The Valpo women's and men's swimming teams combined for three dual meet wins as the Beacons hosted their home opener at the Valparaiso Aquatic Center Friday against Quincy and Illinois Tech. The women took top honors in six individual events and one relay on their way to wins over both opponents, while the men picked up a win over Illinois Tech.
 
How It Happened

• Two Beacons registered a pair of individual event wins on Friday evening. Freshman Ally Unruh (Peoria, Ill./Peoria) handled the distance free events, claiming the 1000 free in 10:59.19 and the 500 free in 5:26.21, while senior Sara Strauss (Spring Lake, Mich./Spring Lake) swept the breaststroke swims, covering the 100 in 1:08.25 and the 200 in 2:29.79.
• Strauss also anchored Valpo's 400 free relay quartet, overcoming a deficit of .68 when she dove into the water to win by .45 with a time of 3:45.52. Sophomores Sophie Schoch (Medina, Ohio/Medina) and Bri Keese (Brighton, Colo./Brighton) and senior Courtney Ledbetter (Wentzville, Mo./Timberland [Notre Dame College]) joined Strauss on the winning relay.
• Schoch led the Beacons in a pair of events Friday, including a victory in the 200 back in 2:13.80 — edging teammate Lily Kirkpatrick (Parker, Colo./Legend) by one-hundredth of a second to give Valpo a 1-2 finish. Schoch also paced the Valpo contingent in the 100 back with a time of 1:01.74, good for second place.
• Sophomore Kailyn Benoit (Sussex, Wis./Hamilton) touched the wall first in the 200 fly (2:13.56) and led the Beacons with a second-place finish in the 100 fly (1:02.82).
• On the men's side, junior Jackson Oostman (Aurora, Ill./Marmion Academy) earned Valpo's top finish in three events — a win in the 200 back (1:57.33) and runner-up showings in the 100 back (52.43) and the 200 IM (1:57.65).
• Junior Anthony Martin (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) took top honors in the 200 fly with a time of 1:57.29 and also led the Beacons with a second-place finish in the 100 free with a time of 48.52.
• Senior Andrew Berzai (South Bend, Ind./Mishawaka Marian) posted an individual event win as well, covering the 200 breast in 2:12.92.
• The women's squad ended the night with wins over both foes, topping Quincy 160.5-101.5 and Illinois Tech 188-80. On the men's side, Valpo defeated Illinois Tech 189-86 and fell to Quincy 153-109.

 
Next Up
Valpo turns right around for its second meet in as many days at the Valparaiso Aquatic Center Saturday afternoon, as Eastern Illinois and Bellarmine come to town. The meet is slated to begin at 1 p.m.