CARBONDALE, Ill. – The McKendree University women's swimming team began its 2021-22 dual meet schedule here Friday afternoon by falling 239-60 to NCAA Division I Southern Illinois University-Carbondale at the Shea Natatorium.
 
In Friday's meet, the Bearcats won one event as senior Lilia de Oliveira Pelaez (Ile Perrot, Quebec/New Mexico State) took home first place in 3-meter diving as she totaled 242.18, while four different Bearcats finished in the Top 3 of their events, including freshman Karley Sonnenberg (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) placing second in the 50 freestyle and third in the 100 freestyle.
 
Besides Sonnenberg, the other Bearcats that finished third in their events were senior Hallie Dixon (Jeffersonville, Ind./Jeffersonville), sophomore Vanda Voroshazy (Herceghalom, Hungary/Saint Joseph) and freshman Aurora Abbruscato (Reggio, Italy/I.I.S. Blaise Pascal).
 
McKendree opened the dual meet against the Salukis by finishing fourth and fifth in the 200 medley relay as the 'A' Team recorded time of 1:49.61 and the 'B' Team went 1:52.08. The members of the 'A' Team were senior Abigail Rumpp (Knoxville, Tenn./L&N STEM Academy), junior Grace Credit (La Grange Highlands, Ill./Lyons Township), Voroshazy and Sonnenberg, while the members of the 'B' Team were freshman Caitlyn Sligh (Tomball, Texas/Tomball Memorial), freshman Presley Heitzmann (Magnolia, Texas/Magnolia), senior Haley Rey (Columbia, Ill./Columbia) and Abbruscato.
 
Dixon and freshman Ana Radulovic (Belgrade, Serbia/Sportska Gimnazija) went third and fourth in the 1,000 freestyle with times of 10:48.37 and 11:10.20 respectively.
 
Graduate student Molly Smalley (Windhoek, Namibia/Plymouth College) posted a fifth place finish in the 200 freestyle in the next event as she recorded a time of 2:02.00, while Sligh and Rumpp went fifth and sixth in the 100 backstroke with times of 1:01.02 and 1:01.32 respectively.
 
Credit and Heitzmann each scored in the 100 breaststoke as they went sixth (1:08.50) and eighth (1:09.32) in the event.
 
Voroshazy then earned her third place finish in the 200 butterfly with a time of 2:13.79.
 
Sonnenberg followed with her runner-up finish in the 50 freestyle as she posted a time of 24.01 and was edged by nine-hundredths of a second as SIU-C's Sierra Forbord won the event with a time of 23.92.
 
Along with winning the 3-meter diving event, de Oliveria Pelaez was third in 1-meter diving with a score of 236.85, while sophomore Regan Gubera (Jamestown, Ind./Western Boone) was sixth in both 1-meter (197.03) and  3-meter diving (169.50).
 
Sonnenberg was third in the 100 freestyle with a time of 53.72, while Radulovic and Sligh were seventh and ninth in the 200 backstoke with times of 2:13.63 and 2:15.89 respectively.
 
Heitzmann and Credit went sixth and seventh in the 200 breaststroke with times of 2:28.78 and 2:32.87.
 
In the next event, Dixon and Smalley were fourth and sixth in the 500 freestyle with times of 5:18.96 and 5:30.61.
 
Abbruscato and Voroshazy went third and fifth overall in the 100 butterfly with times of 58.82 and 1:00.35 respectively.
 
Smalley (2:12.47), Radulovic (2:16.55) and Heitzmann (2:17.50) were fourth, ninth and 10th in the 200 IM.
 
The final event of the day was the 400 freestyle relay as the Bearcats went fourth and fifth respectively. The 'A' relay team of Rumpp, Sonnenberg, Abbruscato and sophomore Alexis Kachkin (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) posted a time of 3:38.40 and the 'B' Team of Reym Dixon, junior Emily Drabick (Barto, Pa./Florida Southern) and freshman Sarah Gromley (Las Cruces, N.M./Las Cruces) swam a time of 3:47.22.
 
McKendree will return to the pool next Saturday, Oct. 16 as they travel to the St. Peters, Mo., Rec Plex to compete in a tri-meet hosted by Lindenwood University. At the meet, the Bearcats will face both Lindenwood and Drury University.