Pleasant Prairie, Wis. -- The Wheaton women's swim team took the important first step of their pursuit of a conference championship crown on Friday by closing the gap on competition leaders Augustana to a single point. But the Thunder still needed to outscore the Vikings on Saturday to top the podium, and they did so in convincing fashion, finishing 86 points ahead of last year's champions to claim the 2023 conference title with a total score of 789.5. The championship win marks the first for the Wheaton women's program since 2017 and the first title under head coach Meghan Ayers, who was named the Women's CCIW Coach of the Year on Saturday after leading the Thunder to the ultimate prize. Sophomore swimmer Katie Yonan earned the top award of Women's CCIW Championship Most Outstanding Swimming Student-Athlete for her remarkable performances over the last four days, and she became the latest Thunder member to win the honor after Brooke Barnes did so in 2019. Rookie competitor Olivia Wiebe was recognized as the Women's CCIW First-Year Student-Athlete of the Year for a strong showing in her inaugural conference championships and joined teammates Abby Pardridge and Sophie Pelling in earning the award.

Wiebe earned a runner-up finish in the first event of Saturday's schedule, the 1650 yard freestyle, and was eventually rewarded with a noteworthy honor upon the conclusion of the meet. (pictured right)

Yonan continued her sparkling run of form at the 2023 Championships by winning the 100 yard freestyle A final, her third individual title of the weekend. The second-year swimmer from New Jersey compiled an impressive body of work over the course of the last three days and played a pivotal role in getting the Thunder over the finish line before collecting her major prize. (pictured left)

The 100 yard freestyle proved to be one of the most lopsided events of the week, as the Thunder accounted for four of the top five places in the A final, and Wheaton's Madison Harris captured top spot in the race's B final. Pelling came in second behind Yonan, and Scottie McKeaney and Carolyn Bubar placed fourth and fifth in the event, respectively.

Elli Bennett and Lily Foung secured second and third-placed finishes in their 200 yard breaststroke final to add a combined 33 points to Wheaton's overall score. Avery McKeaney topped the the field in the same event's B final. Gloria Coleman and Wiebe replicated the second and third-place finish in the 200 yard butterfly to solidify Wheaton's advantage down the stretch. 

The Thunder had already wrapped up the title by the time the championship's last event, the 400 yard freestyle relay, rolled around, but there was no resting on laurels, as Wheaton swept the A and B finals to put an exclamation point on their conference victory. Pelling, Scottie McKeaney, Pardridge, and Yonan again proved to be a winning formula as the four different class year members combined to take the A final. Bennett, Harris, Louise Adams, and Bubar secured their spot atop the B final standings, and the Wheaton women could finally relax and celebrate a hard-earned championship victory.

While the Wheaton women's program is set to lose some vital contributors after this school year, this weekend's victory, combined with the youth and returning talent on the roster and the work of the newly crowned conference coach of the year, (pictured right) means the Thunder can already start looking forward to more success next season and beyond.