Eastern Illinois
As the second day at the House of Champions came to an end, the Eastern Illinois men’s & women’s swimming teams had themselves a competitive day as several relay teams and individuals found themselves earning points for the Panthers with their final results. The men currently stand with a team total of 293 points, while the women have earned 224 points.
The men’s 200-yard medley relay squad of Steve Fishman, Brandon Robbins, Stephen Truchon, and Shane Witzki got things rolling as they earned an eighth place finish with a time of 1:34.67. Robbins, along with Nicholas Harkins, Leo Garofalo, and Alex Laleian found themselves with the 11th best time in the 800-yard freestyle relay as they posted a time of 7:14.26. Bryan McPherson, Patrick Stingle, Dylan Ferguson, and Kyle Ruckert earned points for the Panthers with their 16th place finish at 7:37.54 in the 800-yard freestyle relay.
As three Panthers posted times in the finals in the 400-yard IM, Laleian finished as the top Panther in 20th place at 4:17.37. Harkins earned a 20th place finish at 4:23.18, and Ferguson in 24th with a time of 4:37.76 were the other two members who raced in the 400-yard IM. Jennings Soccorso swam in the 200-yard freestyle where he earned a 23rd place finish with a time of 1:49.62. Matt Jacobs rounded out the list for the men, with his time of 58.81 and 12th place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke.
The EIU women’s 200-yard medley relay team of Martee Grainger, Kelsey Ferguson, Niki Beringer, and Caitlin Danforth got things started with their 18th place finish at 1:56.13. Grainger and Danforth teamed up with Paige Eavenson and Lauren Oostman in the 800-yard freestyle relay to earn 12th place honors posting a time of 8:15.02. Carolyn Belford, Beth Houghton, Jessie Freudenthaler, and Beringer would finish not far behind in the 800-yard freestyle relay as their time of 8:44.17 was good enough for 15th place honors.
Ferguson posted the top individual mark for the Panthers as her time of 4:43.61 in the 400-yard IM was sixth best in the meet. Eavenson and Houghton also swam in the 400-yard IM. Eavenson finished in 10th place at 4:49.77, while Houghton was in 16th place with a time of 5:01.93. Kaylee Morris took home a time of 1:01.19 in the 100-yard butterfly which was good enough for 21st place. Joann Wakefield completed the list of individual finishes for the Panthers as she earned the 13th best time in the 100-yard breaststroke at 1:08.67.
The Panthers will compete tomorrow for the third and final day at the House of Champions.
