The University of Evansville swimming and diving squad took to Wyttenbach pool for the final time this season in a dual meet against Saint Louis.
The Aces split the competition, with the women coming back off last night’s loss to Illinois State to win against the Billikens 146-80. Then men came up just short with 114 points to Saint Louis’s 117.
“Today was a lot of fun and a pretty big day for our program,” said head coach Brent Noble. “We were able to honor 14 outstanding athletes, and we really competed on both sides against and team that has been at a high level for a long time. Our win against SLU on the women’s side is big for us, and though the three-point men’s loss is disappointing, competing that close with a good team like SLU is a step forward for us. I am was happy with the way our team competed today, and their special enthusiasm and support for each other was a on full display.”
Before the competition began, the senior class of 2019 was honored. The team celebrated the accomplishments of Matt Duke, Sam Gowdy, Kaylee Gubricky, Madi Jones, Miguel Marcano, Sylvia McFadden, Kristen Myers, Megan Schremp, Amy Smith, Derek Stauder, David Stoddard, Jared Sutphin, and Shaina Weisberg during their time as Aces.
The women started the day on a successful note, taking a definitive victory in the 200 Medley Relay. Gowdy, junior Alaina Sylvester, Myers, and Gubricky together clocked in a 1:48.18.
Gubricky took the first individual win in the 50 freestyle, clocking in a 24.88. Junior Emma Hennessy took 3rd with 25.03. Gubricky kept her winning momentum going in the 100 breaststroke, taking the event in a 1:09.27. Sylvester came runner up with a 1:09.64.
Myers took her own win with a 2:10.45 finish in the 200 IM. She later went on to claim a victory in the 100 butterfly as well, recording a 58.09. Sophomore Kara Steward took 3rd with a 1:00.09.
Jones scored the top spot for the women in the 100 freestyle, her final time a 54.73. Freshman Jessie Steele managed to sneak into 2nd place by .04 seconds with a time of 54.90. Jones also placed 2nd in the 200 freestyle with a 1:47.88; junior Kristy Kupfer placed 3rd with a final time of 1:59.46.
Gowdy came next to claim the 100 backstroke for Evansville with a 59.30 finish. Junior Ashton Adams clocked a 5:17.40 to add the 500 freestyle to the Aces win list as well.
Freshman Ee Tan started off the men’s individual events on an exciting note, sliding into 1st place after a neck-and-neck race in the 1000 freestyle. He clocked a 9:59.87, while junior Samad Abu-Shanab took 3rd with a 10:16.51.
Duke scored points for the Aces with a 21.52 victory in the 50 freestyle, assisted by sophomore Eli James following shortly behind with a 21.89 2nd place finish.
Freshman Oskar Menkhaus won the 500 freestyle in a 4:48.33; Tan took 2nd in a 4:51.26. Sophomore Credence Pattinson took the last individual win for the men with a 51.57 finish in the 100 backstroke.
Junior Brandt Hudson placed 2nd in the 200 freestyle with a 1:44.61. Menkhaus followed in 3rd with a 1:45.27.
The Aces were able to pull off a final win in the 200 Freestyle Relay. Duke, Pattinson, Sutphin, and sophomore Ryan Wood teamed up to clock in a 1:25.38.
Evansville’s diving efforts greatly contributed to the team as both men and women swept the boards. Freshman Fae Keighley scored 244.42 points on 1-Meter for the win, while fellow freshman Maggie Franz and sophomore Natalie Gerard came in 2nd and 3rd with 241.05 and 228.32 points respectively. Franz took the win on 3-Meter, scoring 229.87 points. Keighley took 2nd with 219.67, and Gerard completed the sweep with 201.22 points.
Marcano made a lasting impact with his final 1-Meter performance at Wyttenbach, his winning score of 315.90 breaking the school record set by Andy Balczo nearly a decade ago. He also won the 3-Meter with 300.75 points.
The Aces return to the water next weekend for the final regular season competition at Southern Illinois on Saturday.
Much progress has been accumulated this year.
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