(O'FALLON, Ill., Jan. 25) – The McKendree University swimming and diving program had a very special day on Saturday afternoon as they honored its very first four-year senior class in program history. On the day, both men's and women's team combined to go 4-0 for the second day in a row.
Zach Breeding (Midland, TX/Midland High School),
Meredith Geyer (Germantown, TN/Germantown High School),
Magdalena Knapp (Bolzano, Italy/Gymnasium Walther von der Vogelweide Bozen),
Matthew Meals (McKinney, TX/McKinney Boyd High School),
Cole Morgan (George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands/Cayman International School),
Gilson Nyirimana (Kigali, Kicukiro, Rwanda/Green Hills Academy),
Matija Pucarevic (Belgrade, Serbia/Sixth Belgrade Grammar School),
Sydney Rey (Columbia, IL/Columbia High School), Kyle Shahanian,
Luca Simonetti (Sassari, Italy/Liceo Scientifico Gulielmo Marconi Sassari), and
Milica Sostarec (Subotica, Serbia/Medical High School) each competed in their last home meet as members of the McKendree Bearcats.
To start off the meet, the 200 medley relay team of freshmen
Davante Carey (Nassau, Bahamas/Queens College),
John Heaphy (Eagle River, AK/Eagle River High School), sophomore
Gregg Lichinsky (West Des Moines, IA/West Des Moines Valley High School), and junior
Alexander Skinner (Namibia, Africa/Windhoek Afrikaans Private School) won with a time of 1:29.89.
Freshman
Fabio Dalu (Cagliari, Italy/Liceo L.B. Alberti Cagliari) continued his dominance in distance freestyle, posting a winning time of 4:34.38 in the 500 freestyle.
Senior
Milica Sostarec (Subotica, Serbia/Medical High School) posted a win in the 50 freestyle with a time of 24.10. Skinner also followed up with a win, touching the wall in 20.59.
In the 200 backstroke, senior
Meredith Geyer (Germantown, TN/Germantown High School) won with a time of 2:04.98. Carey followed suit with a win, completing the event in 1:53.00.
Heaphy won his second event of the day in the 100 breaststroke, finishing with a 56.70.
In her second win of the day, Geyer finished with a time of 1:58.43 in the 200 freestyle. Senior
Luca Simonetti (Sassari, Italy/Liceo Scientifico Gulielmo Marconi Sassari) also won the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:39.88.
Junior
Molly Smalley (Windhoek, Namibia/Plymouth College) won the 200 IM with a time of 2:15.79.
Sophomore
Gregg Lichinsky (West Des Moines, IA/West Des Moines Valley High School) posted a time of 49.47 to win the 100 butterfly.
Both teams won the 400 freestyle relay. The women's team of Sostarec, S. Rey, freshman
Grace Credit (La Grange Highlands, IL/Lyons Township High School), and sophomore
Haley Rey (Columbia, IL/Columbia High School) posted a time of 3:38.26. The men's team of Pucarevic, Simonetti, freshman
Caleb Law (Anchorage, AK/Robert Service High School), and Skinner won with a time of 3:03.70.
In three-meter diving,
Lilia de Oliveira Pelaez (Ile Perrot, Quebec, Canada/Beaconsfield High School) scored 222.00 points and junior
Caitlyn Canadi (South Lyon, MI/South Lyon High School) posted 226.50 points. Sophomore
Ethan Larson (Anchorage, AK/Paideia High School) totaled 326.60 and sophomore
Xavier Flores (Fresno, CA/Clovis West High School) scored 291.75.
Next up for the Bearcats is the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Championships, beginning on Feb. 12 in Crawfordsville, Ind.
