Grand Rapids, Mich. -- One week after opening their 2024-25 home schedule, the Wheaton swimming and diving teams headed back out on the road for their annual non-conference dual meet against the Calvin Knights. The strong MIAA hosts earned wins in both the men's and women's competitions on Saturday, but today's meet saw multiple impressive performances from the Thunder teams.
Katie Yonan and
Tess Boyer both collected individual event victories for the Wheaton women's team this afternoon. Yonan topped the 14-swimmer 200 yard freestyle field as one of just three Thunder participants with a time of 1:57.93. The two-time reigning CCIW Women's Swimmer of the Week Boyer came in first place in the 200 yard butterfly via a mark of 2:10.76, which is currently 30th in Division III this season and the best in the CCIW.
Yonan also collected second and third-place finishes in the women's 100 yard and 50 yard freestyles thanks to times of 55.18 and 25.54, respectively. Boyer's runner-up placement in the 200 backstroke came thanks to the 33rd-best time in the nation and top time in the CCIW at 2:07.85. The two standout swimmers then concluded their successful days by combining with
Scottie McKeaney and
Kara Grace Hess to earn a second-place finish in the women's 400 yard freestyle relay.
Erin Davis swam to a pair of third-place showings, first posting a time of 1:12.36 in the 100 yard breaststroke and later coming in third in the 200 yard race via a 2:35.87 mark as Wheaton's top competitor in both events.
Olivia Wiebe was the runner-up in the women's 500 yard freestyle courtesy of a 5:31.30 time mark and also placed second in the 1000 yard freestyle as the only participant from the Thunder team with an 11:11.50 mark.
Four Wheaton men's divers participated in Saturday's proceedings, and Mateo Anderson led the way for the Thunder in the 1-meter field, placing second with a total score of 169.28. Zander Guzy was third in the event with a final mark of 155.71. This pair were the only two competitors in the men's 3-meter diving event today, and Anderson posted a score of 166.87 ahead of Guzy's tally of 113.77.
In the swimming events, Isaac Eilmes continued the strong start to his sophomore season, winning the men's 1000 yard freestyle with an impressive time of 9:54.57 as the only competitor to finish the race in less than ten minutes. Eilmes' time mark is currently 26th in the country for Division III and the top time in the CCIW this year. The Colorado Springs native also earned a fourth-place finish in the 200 yard backstroke as Wheaton's highest swimmer in the event at a 2:03.19 pace.
Jed Ritchie topped the five-man Wheaton field in the 200 yard IM this afternoon with a solid mark of 2:03.36, completing the event nearly seven seconds ahead of his nearest teammate. The freshman also grabbed a runner-up placement in the men's 200 free thanks to a 1:48.12 performance.
Ben Coley placed fourth in both the 50 yard free on a time of 22.46 and the 100-yard version with a mark of 48.41 to register Wheaton's best showings in these events. Sam Yonan came in fifth just behind Coley in the former race and later earned a third-place finish in the men's 500 free via a 5:08.85 time. Josh Elsen came in fifth spot as the Thunder's top performer in the 14-swimmer 200 yard breaststroke race today.
Wheaton steps away from competition next weekend and will return to the pool on Saturday, November 23rd. The Thunder teams travel to Kenosha, Wisconsin for their first conference meet of the new season against Carthage College.
