CARBONDALE, Ill. - McKendree women's swimming and diving opened its season at Southern Illinois University this past weekend, falling to the Salukis 217-81. The Bearcats earned three first-place finishes, two second-place finishes, and five third-place finishes. Coming up, McKendree hosts a tri-meet this coming weekend at the McKendree Metro Rec Plex on Oct. 13-14.  

McKendree had three event wins as sophomore Ana Cecilia Carvalho won the 1000 freestyle with a time of 10:28.87. In addition to Carvalho, McKendree earned first in the 200 freestyle relay consisting of sophomore Gabriela Novais Lima, sophomore Karley Sonnenberg, senior Alexis Kachkin, and sophomore Jocelyn Zgola (1:36.60). Sonnenberg also swam to a victory in the 50 freestyle with a time of 24.35.  

The Bearcats claimed two runners-up for the day including Novais Lima in the 50 freestyle (24.41) and Carvalho in the 500 freestyle (5:02.67).  

One relay and four individuals placed third for the meet as the 200 medley relay team consisting of Kachkin, Novais Lima, freshman Helena Kurtz, and Sonnenberg started off the meet with a time of 1:47.09. Sonnenberg and Carvalho were on the leaderboards again later in the meet – Sonnenberg in the 100 freestyle (53.03) and Carvalho in the 200 butterfly (2:08.65). Zgola gave two third-place performances in the 200 freestyle (1:53.02) and the 500 freestyle (5:08.39).  

McKendree Results (1st–8th place)

200 Yard Medley Relay 
3rd – Kachkin, Novais Lima, Kurtz, Sonnenberg - 1.47.09 
5th – Keianna Moss, Chiara Fuerst, Aurora Abbruscato, Zgola - 1:48.77  
6th – Victoria Maki, Atzi Gomez, Rylee Sitton, Olivia Fuller – 1:51.16 

1000 Yard Freestyle 
1st – Carvalho – 10:28.87 
4th – Natalia Kralova – 10:50.82 

200 Yard Freestyle  
3rd – Zgola - 1:53.02 
5th – Kachkin 1:59.41 
7th – Terrah DeLorimiere 2:03.88 

100 Yard Backstroke  
4th – Maki - 1:00.67 
5th – Moss - 1:00.96 
6th – Caitlyn Sligh - 1:01.35 
7th – Logan Wilson - 1:01.82 

100 Yard Breaststroke 
5th – Fuerst - 1:07.78 
6th – Sitton - 1:08.77 
7th – Sarah Gormley - 1:08.95 
8th – Presley Heitzmann - 1:09.00 

200 Yard Butterfly  
3rd – Carvalho - 2:08.65 
4th – Gomez - 2:13.24 

50 Yard Freestyle 
1st – Sonnenberg - 24.35 
2nd – Novais Lima - 24.41 
7th – Kurtz - 25.24 
8th – McKenzie Fazio - 25.75 

1 Meter Diving  
4th – Andrea Menard Cordoba - 206.25 

100 Yard Freestyle 
3rd – Sonnenberg - 53.03 
4th – Kachkin - 53.52 
5th – Novais Lima - 53.76 
8th – Fazio - 55.46 

200 Yard Backstroke 
4th – Maki - 2:11.55 
5th – Kralova - 2:11.77 
8th – Gomez - 2:15.01 
9th – Caitlyn Sligh - 2:16.90 

200 Yard Breaststroke 
5th – Fuerst - 2:29.07 
6th – Sitton - 2:29.35 
7th – Wilson - 2:30.55 
8th – Heitzmann - 2:30.58 

500 Yard Freestyle 
2nd – Carvalho - 5:02.67 
3rd – Zgola - 5:08.39 
7th – DeLorimiere - 5:39.01 

100 Yard Butterfly  
4th – Kurtz - 57.58 
6th – Abbruscato - 1:00.13 

3 Meter Diving 
5th – Menard Cordoba - 208.65 

200 Yard Individual Medley  
5th – Wilson - 2:12.58 
6th – Gormley - 2:14.47 
7th – Sitton - 2:20.50 
8th – Heitzmann - 2:22.89 

200 Yard Freestyle Relay 
1st – Novais Lima, Sonnenberg, Kachkin, Zgola - 1:36.60 
4th – Kurtz, Fuller, Fazio, Abbruscato - 1:38.74 
6th – Maki, Kralova, Carvalho, Ellie Lawrence - 1:41.73 

Team Results  
SIU - 217 
McK - 81