The Valparaiso University swimming teams began their respective conference championships Wednesday evening with both meets completing two relay events. The women are at the Missouri Valley Conference Championships in Iowa City, Iowa, while the men are participating in the Summit League Championships in Sioux Falls, S.D. After the completion of the 200-medley relay and 800-free relay, the women sit in eighth, just four points behind seventh. The men are in sixth, trailing fifth by only six points. Both teams moved relays into the top-10 of the school record books.

How It Happened

• For the women, the 200-medley team of sophomores Tara Lawson (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein) and Kenzy Tibbot (Lebanon, Ind./Lebanon), followed by freshman Lillia Pogue (Corpus Christi, Texas/Flour Bluff) and finally sophomore Erica Martins (Hartland, Wis./Lake Country Lutheran) touched in 1:52.45, which placed them eighth.
• In the 800-free relay the women finished eighth as well, with a time of 7:56.49. This effort by seniors Amanda Jenny (New Albany, Ohio/New Albany) and Vinnie Zaia (Canton, Mich./Salem), then Lawson and sophomore Paige Wright (Surprise, Ariz./Paradise Honors) goes down as the ninth-fastest time in Valpo history.
• The men moved up into seventh place all-time in school history with a time of 1:35.36 in the 200-medley relay. The quartet of senior Max Penn (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep.), junior Mac Sogandares (Reston, Va./South Lakes) and sophomores Dylan Ogle (Simpsonville, S.C./Mauldin) and Harrison Jenny (New Albany, Ohio/New Albany) finished in sixth.
• Sogandares, junior Robbie Bretl (Wauwatosa, Wis./Marquette University H.S.), Ogle and junior Dylan Kirar (Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley) combined for a sixth-place finish with a time of 6:59.32 in the men’s 800-free relay. With this swim, they climbed up to fourth all-time in the Valpo record book.

Up Next

Valpo's respective conference championships will continue tomorrow, Feb. 15 with the women swimming prelims at 11 a.m. CT, and the men’s preliminaries at 10 a.m. CT. The MVC Championship finals are at 6 p.m. CT, while the Summit League Championship finals begin at 7 p.m. CT.