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Swimming and Diving Claims Five Titles on Day One of CCIW Championships

Four school records broken

2/17/2022 9:28:00 PM

PLEASANT PRAIRIE, Wis. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's and women's swimming and diving teams concluded day one of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Championship, Thursday, Feb. 17. The Titans competed in a preliminary round during the morning session before competing in the finals at 6 p.m. The student-athletes that placed within the top eight in the morning session went to the A finals as the athletes who placed 8-16, headed to the B final.

After day one, the men's team sits in fourth place with 177 points. Carthage College (284.5), Wheaton College (231), and Augustana College (197.5) round out the top three, respectively.

The women's team sits in third place after day one with a total of 198 points. In front of the Titans is Augustana College (257) in first and Carthage College (206) in second.

Seniors Ellen Gilbert (Northbrook, Ill.-Glenbrook North) and Mason McCauley (Deerfield, Ill.-Deerfield), sophomore Ethan Lowder (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community), and freshman Hadley Fudge (Stanford, Ill.-University) claimed individual CCIW titles. In the 400 yard medley relay, the team of Natalie Wajda (Park Ridge, Ill.-Maine South), Fudge, Gilbert, and Megan Wong (Gurnee, Ill.-Warren Township) also topped the podium.

McCauley, who opened the preliminary round by breaking the 500 yard freestyle school record with a time of 4:35.68, broke his own record of 4:36.85 set last season. Lowder also broke the school record in the 50 free preliminary round touching in at 20.62. Similar to McCauley, Lowder broke his own school record (20.84) set during his freshman year in the 2020-21 season.

McCauley followed his record breaking prelim swim with a first-place finish to claim the CCIW individual title in the 500 yard freestyle. McCauley touched in a time of 5:36.22 during the A final. Sophomores Jake Kalenowski (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles North), Henry Moore (Champaign, Ill.-Centennial), and freshman Alex Kula (Pekin, Ill.-Pekin Community) also qualified for the A final and finished in fourth, fifth, and eighth place, respectively.

The group of Lowder, Kula, McCauley, and Kalenowski set a school record in the 200 yard free relay. The quad finished fourth overall in the championship with a time of 1:25.13 to beat out the six-year standing record of 1:25.97 set in 2016.

Lowder also claimed an individual title in the 50 free with a time of 20.80. In the women's 50 free sophomore Hannah Murray (West Chicago, Ill.-St. Charles East) qualified for the A final after a preliminary time of 24.92. During the championship round the sophomore placed fifth overall touching in a season-best time of 24.84

In her first CCIW Championship, Fudge set not only a school record in the 200 yard individual medley but claimed the individual title with a program-setting time of 2:07.18. Also in the 200 IM senior Wong, who held the previous record, placed third in the event with a time of 2:09.28.

Gilbert recorded a time of 5:07.63 for a first place finish in the preliminary round of the 500 yard freestyle. Not to outdo herself, the senior clinched the individual title in the 500 free with an even better time of 5:05.44, around two seconds off her career-best 5:03.42. Junior Donna Kurek (Roselle, Ill.-Lake Park) also qualified for the A final after touching in a season-best time of 5:20.84 in the morning session before claiming an overall eighth place finish with a time of 5:23.80.

The Titans return to the pool tomorrow for day two of the CCIW Championships. The preliminary round starts at 10:30 a.m. with the finals to follow at 6 p.m.

Individual Results
Finals:
Men's 500 Yard Freestyle
1. Mason McCauley 4:36.22
4. Jake Kalenowski 4:46.55
5. Henry Moore 4:48.13
8. Alex Kula 4:53.90
14. Jackson Rapala 4:54.49

Women's 500 Yard Freestyle
1. Ellen Gilbert 5:05.44
8. Donna Kurek 5:23.80
9. Natalie Wajda 5:18.05
15. Alexa Starkey 5:26.47

Women's 200 Yard Individual Medley
1. Hadley Fudge 2:07.18
3. Megan Wong 2:09.28
10. Jade Kaminska 2:13.69
15. Shannon Murphy 2:16.45

Men's 50 Yard Freestyle
1. Ethan Lowder 20.80

Women's 50 Yard Freestyle
5. Hannah Murray 24.84
10. Emily Marks 25.21

Prelims:
Men's 500 Yard Freestyle
1. Mason McCauley 4:35.68
4. Jake Kalenowski 4:48.73
5. Henry Moore 4:49.33
8. Alex Kula 4:50.90
14. Jackson Rapala 4:55.20
22. Colin McKibben 5:14.47

Women's 500 Yard Freestyle
1. Ellen Gilbert 5:07.63
8. Donna Kurek 5:20.84
9. Natalie Wajda 5:22.81
10. Alexa Starkey 5:23.24
17. Amanda Smith 5:30.10
24. Anna Keebler 5:40.61
26. Emma Stroh 5:44.49

Men's 200 Yard Individual Medley
- Lane Wagner 1:59.42

Women's 200 Yard Individual Medley
3. Hadley Fudge 2:10.72
4. Megan Wong 2:11.39
13. Jade Kaminska 2:16.47
16. Shannon Murphy 2:17.85
- Sydney Dunlap 2:34.88

Men's 50 Yard Freestyle
1. Ethan Lowder 20.62
19. Shannon Pinto 22.54
- Jake Kalenowski 21.90
- Alex Kula 22.06
- Donald Tichy 23.22

Women's 50 Yard Freestyle
6. Hannah Murray 24.92
9. Emily Marks 25.07
23. Sami Curtis 26.65
- Natalie Wajda 25.38

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