Wheaton, Ill. -- Two weeks after beginning their 2026-27 season in Chicago, the Wheaton swimming teams returned to the pool and competed inside Lederhouse Natatorium for the first time on Friday. The Thunder welcomed Division I program University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to the suburbs to renew the squads' annual head-to-head series. The visiting Panthers won this evening men's meet by a score of 136-65.

After a Thunder quartet tallied a second-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay to begin the program, two individual event wins highlighted the night for Wheaton. Junior Jac Cummings posted a CCIW-best time in the 100-yard backstroke, racing to a 51.85 mark that beat out his Milwaukee challenger by .13 seconds in the nine-swimmer field. Sophomore Jack Haidl then logged a time of 4:56.40 to place first in the 500-yard freestyle swim with a mark that currently ranks fourth in the conference this year.

Isaac Eilmes, fresh off of his recent CCIW Men's Swimmer of the Week accolade, earned a runner-up finish in the 1000 free with a league-leading mark of 9:54.32, completing the lengthy swim 25 seconds before the Panthers competitor in third place. Cummings also collected a second-place finish in the eight-man 200 free thanks to a 1:43.84 line, missing out on the podium's top spot by just .52 seconds. Jed Ritchie came in third in the event, touching the wall .87 seconds after Cummings. Cummings' and Ritchie's times in Friday's race rank first and second, respectively, in the CCIW this year.

Zachary Kohoutek placed fourth in the 50 free as Wheaton's highest finisher in the nine-man field with a time of 21.83. The sophomore earned another fourth-place showing in the 100-yard edition to lead eight Thunder participants on a 48.58 mark. Eilmes finished third in the 400-yard IM by posting a 4:18.25 count that is virtually tied for the conference lead this season, and Ben Coley also snagged a third-place standing in the 100-yard butterfly through a 53.30 time.

Having opened its 2026-27 home slate, the Thunder team will head back out on the road next weekend as Wheaton travels to Carthage College for the first CCIW meet of the season on Saturday.