(LEBANON, Ill., Oct. 19) – The McKendree University men's and women's swimming & diving teams are set to host their first home meets in program history. Friday, October 20^th the Bearcats will play host to Saint Louis University and Maryville University in a tri-meet beginning at 5 p.m. Saturday, October 21^st McKendree dives into action against Truman State University and Southern Illinois University – Carbondale for more tri-meet action.
 
The McKendree swimming & diving teams are coming off an impressive first weekend of competition, with the men's team taking first place and the women's team taking second place in a field of seven teams at the Derby City Invite. McKendree's men's swimming & diving team also cracked the leaderboard in the pre-season College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) rankings, receiving votes to be in the Top 25.
 
 
Women's Swimming & Diving
The Bearcats team took second place with a score of 495.6, after receiving several great swims from both veterans and new comers alike. Freshman swimmer Meredith Geyer (Germantown, TN/Germantown High School) posted three first place finishes, including two in individual events. Geyer took first in the 200 free with a time of 1:54.55, and the 500 free with a time of 5:09.16. Geyer also garnered the PNC Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Athlete of the Week award for her outstanding performances. Sophomore swimmers Magdalena Knapp (Bolzano, Italy/Gymnasium Walther von der Vogelweide Bozen) and Sydney Rey (Columbia, IL/Columbia High School) each posted first place finishes, with Knapp winning the 1000 free and Rey winning the 100 back. Freshman swimmers Christina Marshall (Winston Salem, NC/Reagan High School), Victoria Sananikone (Cedar Park, TX/Cedar Park High School), and Katelyn Anguish (Afton, TN/Chuckley Doak High School) all made a big impact as well finishing in the top three in several events.
 
McKendree women's diving competed for the first time at the Derby City Invite, with freshman Caitlyn Canadi placing second in the 1 Meter Dive with a score of 225.30, and freshman Taryn Metzler placing sixth with a score of 169.90. Canadi also competed in the 3 Meter Dive placing third with a score of 217.65.
 
Men's Swimming & Diving
The McKendree men's swimming & diving team took first place at the Derby City Invite with a score of 586.1, taking first place in 12 events and earning top three finishes in every event. The Bearcats performances were highlighted by both rookies and veterans of the team. McKendree earned first place in both the 200 medley relay and the 400 freestyle relay events. Junior swimmer Daniel Buijs (Amersfoot, Netherlands) took first place in all four events that he competed in, including the 200 medley, 100 back, 200 back, and 200 IM. Sophomore swimmer Matija Pucarevic (Belgrade, Serbia/Sixth Belgrade Grammar School) posted three first place finishes and one second place finish on the day. Freshman swimmer Alexander Skinner (Namibia, Africa/Windhoek Afrikaans Private School) shined as he also took three first place finishes and one second place finish.
 
Sophomore diver Thad Zuber (Lubbock, TX/Lubbock High School) took first place in the three meter dive at the Derby City Invite with a score of 252.95, and third place in the one meter dive with a score of 236.55.