Wheaton, Ill. -- After consecutive competitions away from home to open the 2025-26 season, the Thunder swimming teams took to the Lederhouse Natatorium pool for the first time this fall on Saturday afternoon. Wheaton welcomed Calvin University for the latest edition of the two programs' annual non-conference dual meet. Calvin's men's team, ranked 17th in the country in the most recent CSCAA national poll, won today's meet by a final score of 179-111, while the Knights' women's squad, currently ranked 19th in Division III, won 181-97. Saturday's test represented Wheaton's last meet before the start of CCIW competition next weekend.
The Calvin women's team swept Saturday's relay races, while Wheaton was once again led by All-American
Tess Boyer in the individual events.
The Kansas native excelled in the butterfly competitions this afternoon, posting CCIW-best times that rank in the top 30 of Division III in both the 200-yard and 100-yard editions. Boyer won the eight-swimmer 200 fly via a mark of 2:07.58 that is currently 16th-fastest in the country and a full 7.21 seconds quicker than the Calvin runner-up. She then doubled up for the day with a 57.53 time in the 100 fly that currently stands tied for 26th in the nation this season.
Allison Henschel joined Boyer as the other solo competition winner for the Thunder on Saturday. The rookie registered a mark of 5:23.33 to top the 500-yard freestyle field by a noteworthy 16.19-second margin.
Henschel also earned runner-up status in the women's 200-yard free thanks to a 2:00.96 count, touching the wall just .58 second behind Calvin's first-place finisher. Fellow freshman
Kate Zurowski came in second in the 100-yard and 200-yard backstroke races via respective times of 1:02.80 and 2:17.15. Another Thunder first-year swimmer,
Lydia Hansen, placed second in the 200-yard breaststroke event on a 2:35.81 line.
Olivia Wiebe and
Aubrey Swanson placed third in the women's 200 fly and 50 free fields, respectively.
Today's hosts began the program schedule with an impressive result in the men's 200-yard medley relay. A Thunder quartet of Jac Cummings, Nick John, Ben Coley, and Kaden Gannon posted a combined time of 1:34.15 to place first in the race, pipping Calvin's A group by .47 second with a mark that leads the CCIW and currently ranks 29th in the country this year. Gannon's anchor leg time of 21.44 seconds was Wheaton's fastest split and helped the four-man team claim the victory.
Cummings was one of two solo event winners for the Thunder men this afternoon, as the sophomore topped the seven-swimmer 100-yard backstroke field with a count of 52.45 seconds. He finished the race a full three seconds ahead of the Knights' runner-up. Three swimmers took part in the men's 1000-yard freestyle challenge on Saturday, and junior Isaac Eilmes posted the best time of this trio, a conference-leading 9:57.61 mark that was an impressive 22 seconds faster than the Calvin competitor behind him.
Jed Ritchie came in second in the 200 free via a time of 1:47.02, while Sam Yonan was the runner-up in the 100-yard version. The senior tallied a count of 48.47 and touched the wall just .27 second after the Knights' winner. Cummings then earned a second-place finish himself in the 200-yard IM, posting a mark of 2:00.53 in the six-man event.
Freshman Jack Haidl placed third in the eight-swimmer 500 free field thanks to a 4:57.75 time, and he was matched on a third-place individual finish by relay teammates Coley and John. The latter swam to a third-place standing in the 100-yard breaststroke competition with a mark of 1:00.64, while the former's time of 21.72 seconds was good for third in the men's 50-yard freestyle.
Having started this season's schedule with three meets against non-conference opposition, the Wheaton swimming and diving teams will get their first taste of CCIW action next weekend. The Thunder welcome conference rivals Carthage College to Lederhouse Natatorium for a dual meet that will take place over two days, with competitions slated for Friday evening and Saturday morning.
