BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Fighting Illini swimming and diving team had a number of strong performances on day two of the Big Ten Championships, as Illinois secured 11 lifetime-best times and came away with the third-fastest 400 medley relay in program history. The Orange and Blue will be back in the pool tomorrow, beginning with prelims at 10 a.m. CT.
"Today we kept seeing improvements through all the events and we got stronger as the morning went on. On the day we had 11 lifetime bests and 75% season bests. Ling had a great day on one meter, she kept her composure and fought through the six rounds to final. We talked about staying focused on ourselves and realizing the strength and courage that this group possesses."
The Illini kicked off Thursday's action with the 500 freestyle prelims and freshman Abigail Cabush led the way with a personal-best 4:56.15 to place 46th overall. Next up was the 200 individual medley and Jimena Martinez and Fiona McDermott secured the top spots for the Illini, placing 52nd and 60th with times of 2:04.69 and 2:06.45, respectively.
One of the highlights of the day came in the 50 freestyle, as junior Kristin Anderson clocked a personal-best 23.34 to become the seventh-fastest Illini individual in the event. Sophomore Emma Curtis wasn't far behind, touching the wall in a time of 23.36, which ties her with former Illini Audrey Rodawig as the eighth-fastest individual in Illinois history. Aby Olson, Emily Bolger and Kaylee Heimes also secured personal bests in the event.
The 400 medley relay team of Olson, Serniute, Vuong and Anderson wrapped up the night with the third-fastest time in program history (3:42.01). Olson's leadoff 100 backstroke of 54.76 is the tenth-fastest performance all time and makes Olson Illinois' second-fastest individual in the event.
Both Ling Kuhn and Taylor Shegos competed in one-meter diving on Thursday. Kuhn added to her impressive Illini career, placing 13th in prelims with a six-dive total of 281.25. Kuhn then finished 8th overall in the consolation finals with a score of 278.65. Shegos placed 34th overall with a 242.40 total.
Friday, Feb. 22 (Preliminaries at 10 a.m., Finals at 5:30 p.m.)
100-yard Butterfly
400-yard Individual Medley
200-yard Freestyle
100-yard Breaststroke
100-yard Backstroke
Three-Meter Diving (12 p.m.)
200-yard Freestyle Relay
Saturday, Feb. 23 (Preliminaries at 10 a.m., Finals at 5:30 p.m.)
200-yard Backstroke
100-yard Freestyle
200-yard Breaststroke
200-yard Butterfly
Platform Diving (12 p.m.)
1,650-yard Freestyle (3:15 p.m.)
400-yard Freestyle Relay
Scoring Format
A Final Scoring: 32-28-27-26-25-24-23-22
B Final Scoring: 20-17-16-15-14-13-12-11
C Final Scoring: 9-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Relay Scoring: 64-56-54-52-50-48-46-44-40-34-32-30-28
Note: Only A & B finals (championship & consolation) will be contested in the diving events.
Watch the Championships
The Big Ten Championships will be streamed live via BTN Plus on BTN2Go. Complimentary access to BTN2Go is available to viewers connected to the internet network of a Big Ten university. Fans elsewhere can sign up for the pay-per-view webcasts.
Follow the Illini
Stay tuned to FIGHTINGILLINI.com for all the latest information on Fighting Illini Swimming and Diving. Follow the Orange and Blue on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for even more coverage.
500 Freestyle
46. Abigail Cabush - 4:56.15 (personal best)
64. Abigail Martin - 5:03.26
66. Emily Martin - 5:03.59
67. Monica Guyett - 5:04.13
71. Sidney Kennedy - 5:08.29
200 Individual Medley
52. Jimena Martinez - 2:04.69
60. Fiona McDermott - 2:06.45
63. Sarah Cano - 2:07.52
65. Tiffany Qiao - 2:08.00
67. Kathryn Sanders - 2:09.87
69. Natalie Edwards - 2:11.14
50 Freestyle
44. Kristin Anderson - 23.34 (personal best, now 7th-fastest ind.)
46. Emma Curtis - 23.36 (Illini career best, tied for 8th-fastest ind.)
48. Gabriele Serniute - 23.41
65. Megan Vuong - 23.83
77. Aby Olson - 24.08 (personal best)
80. Gabrielle Loeck - 24.13
87. Emily Bolger - 24.41 (personal best)
95. Kaylee Heimes - 24.77 (personal best)
97. Molly Hein - 25.28
400 Medley Relay
12. Aby Olson, Gabriele Serniute, - 3:42.01 (3rd-fastest in school history)
Megan Vuong, Kristin Anderson
