Wheaton, Ill. -- Competing in their first event of the calendar year, the Wheaton swim and dive teams hosted Millikin inside Lederhouse Natatorium on Friday evening for a conference dual meet. The opposition teams came in with a record of 5-0 on the men's side and 4-1 on the women's, but the Thunder made light work of the Big Blue in home waters. The Wheaton men trounced Millikin 169-34 and the Thunder women breezed past their Decatur counterparts by a score of 145-48.
Sophie Pelling had a standout showing to help lead the Wheaton women to victory on Friday. The junior was involved in both relay event wins for the hosts this evening, first teaming up with
Emma Murphree,
Avery McKeaney, and
Carolyn Bubar to capture the 200 yard medley race before closing out the night alongside
Scottie McKeaney,
Katie Yonan, and
Abby Pardridge in their first-placed 200 yard freestyle swim. In between these triumphs, Pelling finished a mere .07 seconds behind relay teammate Yonan in their 50 yard freestyle competition.
Gloria Coleman overcame her three Big Blue competitors in the 1000 yard freestyle event, winning by an impressive 15.5-second margin. Bubar also enjoyed a freestyle win on Friday, taking first place in the 200 yard version. Later on,
Olivia Wiebe claimed the seven-swimmer 100 yard backstroke event, and
Elli Bennett followed up with a 100 yard breaststroke victory to earn the final solo win for the Wheaton women's team.
Connor Davis led the way for the Wheaton men's team tonight, winning both his 50 yard freestyle and 100 yard butterfly events. Kael Gannon was a close second in the latter race, as Davis edged out his teammate by .11 seconds. Both Davis and Gannon got to celebrate a relay win on Friday, as Gannon teamed up with Josh Elsen, Travis Ford, and Andrew Rogers to capture the 200 yard medley at the start of the meet. Wheaton then ended proceedings with a second relay win, this one coming in the 200 yard freestyle courtesy of Elijah Chen, Davis, Anthony Fitzgerald, and Michael O'Connor.
Fitzgerald also claimed two solo event wins by topping the field in his 100 yard backstroke and 200 yard freestyle swims. Relay teammate Elijah Chen took top spot in the 500 yard freestyle, and Rogers won the 100 yard breaststroke competition. Abe Plimpton earned the plaudits in the 100 yard freestyle, and his fellow senior Harrison Smith bested the competition in his 200 yard IM event. Alexander Murphree rounded off the solo event victories for the Thunder men, taking first place in the 1000 yard freestyle.
Despite kicking off the new year in successful fashion, the Thunder squads have little time to rest on their laurels. Wheaton travels to Michigan on Saturday for the Kalamazoo quad meet, where they will face off against the hosting Hornets, Hope College, and Lake Forest College.
