CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Fighting Illini swim and dive team will host their final home meet of the season on Saturday (Feb. 1) at 11 a.m. CT when they welcome in Eastern Illinois to the ARC Pool.
It will be senior day on Saturday and there are seven seniors who will be recognized: Laurel Bludgen, Suvana Baskar, Paloma Canos Cervera, Logan Kuehne, Sydney Stoll, Jane Umhofer and Molly Yetter.
In the past meet against Nebraska, Sydney Stoll shattered the school record in the 100 butterfly with a time of 53.97. She also claimed victories in the 100 freestyle (49.86) and 200 freestyle (1:47.54). Over the weekend, Stoll competed in six individual races and secured gold in each one.
Dani O'Kelly led the way for the Illinois divers, delivering strong performances on the one-meter and three-meter boards. She secured third place in the one-meter dive with a score of 273.15 and achieved a personal best in the three-meter dive, finishing fourth with a score of 290.93. Right behind O'Kelly on the three-meter board was Matilda Garcia, who earned her NCAA Zone Cut with a score of 285.00. Garcia also claimed fifth place in the one-meter dive, posting a score of 261.15.
Scouting the Opponents
Eastern Illinois arrives in Champaign with a 1-9 record on the season. There is one common opponent between the Panthers and Illini being Southern Illinois, EIU lost to the Salukis 217-40 and Illinois beat them 157-143. The last meeting between EIU and Illinois was on Oct. 16, 2015, where Illinois dominated in a 371-66 win at the ARC Pool.
