McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University men's and women's swimming and diving teams are set to compete in the 2025 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Championships. The event will take place from February 19-22 at the Pleasant Prairie RecPlex in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, with Carthage College hosting.

The competition will span four days, beginning with a diving-only session on Wednesday evening. From Thursday to Saturday, preliminary rounds start at 10:30 a.m., followed by finals at 6 p.m. The CCIW will announce various awards, including All-CCIW selections and team honors, at the conclusion of the meet on Saturday.

Junior Natalie Porter from Danville leads the conference in the 1650-yard freestyle this season and ranks third in the 500-yard freestyle. Junior Kayleigh Kuschewski from Batavia is seventh in both the 200-yard breaststroke and backstroke events. Sophomore Sam Borre from Hoffman Estates holds eighth place in the 200-yard backstroke.

Porter aims to defend her title in the 1650-year freestyle, while Borre and Kuschewski seek to replicate their All-CCIW performances from last year. Last season's Titan relay team, which included Kuschewski and senior Emily Marks along with now-graduates Jackie Rae Kelch and Lauren Feddersen, won the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:46.78.

On the men's side, senior Carter Dilger was part of a record-breaking 200-yard medley relay team that included Sam Fogarty, Ethan Lowder, and Donald Tichy. They set a new school record with a time of 1:33.94.

Eight Titans were named All-CCIW after last year's meet for placing in individual top-three positions or being part of first-place relay teams during the competition. Both IWU swim and dive teams finished fourth at last year's championships.

A live stream will be available on CCIW's official YouTube account, while live results can be accessed via the CCIW Championship event website. Results will also be posted daily on iwusports.com.