O'FALLON, Ill. - The McKendree University Women's Swimming and Diving Team opened up its home dual meet schedule at the McKendree Metro Rec Plex Friday afternoon by picking up an impressive 165-119 win over 20th-ranked Truman State and falling 155-138 to Division I Saint Louis University. The 17 point margin against SLU was the closest ever for the Bearcats against the Billikins.
McKendree, who is ranked 24th in the preseason CSCAA Coaches Poll, won six of the 16 events held on Friday, including sweeping placing first and second overall in both the 1 and 3-meter diving competition.
The big winner on Friday was freshman
Karley Sonnenberg (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) as she recorded three event wins as she took home first place in the 50 freestyle (24.04) and the 100 freestyle with a 'B' qualifying time of 52.09 and was the lead leg on McKendree's winning 400 freestyle relay that swam a time of 3:33.68.
In addition to Sonnenberg's three event wins, sophomore
Regan Gubera (Jamestown, Ind./Western Boone) and junior
Andrea Menard-Cordoba (Montreal, Quebec/College of St. Ann) went 1-2 in both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events. In the 1-meter diving event, Gubera posted a score of 242.54 to finish first, while Menard-Cordoba was second with a score of 190.88, while in the 3-meter diving event, Gubera was first with a score of 251.02 and Menard-Cordoba tallied 200.55 to place second.
Graduate student
Molly Smalley (Windhoek, Namibia/Plymouth College) earned her first-ever individual event win as a Bearcat as she posted a time of 2:11.55 to win the 200 IM.
McKendree's other event win on Friday came in the final event as they took home first place in the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 3:33.68. The members of the winning relay team were Sonnenberg, senior
Haley Rey (Columbia, Ill./Columbia), freshman
Sarah Gromley (Las Cruces, N.M./Las Cruces) and freshman
Aurora Abbruscato (Reggio Emila, Italy/I.I.S. Blaise Pascal).
In Friday's other relay event, the Bearcats just missed a first place finish as they posted a time of 3:58.35 to finish second in the 400 medley relay. SLU won the race in a time of 3:57.13. The members of the medley relay team were freshman
Caitlyn Sligh (Tomball, Texas/Tomball Memorial), junior
Grace Credit (La Grange Highlands, Ill./Lyons Township), Abbruscato and Sonnenberg.
The Bearcats will return to the pool on Saturday, Oct. 23 as they host 16th-ranked Delta State in a dual meet beginning at 11 a.m. The Bearcat men will host both Detla State and Missouri S&T on Saturday.
Here are the individual results from the Saint Louis-Truman State double dual meet
400 Medley Relay
2. McKendree 'A' – 3:58.35 – Sligh, Credit, Abbruscato, Sonnenberg
5. McKendree 'B' – 4:08.61 -
Vanda Voroshazy,
Presley Heitzmann, Rey,
Alexis Kachkin
1,000 Freestyle
4.
Hallie Dixon, 10:54.30
6.
Ana Radulovic, 11:03.37
200 Freestyle
6. Smalley, 1:59.10
8.
Hope Euler, 2:02.95
11. Kachkin, 2:04.17
100 Backstroke
3. Abby Rumpp, 1:00.76
7. Sligh, 1:01.42
100 Breaststoke
2. Drabick, 1:07.84
3. Credit, 1:08.15
4. Heitzmann, 1:9.53
200 Butterfly
4. Voroshazy, 2:13.29
50 Freestyle
1. Sonnenberg, 24.04
3. Abbruscato, 24.84
5. Gromley, 25.19
13. Cam Anderson, 26.50
1-Meter Diving
1. Gubera, 242.54
2. Menard-Cordoba, 162.37
100 Freestyle
1. Sonnenberg, 52.09 ('B' Time)
6. Gromley, 54.55
7. Rey, 54.59
10. Rumpp, 55.46
11. Kachkin, 55.50
200 Backstroke
5. Radulovic, 2:11.88
8. Sligh, 2:13.71
200 Breaststroke
2. Heitzmann, 2:28.13
4. Drabick, 2:29.11
5. Credit, 2:30.01
500 Freestyle
5. Dixon, 5:19.33
6. Smalley, 5:22.13
11. Euler, 5:32.27
100 Butterfly
2. Abbruscato, 58.45
7. Rumpp, 1:00.70
8. Rey, 1:00.76
3-Meter Diving
1. Gubera, 251.02
2. Menard-Cordoba, 200.55
200 IM
1. Smalley, 2:11.55
5. Dixon, 2:13.58
6. Voroshazy, 2:14.17
8. Heitzmann, 2:18.12
400 Freestyle Relay
1. McKendree 'A' – 3:33.68 – Sonnenberg, Rey, Gromley, Abbruscato
4. McKendree 'B' - 3:42.01 - Kachkin, Drabick, Rumpp, Radulovic
