Lily Witte and Ella Roselli also made the top final in their first championship event with scores of 272.65 and 267.25, respectively. Junior Skyler Liu will dive in the B final after posting a 250.50.

IU’s program record holder in the 50 free, Kristina Paegle will swim the championship final Thursday night with the third best time in prelims, a 21.99. That’s 23 hundredths short of her school standard time set at midseason. Senior Ashley Turak (22.34) and junior Kacey McKenna (22.53) reached the consolation final, and Chiok Sze Yeo (22.81) made the C.

Two Hoosier freshmen led the way in the 200 IM prelim as MacKenna Lieske (1:59.65) will swim the B and Reese Tiltmann (2:00.02) earned a C final swim. Junior Brearna Crawford also reached the C just behind her in 2:00.04.

TEAM SCORES
1. Indiana – 118

2. Ohio State – 116
3. Michigan – 112
4. Wisconsin – 106
5. Northwestern – 100
6. Penn State – 96
7. Nebraska – 88
8. Purdue – 86
9. Illinois – 78
10. Iowa – 72
11. Rutgers – 64
12. Penn State – 34

    RESULTS (PRELIMS)
    500 FREESTYLE

13. Anna Peplowski – 4:37.63 (Championship Final Top Qualifier, NCAA A Cut, Career Best)
14. Ching Hwee Gan – 4:42.52 (Championship Final, NCAA B Cut)
15. Ella Ristic – 4:42.93 (Championship Final, NCAA B Cut)
16. Elyse Heiser – 4:42.98 (Championship Final, NCAA B Cut)
17. Mariah Denigan – 4:44.69 (Consolation Final, NCAA B Cut)
18. Katie Carson – 4:47.58 (Exhibition)

    200 IM
    14. MacKenna Lieske – 1:59.65 (Consolation Final)

19. Reese Tiltmann – 2:00.02 (C Final)
20. Brearna Crawford – 2:00.04 (C Final)
21. Ava Whitaker – 2:02.48
22. Caroline Foltz – 2:03.83 (Exhibition, Personal Best)

50 FREESTYLE

3. Kristina Paegle – 21.99 (Championship Final, NCAA B Cut)
4. Ashley Turak – 22.34 (Consolation Final, NCAA B Cut)
5. Kacey McKenna – 22.53 (Consolation Final, NCAA B Cut)
6. Chiok Sze Yeo – 22.81 (C Final)
7. Mya DeWitt – 22.86 (C Final)
8. Sydney Turner – 23.57 (Exhibition, Career Best)
9. Lily Hann – 24.11 (Exhibition)

1-METER DIVING

3. Anne Fowler – 300.90 (Championship Final, NCAA Zone Qualifier)
4. Lily Witte – 272.65 (Championship Final, NCAA Zone Qualifier)
5. Ella Roselli – 267.25 (Championship Final, NCAA Zone Qualifier)
6. Skyler Liu – 250.50 (Consolation Final)

UE travels to Monroe, La. this weekend

 

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Week three of the season for the University of Evansville softball team will see the Purple Aces in Monroe, La. for the Best on the Bayou Tournament.  UE will face Northwestern State, Syracuse, Sam Houston and UL Monroe over the next three days.

Friday’s action opens with a contest at 11 a.m. against Northwestern State, who is 5-7 on the season.  Two weeks ago at the Texas State Tournament, NSU defeated Missouri Valley Conference rival Southern Illinois by a 6-3 final.  Following the first game, UE is right back on the field for a 1:30 p.m. game versus Syracuse.  The Orange stand at 6-3 on the season with a pair of wins over Maryland last weekend at the Southeastern Louisiana Lion Classic.

On Saturday, the Aces take to the field for a 2 p.m. match-up versus Sam Houston, who stands at 3-6 this season before facing host UL Monroe.  Evansville faces the Warhawks at 7 p.m. on Saturday evening before taking them on again on Sunday at 11:30 a.m.  ULM enters the weekend with a record of 8-4.

Evansville hosted a home tournament last weekend with Austin Peay and Miami Ohio coming to Tri-State Orthopaedics Field at James & Dorothy Cooper Stadium.  Batting .444 in the weekend home tournament, Marah Wood raised her season batting average to .409.  With two weekends in the books, Wood has accumulated nine hits in 22 trips to the plate.  Her .480 on-base tally also leads the squad.

Freshman Abby Bode made the first start of her career on Sunday against Austin Peay and provided an immediate spark in the lineup.  She picked up two hits in three at-bats and accumulated three assists on the defensive side.

Zoe Frossard has enjoyed a solid start to the year and checks in with a .353 batting average.  She leads the squad with four RBI and is tied for the team-high with four walks.