The Valpo men's and women's swimming teams combined for 18 placements among the programs' top-10 charts Saturday, highlighted by freshman Audrey Morgan (Villa Park, Ill./Willowbrook) smashing the program record in the 200 free, as the Beacons continued early-season competition at the Dan Ross Indiana Intercollegiates, hosted by Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.
 
How It Happened

• In her second collegiate meet, Morgan demolished the program record in the 200 free as she came home in eighth place, touching the wall in 1:52.89. That time was 1.25 seconds faster than Paige Wright's previous program standard, set back in 2020. The freshman earned an eighth-place finish in the event, the Beacons' top individual finish on the women's side Saturday.
• In all, Morgan cracked Valpo's top-10 charts in three events Saturday. Her team-best time of 59.18 in the 100 back ranks eighth in program history, while her leadoff leg in the 200 medley relay of 27.89 ranks eighth on the 50 back chart.
• Both of the women's relays posted top-10 times in program history. Morgan combined with Natalie Eaton (Tulsa, Okla./Jenks), Kailyn Benoit (Sussex, Wis./Hamilton) and Una Dizdarevic (Bloomingdale, Ill./Lake Park) to cover the 200 medley relay in 1:48.77, seventh-fastest in program history, while the 200 free relay of Dizdarevic, Bri Keese (Brighton, Colo./Brighton), Faith Bargwell (Grand Rapids, Mich./Rockford) and Morgan covered the distance in 1:38.21, eighth-fastest in program history. Dizdarevic swam a 50 free leadoff leg of 24.25 in that event, tied for fourth-fastest all-time at Valpo.
• Eaton paced the Valpo women in a pair of events Saturday, touching the wall in 26.09 in the 50 free and 1:07.80 in the 100 breast. Other top performers included Keese in the 100 IM (1:04.03), Benoit in the 100 fly (1:00.18) and Caroline Gorski (Melrose Park, Ill./Leyden) in the 100 free (55.82).
• While there were no new records set on the men's side, three swims were good for second-fastest in program history, two of which came from Caleb Smesko (Green, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit). Smesko had a leadoff leg of 23.50 in the 200 medley relay, which ranks second on the Beacons' 50 back list. Later in the day, the freshman covered the 100 back in 50.30, coming home in fourth place, to move into second in that event.
• Fellow rookie Evan Curran (Golden, Colo./Golden) moved into second in program history in the 200 free as he touched the wall in sixth place, coming home in 1:40.76. That was one of two top-10 performances in program history for Curran Saturday, who also moved into ninth all-time at Valpo in the 100 free with a time of 46.70, good for a 15th-place finish.
• Jackson Oostman (Aurora, Ill./Marmion Academy) scored for the Beacons in a pair of events Saturday, placing 10^th in the 100 IM (52.67) and 16^th in the 100 back (51.96).
• Oostman led a trio of scorers for the Valpo men in the 100 IM. Gabe Corkran (Avondale Estates, Ga./Druid Hills) placed 14^th with a time of 53.25, tied for fifth-fastest in program history, while Isaac Dinari (Houston, Texas/Memorial) now ranks eighth in program history after finishing in 16^th place with a time of 53.40.
• Led by Smesko's effort, the Beacons had a trio of new times on their top-10 chart in the 100 back as well. Dinari touched the wall in 52.50, eighth-fastest in program history, while Dustyn Starkey (New Carlisle, Ind./New Prairie) now ranks tenth all-time with a time of 52.59.
• Carson Parker (Silver Lake, Ind./Tippecanoe Valley) earned points for Valpo with a 12^th-place showing in the 100 breast, covering the course in 57.26. His 50 split of 26.94 improved upon his ninth-fastest time in program history in that event. Parker also led the Valpo contingent in the 50 free with a time of 21.76.
• Timothy Mai (St. Johns, Fla./Creeksode) scored for the Beacons as well with a time of 51.37 in the 100 fly. Asa Sadowsky (Green Bay, Wis./Bay Port [Milwaukee]) swam a 50 split of 23.60 in that event, moving him into a tie for sixth in program history.
• Two of Valpo's 200 medley relays cracked the program's top-10 charts to open the meet. Oostman, Luke Snider (Germantown, Tenn./Memphis University School), Mai and Dinari rank eighth in program history with a time of 1:33.59, good for fifth place, while the quartet of Smesko, Parker, Sadoswky and Curran came in just behind them in sixth place in 1:33.88, tenth-fastest in program history.
• While it didn't impact the program's all-time chart, the Beacons' 200 free relay of Curran, Snider, Dinari and Anthony Martin (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) posted a fifth-place finish with a time of 1:25.16 for key points in the team scoring.
• The Valpo men finished the meet in fifth place out of the 10 competing teams with 130 points, while the women placed eighth of 10 with 93 points.

 
Next Up
Valpo jumps back in the pool next Saturday in a quad-meet at IU Indy, with Evansville and Southern Indiana competing there as well.