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ILLINOIS vs KANSAS (WOMEN’S DUAL)
- Thursday, October 10, 2024
- ARC Pool, Champaign, IL
- SCY (Yards)
- RESULTS
TEAM SCORES
- Illinois – 191
- Kansas – 109
Illinois hosted Kansas for both team’s first dual meet of the 2024-25 season on Thursday at the ARC pool in Champaign. The Illini downed the Jayhawks in a 191-109 decision. That final score was a complete departure from last year when these teams met. Illinois and Kansas opened their seasons against each other last year as well, meeting on October 14th. Last year, Kansas beat Illinois 169-131.
Illinois set the tone early, going 1-2 in the 200 medley relay. The Illini ‘B’ team won the day, seeing Sophia Paduano (26.49), Chloe Diner (28.50), Sydney Stoll (25.00), and Isabella Wilhelm (23.38) combine for a 1:43.37. Their ‘A’ team was right behind, as Suvana Baskar (26.92), Kayla Duran (28.59), Logan Kuehne (24.39), and Laurel Bludgen (23.58) finished in 1:43.48. It’s worth noting that 4 members of those 2 medley relays, Paduano, Diner, Wilhelm, and Duran, are freshmen.
Those freshmen would go on to account for 3 individual event wins as well. Diner picked up wins in the 500 free and 200 IM. She clocked a 5:02.26 in the 500, which was off her career best of 4:53.88, but comes in well ahead of where she was at in October of last year (5:07.04). Diner then took the 200 IM in 2:03.08, about 4 seconds off her career best of 1:59.02. She was particularly great in fly and breast on Thursday, where she split 26.90 and 34.47 respectively. Her back split was 32.36 and she came home in 29.35 on freestyle.
Duran was the other Illinois freshman to win an event, taking the 100 breast in 1:03.12. It was a solid performance for Duran, whose personal best is 1:01.51. She won the race by over a second. Duran went on to take 3rd in the 200 breast in 2:21.30.
The Illini swept the breaststroke events on Thursday, as Sara Jass won the 200 breast in 2:19.03, which matches, almost to the hundredth, the 2:19.01 she swam in their dual against Kansas on October 14th of last year. Jass holds a career best of 2:13.12.
Sophomore Liv Dorshorst won the 1000 free in 10:22.09, leading a 1-2-3 charge by the Illini. Dorshorst is the Illinois program record holder in the 1000 with her career best of 9:56.73, which she swam in January of 2023. She missed last season due to injury.
Behind Dorshorst, Adelaide Reaser took 2nd in 10:23.89, while Taylor Judas came in 3rd with a 10:29.24.
Another Illinois win came in the 100 free, where Fifth Year Laurel Bludgen touched 1st in 52.54. Wilhelm was right behind her in 52.84 for 2nd.
The Illini went 1-2 in the 200 back as Kalina Nikolaeva clocked a 2:03.68 to lead the way. Paduano came in 2nd with a 2:04.33.
Illinois also swept the fly events, seeing Sydney Stoll take the 100 fly in 55.89, while Alexis Wendel clocked a 2:08.16 to win the 200 fly.
Illinois capped off their meet with a win in the 400 free relay, making it a sweep of the relays on the day. Stoll (52.79), Paduano (52.43), Bludgen (52.44), and Wilhelm (52.12) combined for a 3:29.78. Of note, Maggie Adler split 51.96 on the 2nd leg of Illinois’ ‘B’ relay, which was actually their fastest split in the event.
Kansas was dominant in diving, seeing Shiyun Lai win both 1-meter (302.93) and 3-meter (327.83). The Jayhawks also saw Lize Van Leeuwen take 2nd in 3-meter with a score of 288.98.
Caroline Blake put up a decisive victory in the 50 free for Kansas, touching in 23.52 as the only swimmer in the field to go under 24 seconds.
Ellie Howe won the 100 back in 56.47, touching out Illinois’ Stoll by 0.03 seconds. Howe was out 0.37 seconds ahead of Stoll on the 1st 50, then managed to hold on through the back half.
Kansas’ other victory came from Eleni Kotzamanis in the 200 free. She was in a tight race with Diner on the front half of the race, but really opened up the lead on the 3rd 50. She ended up finishing 1st by over a second with a time of 1:50.90.
