Illini Down Iowa Behind Strong Team Performance

Swimming & Diving January 14, 2023

Illini Down Iowa Behind Strong Team Performance

IOWA CITY, IA – The Fighting Illini swimming and diving team defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes behind a strong all-around effort from the Orange and Blue, 216-137.

Between The Lanes

It began with senior Athena Salafatinos, senior Kaleigh Haworth, senior Isabelle Guerra, and junior Lily Olson in the 200m medley relay, finishing first with a 1:44.00. Sophomore Suvana Baskar, senior Mariclaire Lynch, freshman Alexis Wendel, and sophomore Logan Kuehne weren't far behind, finishing third with a 1:45.50.

In the 200m free, sophomore Sydney Stoll captured another first-place finish for the Illini with a 1:51.78 while sophomore Paloma Canos-Cervera finished third with a 1:53.50. Immediately following in the 100m back, Salafatinos and Baskar finished second and third with a 56.98 and a 58.32, respectively. Haworth finished first again in the 100m breaststroke with a 1:04.59 while senior Divya Kale finished third with a 1:05.67. In the 200m fly, junior Cara Bognar and junior Sophia Burwitz went one and three, with Bognar marking a 2:02.57 and Burwitz a 2:08.22.

The Illini saw a podium sweep in the 50m free with Laurel Bludgen finishing with a 23.79, Guerra with a 23.85, and Olson with a 23.93. Kuehne finished right behind the podium finishers in fourth with a 24.11. Olson found the podium once again in the 100m free, this time finishing first with a 52.21 with Bludgen closely behind marking a 52.47. Stoll won the 200m back with a 2:03.25 while Salafatinos finished second with a 2:05.93.

The Illini then saw yet another podium sweep, this time in the 200m breaststroke with Haworth finishing first with a 2:18.37, freshman Sara Jass in second with a 2:19.24, and sophomore Jane Umhofer in third with a 2:24.44, respectively. Freshman Liv Dorshorst finished first in the 500m free with a 5:00.90, while Bognar finished third with a 5:05.96. In the 100m fly, Guerra and Burwitz finished two and three with a 56.92 and a 57.66.

Finally, the Orange and Blue their third and final podium sweep in the 400m free relay. Olson, Stoll, Bludgen, and Guerra finished first with a 3:24.49, Salafatinos, Kuehne, Jass, and Canos-Cervera finished second with a 3:31.46, and junior Lauren Beard, junior Meghan Niziolek, Burwitz, and junior Paige Koscielski finished third with a 3:37.32.