The Fighting Illini swimmers captured two third-place finishes, four lifetime bests and two season bests in the first day of action at the Minnesota Challenge Friday night.
"I think it was a solid start to the meet," head coach Sue Novitsky said. "The relay team executed pretty well and was able to finish strong. There are still areas that we can keep trying to execute a little sharper to keep the swims flowing. It is terrific to see them working to take steps to keep improving. Now we have to recover and come back tomorrow for another tough day of competition."
In the 500 free, junior Michelle Mehnert finished third with a personal-best time of 5:06.21, while senior Sara Stoneburg placed fifth with a personal-best time of 5:10.28, before securing a season-best time (24.86) in the 50 free. Also posting a top-five finish for the Orange and Blue was freshman Alyssa Toland, who captured third place in the 200 IM with a season-best time of 2:07.36.
Senior Lauren Frendreis also added a season-best time (24.73) in the 50 free, while freshman Emma Williams posted a season-best time (2:11.06) in the 200 IM. In the 200 free relay, the team of Frendreis, Stoneburg, Toland and Williams placed fifth with a time of 1:38.20.