EVANSVILLE, Ind. - McKendree University women's swimming and diving wrapped up the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships on Saturday, taking third overall for the second consecutive year. The Bearcats took home one conference title and finished with three runners-up, three third-place finishes, 17 top-eight performances and two school records.
Friday's competition was highlighted by a third-place finish in the 200 freestyle relay by sophomore Gabriela Novais Lima, junior Karley Sonnenberg, sophomore Jocelyn Zgola, and senior Alexis Kachkin with a NCAA provisional time of 1:32.51. Taking 12th in the event was the McKendree team of juniors Olivia Fuller, Aurora Abbruscato, and McKenzie Fazio along with freshman Helena Kurtz.
In the 500 freestyle, two Bearcats finished in the top eight including sophomore Ana Cecilia Carvalho with a time of 4:59.97 and Zgola who swam a 5:04.27, both NCAA 'B' times. Sophomore Natalia Kralova finished eighth in the B final and 16th overall.
The 100 backstroke featured Kurtz and Fazio who took ninth and tenth respectively along with freshman Victoria Maki finishing 13th.
Four Bearcats raced the 100 breaststroke as Novais Lima was eighth with a time of 1:04.58. Junior Presley Heitzmann was 13th, freshman Chiara Fuerst was 15th, and sophomore Rylee Sitton finished 16th for McKendree.
Freshman Atzi Gomez was the lone Bearcat in the 200 butterfly finals, finishing 10th with a time of 2:09.31.
Saturday was the final day of the conference competition and a historical day for McKendree women's diving as fifth-year senior Andrea Menard Cordoba secured the title in 1 meter diving with a score of 453.15, a McKendree school record and the first diving conference title in program history. Menard Cordoba was named the GLVC Co-Diver of the Year along with Alexis Lumaj of Indianapolis.
In the 400 freestyle, Zgola, Sonnenberg, Novais Lima and Kachkin swam a NCAA provisional time of 3:23.86 for second place. In 13th was the team of Fazio, Kralova, Fuller, and Abbruscato.
In the 1650 freestyle, Carvalho secured fourth place with an NCAA 'B' time of 16:58.07 followed by Kralova in ninth and sophomore Terrah DeLorimiere in 21st.
Kachkin was seventh in the 100 freestyle with a time of 51.15 while Zgola swam a 51.87 for ninth place, both of which were NCAA 'B' times. Novais Lima finished 12th, Sonnenberg touched 16th, and Fazio was 24th overall.
Maki and Gomez represented McKendree in the 200 backstroke, finishing 11th and 18th respectively. Heitzmann, Sitton, and Fuerst finished 14th, 15th and 17th in the 200 breaststroke to round out the individual performances for the conference meet.
Below are team results and the complete list of women's major GLVC awards.
FINAL TEAM RESULTS
1. Drury – 1867 points
2. Indianapolis – 1792 points
3. McKendree – 1125 points
4. Lewis – 945 points
5. Missouri-St. Louis – 865 points
6. Truman State – 744 points
7. William Jewell – 559 points
8. Rockhurst – 434 points
9. Quincy – 280 points
10. Maryville – 171 points
Swimmer of the Year: Mellie Wijk, Drury
Co-Divers of the Year: Alexis Lumaj, Indianapolis and Andrea Menard-Cordoba
Freshman of the Year: Justice Beard, Missouri-St. Louis
Coach of the Year: Tony Hernandez, Missouri-St. Louis
James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Individuals:
Josie Bushell, DU
Stefanie Markwardt, UINDY
Lanie Patterson, LEWIS
Olivia Kindle, MU
Jocelyn Zgola, MCK
Averi Meade, UMSL
Megan Schill, QU
Danielle Horst, RU
Ella Thompson, TSU
Amelia Millhuff, WJC
