FRANKLIN, Ind. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's and women's swimming and diving team finished up its regular season portion of the 2022-23 season. The Titans took on Franklin College Saturday afternoon, Jan. 28. The men's team fell 198-64, while the women's team was edged out 161-131. 

Illinois Wesleyan opened the meet with a victory in the women's 200 yard medley relay. The team of freshman Kayleigh Kuschewski (Batavia, Ill.-Batavia), sophomore Hadley Fudge (Stanford, Ill.-University), junior Bella Calcagno (Lemont, Ill.-Lemont Township), and junior Natalie Wajda (Park Ridge, Ill.-Maine South) finished with a time of 1:55.27, six seconds faster than the next team. 

IWU saw seven different Titans notch a first-place individual finish. Sophomore Alexa Starkey (Normal, Ill.-Normal Community West) opened the individual portion of the meet with a first-place touch in the 1000 yard freestyle with a season-best time of 11:13.32. Kuschewski, who led off the winning 200 yard medley relay, won the 100 yard backstroke, as she touched at 1:02.31, four seconds faster than the next swimmer. 

Fudge saw a victory in the 100 yard breaststroke, as she won the event by over three seconds, finishing with a time of 1:10.13. Wajda was the winner of the 200 yard backstroke, as she touched the block at 2:16.58. Senior Lauren Feddersen (Champaign, Ill.-Centennial) rounded out the women's first-place finishers, as she was victorious in the 200 yard breaststroke. Her time of 2:33.69 beat her competition by just under six seconds. 

On the men's side, sophomore Alex Kula (Pekin, Ill.-Pekin Community) brought home the first win in the 200 yard freestyle (1:49.15), and junior Jake Kalenowski (South Elgin, Ill.-Saint Charles North) won the 500 yard freestyle, as he touched at 5:15.17. 

The men's team captured first place in the 200 yard freestyle relay to end the meet, as junior Ethan Lowder (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community), freshman Sam Fogarty (Pontiac, Ill.-Pontiac Community), Kula, and Kalenowski recorded a time of 1:28.21. 

Both teams return to action for the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Championships Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 16-18. The Championship will take place inside the Pleasant Prairie RecPlex, located in Pleasant Prairie, Wis. For all information regarding the event, click here. 

IWU Individual Results 

Women's 1000 Yard Freestyle
1. Alexa Starkey 11:13.32
4. Anna Keebler 11:57.01

Men's 1000 Yard Freestyle
2. Henry Moore 10:28.45

Women's 200 Yard Freestyle 
2. Natalie Wajda 2:00.80
3. Jade Kaminska 2:08.01
4. Julianna Boyle 2:08.94

Men's 200 Yard Freestyle 
1. Alex Kula 1:49.15
5. Jay Jenkins 1:58.07

Women's 100 Yard Backstroke
1. Kayleigh Kuschewski 1:02.31
4. Cally Tate 1:11.31
5. Shannon Murphy 1:12.02

Men's 100 Yard Backstroke 
3. Ethan Lowder 56.76
5. Colin McKibben 1:00.55

Women's 100 Yard Breaststroke 
1. Hadley Fudge 1:10.13
4. Sydney Dunlap 1:19.04
5. Emma Stroh 1:22.03

Men's 100 Yard Breaststroke 
3. Donald Tichy 1:06.43

Women's 200 Yard Butterfly
2. Lauren Feddersen 2:23.66
4. Natalie Porter 2:33.92

Men's 200 Yard Butterfly
2. Lane Wagner 1:59.68
3. Jake Kalenowski 2:12.59

Women's 50 Yard Freestyle 
2. Bella Calcagno 26.46
3. Alexa Starkey 27.52
6. Anna Keebler 29.60

Men's 50 Yard Freestyle 
3. Sam Fogarty 22.62
4. Henry Moore 24.41
6. Colin McKibben 25.46

Women's 100 Yard Freestyle
2. Bella Calcagno 57.38
3. Alexa Starkey 1:00.27
5. Emma Stroh 1:08.31

Men's 100 Yard Freestyle 
2. Ethan Lowder 49.66
4. Sam Fogarty 51.11
6. Henry Moore 53.07

Women's 200 Yard Backstroke 
1. Natalie Wajda 2:16.58
2. Hadley Fudge 2:18.30
4. Natalie Porter 2:28.07

Men's 200 Yard Backstroke 
2. Jay Jenkins 2:07.21
3. Colin McKibben 2:07.96
4. Alex Kula 2:09.42

Women's 200 Yard Breaststroke 
1. Lauren Feddersen 2:33.69
4. Jade Kaminska 2:44.25
5. Anna Keebler 2:49.84

Men's 200 Yard Breaststroke 
3. Donald Tichy 2:43.12

Women's 500 Yard Freestyle 
3. Julianna Boyle 5:40.12
4. Shannon Murphy 5:51.85
6. Emma Stroh 6:10.62

Men's 500 Yard Freestyle 
1. Jake Kalenowski 5:15.17

Women's 100 Yard Butterfly
2. Kayleigh Kuschewski 1:06.78
3. Sydney Dunlap 1:15.95

Men's 100 Yard Butterfly 
2. Lane Wagner 55.01
5. Sam Fogarty 59.04

Women's 200 Yard Individual Medley
2. Hadley Fudge 2:18.20
3. Lauren Feddersen 2:24.83
5. Jade Kaminska 2:25.34
6. Shannon Murphy 2:26.59

Men's 200 Yard Individual Medley 
2. Lane Wagner 2:04.71