McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University men's and women's swimming and diving teams concluded the three-day 2022 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Championships Saturday, Feb. 19 in Pleasant Prairie, Wis.

 

The women's team placed second overall with a total of 709 points, just 20 points shy from first place, earned by Augustana College (729) as Carthage College (590) rounded out the top three.

 

The men's team placed fourth with a total of 501 points. Carthage College (813.5) finished in first as Wheaton College (807), and Augustana (661.5) placed second and third, respectively.

 

In her final CCIW Championship senior Ellen Gilbert (Northbrook, Ill.-Glenbrook North) headlined a haul of awards for the Titans. Gilbert was named the CCIW's Most Outstanding Swimmer on the women's side, while she also took home the Elite 25 Award - an honor given to the student-athlete with the highest grade point average competing at the championship. Sophomore Ethan Lowder (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) claimed the Elite 25 honor on the men's side.

 

IWU swept Rookie of the Meet honors, as Lane Wagner (Danville, Ill.-Danville) garnered the distinction on the men's side and freshman Hadley Fudge (Stanford, Ill.-University) notched it on the women's side. Additionally, Shannon Pinto (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) and Anna Keebler (Verona, Wis.-Middleton) were named Illinois Wesleyan's RESPECT award recipients.

 

After the final day of competition the Green and White earned seven first-place finishes, led by McCauley who earned two individual titles. Gilbert, Wagner, Lauren Feddersen (Champaign, Ill.-Centennial), and Fudge each claimed one event championship. The Titans also took home a relay, as Gilbert, Fudge, Emily Marks (Cary, Ill.-Cary Grove Community), and Megan Wong (Gurnee, Ill.-Warren Township) won the 400 yard freestyle relay.

 

Senior Mason McCauley (Deerfield, Ill.-Deerfield) dominated in the 1650 yard freestyle event. After swimming the fastest time in the preliminary round, the senior swam a record-breaking time of 15:52.58 to blow past the previous school record, set by McCauley himself (15.59.74). McCauley's top-time earned him his fourth straight CCIW Championship title in the one-mile race.

 

He was not done yet as McCauley paved the way in the 200 yard butterfly. The senior finished the race with a season-best time of 1:53.18, earning his third individual distinction in this competition and fourth overall. Wagner and freshman Alex Kula (Pekin, Ill.-Pekin Community) qualified for the A final as well. Wagner was not far behind McCauley, registering a second-place finish with a career-best time of 1:53.61. Kula finished eighth overall with a time of 1:58.73.

 

For the women, Gilbert did what she does best in the 200 yard butterfly. The senior touched in a first-place and season-best time of 2:03.08, securing her spot in the NCAA Tournament. Gilbert has now won the 200 yard butterfly CCIW Championship every year she has worn the Green and White.  

 

Sophomore Henry Moore (Champaign, Ill.-Centennial) placed fourth in the 1650 yard freestyle with a career-best time of 16:51.75. Similar to Moore, freshman Alexa Starkey (Normal, Ill.-Normal West) grabbed a fourth-place finish on the women's side with a season-best time of 18:24.46. Senior Amanda Smith (Chaska, Minn.-Chaska) and junior Donna Kurek (Roselle, Ill.-Lake Park) finished seventh and eighth, respectively.

 

After touching in a fourth-place time in the preliminary round, Wagner finished first overall to claim his second CCIW Championship title in the 200 yard backstroke. The sophomore touched in a career-best time of 1:53.52.

 

On the women's side in the 200 yard backstroke, three different Titans qualified for the A final. Led by Fudge, who was named the CCIW Champion with a career-best time of 2:05.97. Sophomore Natalie Wajda (Park Ridge, Ill.-Maine South) was right behind for a second-place finish, touching in a season-best time of 2:06.25. Fellow sophomore Jackie Rae Kelch (Peoria, Ill.-Notre Dame), finished just outside the top-three for an overall fourth-place ranking after recording a career-best time of 2:08.56.

 

In the 100 yard freestyle, Lowder produced a career-best time in the preliminary round of 46.45, just out of reach to break the school record of 46.01. In the A final, Lowder touched in fourth with a time of 46.48.

 

Marks and Murray represented the Green and White in the 100 yard freestyle A final, where they placed fifth and eighth, respectively.

 

Winning her second individual CCIW Championship title this season,Feddersen clocked in a season-best time of 2:23.06 in the 200 yard breaststroke. Kaminska touched in third with a career-best time of 2:27.46.

 

In his first CCIW Championship debut sophomore Donald Tichy (Chicago, Ill.-Chicago HS for Agricultural Science) qualified for the A final in the 200 yard breaststroke where he produced a fifth-place finish, recording a career-best time of 2:15.39.

 

A total of 14 Titans were recognized as All-CCIW following the conclusion of the meet. The honor recognizes those who placed in the top-three of an individual event or were a member of a first-place relay team over the course of the three-day competition. Reeling in All-CCIW honors for Illinois Wesleyan were: seniors Mason McCauley, Ellen Gilbert, and Megan Wong, junior Lauren Feddersen, sophomores Lane Wagner, Ethan Lowder, Jake Kalenowski, Jack Troyer, Hannah Murray, and Natalie Wajda, and freshmen Hadley Fudge, Emily Marks, Jade Kaminska, and Alex Kula.