The Valparaiso University men’s and women’s swimming teams continued to impress at their respective conference championships Thursday with more performances that rank among the best in program history. On the men’s side, senior Dylan Kirar (Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley) led the way with a sixth-place finish in the 500 freestyle at the Summit League Championships presented by U.S. Air Force Special Operations. For the Valpo women, freshman Isabel Jenny (New Albany, Ohio/New Albany) set a new personal best in the 200 IM which moved her into third place all-time at Valpo to lead the way at the MVC Championships.

Men- Summit League Championships

• Kirar scored by finishing sixth in the 500 freestyle championship final with a time of 4.38.44. His time was less than a second off of his school record in the event.
• Senior Mac Sogandares (Reston Va./South Lakes) scored by placing 12th in the same event with a time of 4:42.77. His qualifying heat time of 4:42.46 moved him into fifth place in program history in the event.
• The 200 freestyle relay team of Sogandares, freshman Billy Bennett (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville), freshman Derek Eidson (Ventura, Calif./Ventura), and freshman Dominic May (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) also scored with a time of 1:24.53, good for fifth place and fourth-fastest all-time in Valpo’s record book.
• Eidson would then go on and touch the wall in 51.47 seconds in the 100 butterfly for a 14th-place finish, which would also put him at fourth place in Valpo’s record book in the event.
• May finished 16th in the 50 free with a time of 21.37, and posted a time of 21.30 in Thursday morning’s prelims, tied for fifth-fastest in program history.
• Junior Brendon Johnson (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) placed 13th in the 200 IM with a time of 1:57.09, which moved him up to sixth all-time at Valpo in the event.
• The Valpo men currently sit at sixth place in the standings.

Women- Missouri Valley Conference Championships

• Jenny continued a stellar freshman campaign by breaking her own personal best in the 200 IM. She would touch the wall in 2:09.97, which puts her third in Valpo’s record book and was good for a 20th place finish.
• The 200 freestyle relay team of freshman Chiara Robinson (Castle Pines, Colo./Rock Canyon), freshman Maddie Wright (Surprise, Ariz./Paradise Honors), sophomore Mariah Sturdivant (Chicago, Ill./George Westinghouse Prep.), and junior Paige Wright (Surprise, Ariz./Paradise Honors) would finish with a time of 1:38.22, which sets them at fifth place in program history.
• Junior Erica Martins (Hartland, Wis./Lake County Lutheran) posted a time of 24.51 in the prelims of the 50 free on Thursday to move up to sixth place in program history in the event.
• Maddie Wright paced Valpo in the prelims of the 500 free with a time of 5:19.42.
• The Valpo women currently sit at eighth place in the standings.

Up Next

Both teams continue their respective conference championships Friday, February 21 with prelims in the morning, followed by event finals in the evening.