BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University swimming and diving teams welcomed teams to Fort Natatorium for its annual Halloween Invite Saturday afternoon, Oct. 26. Both the men's and women's teams placed second, as the Titans collected 21 top-five finishes.

Illinois Wesleyan's men accrued 83 points to finish runner up behind Augustana (138). Anderson took third with 82 points, while Millikin (57) and North Central (53) rounded out the standings. The women's side also saw IWU finish second to Augie (145) as the Titans finished with 73 points. Rose-Hulman grabbed third with 63 points, with Anderson (60) placing fourth. Millikin (42) and North Central (14) finished fifth and sixth, respectively.

On the women's side IWU grabbed second-place finishes in the 500-yard freestyle relay, 200-yard medley relay, and the 200-yard freestyle relay. Juniors Kayleigh Kuschewski (Batavia, Ill.-Batavia), Julianna Boyle (Carol Stream, Ill.-Glenbard North), and Natalie Porter (Danville, Ill.-Danville) teamed up with senior Alexa Starkey (Normal, Ill.-Normal Community West) to clock in with a time of 5:09.36 in the 500-free relay en route to second-place. Kuschewski and Starkey later joined forces with freshman Isabella Cano (River Grove, Ill.-East Leyden) and senior Emily Marks (Cary, Ill.-Cary Grove) in the 200-yard medley relay, posting a time of 2:00.70. The final top-two relay finish by the women came in the 200-yard freestyle relay, where Kuschewski, Marks, Cano, and freshman Julia Jozwiak (McHenry, Ill.-Wauconda) touched in at 1:48.18, narrowly defeating Rose-Hulman.

Individually, Jozwiak, Marks, Tolpin, Kuschewski, and Porter tallied top-five placements. Porter was the highest finisher on the women's side, nabbing fourth in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:36.72.  Jozwiak's fifth-place performance came in the 100 freestyle, where the freshman touched in at 58.14, while Marks grabbed fifth in the 200 freestyle (2:09.71). Tolpin posted a time of 2:47.82 to earn fifth in the 200 butterfly, while Kuschewski garnered fifth with a time of 2:22.76 in the 200 yard backstroke.

Freshmen Tate Thomas (Joliet, Ill.-Joliet West) and Jacob Nacional (Bolinghbrook, Ill.-Bolingbrook), junior Jay Jenkins (Aurora, Ill.-West Aurora), and senior Carter Dilger (Sellersburg, Ill.-Jeffersonville) took second in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The group touched in with a time of 1:33.00, just on the heels of Augustana. 

Nacional also added a third-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly, posting a time of 2:09.68. Tate and Connor McKibben (Green Oak, Ill.-Libertyville) notched fifth-place finishes in the 200 free and 200 back, respectively. Tate secured a time of 1:55.04, while McKibben registered a mark of 2:14.45. 

Freshman David Ren (Chicago, Ill.-Hinsdale Central) was the lone competitor in the one-meter dive, where he collected 145.55 points.

The Titans are back home, Friday, Nov. 9 to compete in a dual against DePauw University. The first event will start at 6 p.m. in Fort Natatorium. 


Women's 100 Free
5. Julia Jozwiak 58.14
17. Isabella Cano 1:01.26

Men's 100 Free
8. Jacob Nacional 52.78

Women's 200 Free
5. Emily Marks 2:09.71
7. Julianna Boyle 2:10.59
9. Claire Paule 2:14.17
11. Emilee Spicer 2:24.26

Men's 200 Free
5. Thomas Tate 1:55.04

Men's 1-Meter Dive
1. David Ren 145.55

Women's 200 Fly
5. Isadora Tolpin 2:47.82

Men's 200 Fly
3. Jacob Nacional 2:09.68

Women's 200 Back
5. Kayleigh Kuschewski 2:22.76

Men's 200 Back
5. Colin McKibben 2:14.45

Women's 200 Breast
7. Alexa Starkey 2:51.59
9. Caroline Stenger 2:51.81

Men's 200 Breast
7. Ben Huk 2:38.29

Women's 500 Free
4. Natalie Porter 5:36.72
6. Julianna Boyle 5:46.19
8. Isadora Tolpin 5:55.85
13. Emilee Spicer 6:24.86

Men's 500 Free
7. Colin McKibben 5:41.20