Illinois Swim and Dive Heads Out to California for Two Duals

Meets:	Pepperdine and UCLA Duals
When:	Thursday, Oct. 26 // Friday, Oct. 27
Times (CT):	6 p.m. // 5 p.m.
Where:	Malibu, Calif. // Westwood, Calif.
Watch:	ESPN+ (Pepperdine dual only)
Social Media:	Twitter \| Instagram \| Facebook \| YouTube

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois swim and dive team is set to travel out to California for two dual meets: first on Thursday against Pepperdine in Malibu and Friday against UCLA in Westwood. The dual against Pepperdine will begin at 6 p.m. CT, and the Fighting Illini's showdown with UCLA will begin at 5 p.m. CT. Head coach Jeana Kempe returns to her alma mater, UCLA, for the first time as an opposing coach. The Pepperdine dual can be streamed on ESPN+.

Junior Sydney Stoll leads the Illini into California after winning three races (100, 200 backstroke and 200 IM) in their season opener against Kansas. Sophomore newcomer Adelaide Reaser also made a splash in her Illini debut, winning the 500 freestyle (5:05.66) and the 1000 freestyle (10:21.48).

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS

Pepperdine comes into the meet with an 0-1 dual record. The Waves began their season on Oct. 5 with a dual against San Diego State, during which they were defeated, 101-47. They followed it up a week later by dominating the Rodionoff Invite to win their first tournament-style meet of the year. Last season, they finished 4-7 overall and won the Pacific Collegiate Swim Conference (PCSC) Championships for the second straight year.

UCLA boasts a flawless 2-0 record and a dominant win at their season-opening tournament, the Fresno State Invite, on Oct. 6-7. They followed that up a week later with a road win over Washington State, 153-109, before picking up a win at their home opener against UC Santa Barbara, 159-95. Last year, they went 6-3 overall and finished fourth at the Pac-12 championships.

Schedule