The Valpo swim teams got the 2025-26 campaign off to a winning start on Friday in Charleston, Ill., earning 18 event victories as they swept a dual meet from host Eastern Illinois. The women emerged victorious by a 168-97 count, while the men earned their first win over the Panthers since 2017 with a 157.5-104.5 win.
 
How It Happened

• A pair of freshmen on the women's side enjoyed tremendous collegiate debuts Friday. Una Dizdarevic (Bloomingdale, Ill./Lake Park) earned event victories in both the 50 free (24.79) and the 100 free (55.04), leading 1-2-3 Valpo finishes in both events.
• Dizdarevic also anchored the Beacons' winning 400 medley relay squad, joined by Sophie Schoch (Medina, Ohio/Medina), Natalie Eaton (Tulsa, Okla./Jenks) and Kailyn Benoit (Sussex, Wis./Hamilton) as the quartet took top honors with a time of 4:04.18.
• Dizdarevic closed the meet by leading off Valpo's winning 400 free relay, as the Beacons posted a time of 3:41.02 with Caroline Gorski (Melrose Park, Ill./Leyden), Bri Keese (Brighton, Colo./Brighton) and Audrey Morgan (Villa Park, Ill./Willowbrook) following Dizdarevic.
• Morgan's anchoring of the winning 400 free relay capped a stellar day for her as well. Earlier in the meet, she took top honors in both the 200 free (1:57.93) and the 500 free (5:19.36) as the Beacons nabbed the top two spots in both events.
• Benoit claimed an event win in the 200 fly (2:14.87), while Ally Unruh (Peoria, Ill./Dunlap) touched the wall first in the 1000 free (10:57.97).
• On the men's side, a pair of freshmen also had impressive collegiate debuts. Caleb Smesko (Green, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) cracked the Beacons' record book in a pair of events as he swept the backstroke swims, coming home in 51.89 in the 100 back — sixth-fastest in program history — and 1:56.21 in the 200 back — eighth-fastest all-time by a Valpo men's swimmer.
• Evan Curran (Golden, Colo./Golden) earned a pair of individual event wins as well, taking the 200 free (1:43.92) and the 500 free (4:49.81).
• Curran also anchored both of the Beacons' winning relay squads. Valpo kicked off the meet by taking the 400 medley relay in 3:30.15, with Jackson Oostman (Aurora, Ill./Marmion Academy), Carson Parker (Silver Lake, Ind./Tippecanoe Valley) and Asa Sadowsky (Green Bay, Wis./Bay Port [Milwaukee]) joining Curran.
• The Beacons closed the meet by taking the 400 free relay with a time of 3:10.35. The quartet in that event consisted of Parker, Isaac Dinari (Houston, Texas/Memorial), Anthony Martin (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) and Curran.
• Four Valpo men's swimmers claimed one individual event apiece. Matthew Mantz (Spokane, Wash./Mead) won the 1000 free with a time of 10:12.38, Dinari covered the 50 free in 21.56, Martin touched the wall first in the 100 free in 48.06 and Oostman took top honors in the 200 IM in 1:57.49.

 
Next Up
Valpo continues the 2025-26 season with a short in-state trip next weekend, heading to West Lafayette to compete at the Dan Ross Indiana Intercollegiate. The meet begins at 11 a.m. CT.