Oct. 3, 2014

Orange and Blue Final Results | Coach Novitsky Interview

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Illini swimming and diving team kicked off the 2014-15 season with its annual Orange and Blue exhibition Friday at the ARC Pool. The Orange Team defeated the Blue Team, 125-97, reclaiming bragging rights after the previous year's defeat. The Illini set four meet records on the day.

"We set a number of meet records and I saw a lot of competitive races," head coach Sue Novitsky said. "They were fighting for it all the way through the meet and that's what I love."

The Orange Team claimed nine of the 12 events, setting four meet records. In the first event of the evening senior Alison Meng, freshman Ashley Aegerter, junior Sarah Sykstus and senior Sabrinne Gibson got the Orange team off to a flying start, setting a new meet record in the 200 medley relay (1:47.32).

Freshman Samantha Stratford broke the 200 IM meet record with a finish of 2:05.14. Stratford won her second individual event of the night in the 100 free (52.68). The Orange Team's success continued as Meng set a new meet record in the 100 back (56.01).

Other first-place finishers for the Orange Team were senior Megan Marchuk in the 200 free (1:54.09), Gibson in the 50 free (24.91), Sykstus in the 100 fly (59.17) and junior Hollie Smith in the 100 breast (1:07.98).

The Orange Team's night was finished off in style as Meng, Stratford, Gibson and Marchuk teamed up to set the 200 free relay (1:36.84) meet record.

The Blue Team took three events of its own on the night. Sophomore Olivia Kassouni took first-place in the three-meter dive (238.90) to claim the Blue Team's first victory. Senior Erika Murphy completed the diving event sweep with a first-place finish in the one-meter dive (220.25). In the 500 free, sophomore Gabbie Stecker finished in first with a time of 5:01.12.

"This is definitely going to help us put together a lineup going into Northwestern," Novitsky said. "Northwestern has a great, strong team. We're going to have to be smart with our lineup and our girls are going to have to have that same mentality of being calm, strong and competitive."

The Illini will open their regular season against Northwestern on Friday, Oct. 17, 2014 in Evanston.