University of Illinois
Arkansas
November 4, 2026 | Swimming & Diving
PREVIEW
| Meet: | At Arkansas, vs. Texas A&M |
|---|---|
| When: | Saturday, Nov. 7 |
| Time (CT): | 11 a.m. |
| Where: | Arkansas Natatorium, Fayetteville, Ark. |
| Social Media: | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube |
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois swim and dive will be on the road this Saturday (Nov. 7) for their first triangular meet of the season. The Illini travel to Fayetteville, Ark. to face Arkansas and Texas A&M at 11 a.m. CT inside Arkansas Natatorium.
The Illini are coming off a big win against Iowa State 195-98 with multiple strong performances. They opened with a win in the 400 medley relay (3:44.38) and closed with a victory in the 200 freestyle relay (1:36.23). The Illini also picked up several individual wins, including freshman Kate Farrell's victories in 100 backstroke (56.05) and the 200 backstroke (2:02.44), Chloe Diner's wins in the 200 freestyle (1:52.48) and 400 IM (4:25.79), and Maggie Adler's victory in the 100 freestyle (51.84).
Illinois swept the top four spots in the 50 freestyle, led by Isabella Wilhelm, who then later contributed a win in the 100 butterfly (57.08). On the boards, Amelia Semple led Illinois on the three-meter while Hanna Ekdahl won the one-meter event with the program's fifth-highest score of 294.75.
Scouting the Opponents
Arkansas is off to a strong start to the season going 3-0 after their recent wins against TSU and Drury. Isabelle Leigh took gold in the 100 backstroke (53.46) and 100 butterfly (53.41), Ellen Garritson in the 100 breaststroke (1:02.82) and 200 breaststroke (2:15.29), and Hayden Gibson in the 200 butterfly (2:01.51), 200 backstroke (2:00.66) and 200 IM (2:04.16). Harriet Rogers won both the 50 freestyle (22.77) and 100 freestyle (50.10), while Maria Sanchez swept the diving events with scores of 326.95 on one-meter and 365.40 on three-meter.
The Aggies have had a slower start to the season but held their own against No. 15 Georgia. Their victories included Ella McWhorter in the 100 breaststroke (1:00.45) and Sydney Guidara, who swept both diving events with scores of 307.35 on one-meter and 334.88 on three-meter. Fernanda Elizondo Cabrera placed fourth in the 1000 freestyle (10:01.80), while Bridget Foster finished second in one-meter diving (280.73).
The Fighting Illini have only faced the Razorbacks twice and have lost both times (101-187 on Jan. 30, 2016 and 118-179 on Jan. 7, 2017). As for Texas A&M this will be the first ever meeting between the squads.
