BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's and women's swimming and diving teams embark on the 2023-24 season Friday, Oct. 13 at Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill. The duel against the Division II Flyers is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. start time. 

At the helm for IWU is head coach Teresa Fish, who was inducted into the Kenyon College Hall of Fame over the summer, enters her 29th season. The program returns 13 Titans on the women's side and welcomes four, while the men return eight student-athletes and are joined by four newcomers.  

In total the Titans have eight new additions to the program, including freshmen Sam Borre (Hoffman Estates, Ill.-James B. Conany), Olivia Kula (Pekin, Ill.-Pekin Community), Claire Paule (Godfrey, Ill.-Alton), and Abi Zelikman (Oakwood Hills, Ill.-Prairie Ridge) for the women's team. Junior transfer Carter Dilger (Sellersburg, Ind.-Jeffersonville), and freshmen Jack Hansen (Naperville, Ill.-Benet Academy), Rylan Nelson (Normal, Ill.-University), and Luke Smith (Bradley-Bourbonnais, Ill.-Bradley Bourbonnais Community) join the men's program.  

Returning for the Green and White is fifth-year Lauren Feddersen (Champaign, Ill.-Centennital), the 2022-23 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Women's Swimming & Diving Student-Athlete of the Year. Feddersen earned three individual titles at last year's CCIW Championship, winning the 400-yard medley, the 100-yard breaststroke, and the 200-yard breaststroke. Junior Hadley Fudge (Stanford, Ill.-University), who is the two-time reigning 200-yard individual medley CCIW champion, also returns for IWU. 

Fudge garnered All-CCIW honors three times last season. She broke her own school record in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:06.89 to defend her league title. Fudge was also victorious in the 200-yard backstroke with a season-best time of 2:06.32, and finished second in the 100-yard breast (1:05.60).

On the men's side, junior Alex Kula (Pekin, Ill.-Pekin Community) was a part of two relay teams that broke school records at the CCIW Championship, as he swam on the 200-yard free relay team that recorded a time of 1:24.09, and the 400-yard freestyle relay squad that finished with a time of 3:06.42. The Pekin, Ill. native secured a top-10 finish at the CCIW Championship in the 200-yard free with a time of 1:45.33. 

Senior Ethan Lowder (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) secured a second-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle at the CCIW Championship with a time of 20.89, and finished third in the 100-yard freestyle, touching with a time of 46.48. The Bloomington, Ill. native broke the 100-yard freestyle record, as he led off the 400 free relay with a time of 45.97, and eventually helped propel the relay to break the school record as well. Lowder joined Kula on the 200-yard freestyle relay, and was on both relays that previously held the records.

Senior Lane Wagner (Danville, Ill.-Danville) earned All-CCIW honors in the 400-yard individual medley (4:08.47) and the 200-yard butterfly (1:55.47), as he finished second and third at the CCIW Championship, respectively. The Danville, Ill. native also notched a fourth-place finish in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:55.47. 

The Titans are opening their season in Romeoville, while Lewis has already had two meets securing a 2-0 record on both the men's and the women's sides against Quincy University and St. Ambrose. IWU has faced Lewis a total of six times dating back to 2016 and is looking to secure its first win against the Division II Flyers.

Results from the meet will be posted to iwusports.com following the completion of the meet. The live stream can be found here.