Nov. 21, 2014
Day Two Results (PDF)
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Fighting Illini swimming and diving team was back in the pool Friday for the second day of the Missouri Invitational. Senior Alison Meng highlighted the day with her second school record in just as many days, this time in the 100 back. The Illini made seven more changes to the top 10 individuals list and have now set a total of 50 lifetime bests over the course of the meet.
The Orange and Blue are now in fourth-place with 315 points after two days of competition. Missouri still leads the way with 813 points followed by Florida International (414), Nebraska (350), the Illini, Drury University (297), West Virginia (257), New Mexico (162), Northern Colorado (66) and UNLV (24).
“We completed another strong day of competition,” head coach Sue Novitsky said. “I was very proud of how the team came back from the first day and continued to race tough all the way through the day.”
It didn’t take long for the Illini to start making more changes to the record book on day two. In the morning prelims, Meng broke her own school record in the 100 back. Her time of 53.92 just edged out her previous mark, set at last year’s Big Ten Championships, by two hundredths of a second.
Illinois started the finals session with a fifth-place finish in the 200 medley relay. Meng, freshman Samantha Stratford, junior Lori Lynn and freshman Gabrielle Bethke combined to record Illinois’ fourth-fastest time in the event in school history with a finish of 1:42.14.
Junior Stephanie Hein was the lone Illini in the 400 IM finals, finishing in 10th place with a personal-best time of 4:27.02. Stratford competed unattached in the prelims, setting an Illinois season-best time of 4:22.01.
In the 200 free Stecker led the way for the Orange and Blue, touching the wall in 1:49.28 for a third-place finish. Stecker’s performance moves her up to eighth on Illinois’ fastest individuals in the event. Sophomore Amelia Schilling improved on her time in the prelims with a seventh-place finish of 1:50.01.
Stratford took fifth-place for the Illini in the 100 breast, moving up to eighth on Illinois’ fastest individuals list with a time of 1:03.00. Junior Jennifer Coady finished in 13th with a new lifetime best time of 1:04.49.
In the finals of the 100 back, Meng placed fifth with a time of 54.59. Junior Sloane McDermott was the second finisher for the Illini, touching the wall in 57.67 for 16th place.
Stecker, Stratford, freshman Sascha Meyers and Schilling teamed up for the first 800 free relay of the season for the Orange and Blue. The relay team finished in third with a time of 7:22.49.
Olivia Kassouni was Illinois’ highest scorer in the one-meter dive (224.55). Raquel Corniuk, Emily Fung and Erika Murphy finished just below their fellow Illini with scores of 224.30, 222.65 and 217.50, respectively.
“The number of races that each athlete is swimming is a lot, but they are handling it well,” Novitsky said. “They are staying focused and getting prepared very well. We have one more day of competition and need to keep our keys to success in mind and stay calm and confident.”
The Illini begin the final day of competition tomorrow at 10 a.m. CT.
