The Valpo men's and women's swimming teams made their Senior Meet at the Valparaiso Aquatic Center Friday evening a successful one, celebrating their large senior class prior to earning a dual meet sweep of Bethel. The Beacon men prevailed by a 209-47 final, while the women earned a 194-68 victory. The victories continue the most successful season in recent history for the program, as the men and women have each won five dual meets this year.
 
Celebrating the Seniors

• Prior to hopping into the pool Friday, the Beacons recognized 16 seniors — six on the women's side and 10 on the men's side.
• Roxanne Adams (Aguadilla, Puerto Rico) ranks among the top-10 in program history in a pair of individual events. She competed individually on Friday in the 100 breast and the 200 breast.
• Kailyn Benoit (Sussex, Wis./Hamilton) sits in the top-10 all-time at Valpo in four individual events. Friday saw her sweep the 100 fly (59.16) and 200 fly (2:07.89), while also contributing to the winning 200 medley relay.
• Natalie Eaton (Tulsa, Okla./Jenks) appears three times on the program's top-10 charts individually. She took top honors Friday in both the 100 breast (1:07.84) and 200 breast (2:26.50), while also joining the winning 200 medley relay.
• Fiona Merritt (Tucson, Ariz./Canyon del Oro) competed individually on Friday in the 1000 free and the 500 free.
• Emma Wise (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk) swam three individual events Friday evening — the 100 breast, 200 breast and 200 IM.
• Morgan Purser (Georgetown, Ind./North Harrison) was honored for her work as a senior manager Friday as well. Purser is serving in that role this season after previously swimming two seasons for the Beacons.
• Owen Cullinan (Cumming, Ga./South Forsyth) took to the water for individual swims in the 200 free and the 50 free Friday.
• Ricky Helmboldt (Tucson, Ariz./Arizona Connections Academy) ranks among the top-10 in program history in three individual events. He swam the 1000 free, 200 breast and 200 IM Friday.
• Cole Kennedy (Bradenton, Fla./Braden River) took second place in the 1000 free Friday evening, while also competing in the 500 free and the 200 IM.
• Eli Liebmann (Belleville, Ill./Belleville West) sits in the program's all-time top-10 in the 200 breast. He took top honors in that event Friday (2:11.91), while also swimming the 100 breast.
• Timothy Mai (St. Johns, Fla./Creekside) ranks among the program's all-time best in five individual events and was part of the record-holding 400 medley relay squad. On Friday, Mai was part of the winning 200 medley relay team and also competed individually in the 200 IM.
• Matthew Mantz (Spokane, Wash./Mead) appears in Valpo's top-10 charts in a pair of individual events. He swam individually Friday in the 200 fly and the 500 free.
• Anthony Martin (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) holds the school record in the 200 fly and sits in the top-10 in five additional individual events, while he was also part of record-setting quartets in the 400 free relay, 800 free relay and 400 medley relay. Martin swept all three of his individual events Friday, winning the 200 free (1:43.02), 500 free (4:51.83) and the 200 IM (1:58.12), and was part of the first-place 200 medley relay team.
• Jackson Oostman (Aurora, Ill./Marmion Academy) holds four individual school records — the 50 back, 100 IM, 200 IM and 400 IM — and ranks second in both the 100 back and 200 back, and was also part of the record-setting 400 medley relay. Friday saw Oostman claim first place in the 100 breast (59.22), second place in the 200 back and lead off the winning 400 free relay.
• Luke Snider (Germantown, Tenn./Memphis University School) holds the program record in the 100 fly and ranks inside the top-10 in six other individual events, while also contributing to the record-setting 400 medley relay. Snider had a pair of second-place individual showings Friday in the 100 breast and the 100 fly before capping his final home meet by swimming as part of the winning 400 free relay team.
• Sean Toolis (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) competed individually Friday in the 50 free.

 
How It Happened

• While the seniors definitely shone on Friday, the victories were an all-around team effort, as the Beacons claimed 25 of the 28 events.
• The meet got off to a strong start, as Valpo's 200 medley relay squad of Audrey Morgan (Villa Park, Ill./Willowbrook), Eaton, Benoit and Una Dizdarevic (Bloomingdale, Ill./Lake Park) moved up to sixth place in program history in the event with their winning time of 1:47.59.
• Morgan's opening 50 back leg of 27.14 moved her up into a tie for third all-time at Valpo in that event, while Sophie Schoch (Medina, Ohio/Medina) posted an opening leg of 27.58 on another of the Beacons' relays to improve upon her seventh-best time in program history.
• Benoit and Eaton were joined by Morgan and Schoch in claiming two individual events apiece. Morgan took top honors in the 200 free (1:53.81) and the 500 free (5:08.51), while Schoch captured the 100 back (58.82) and the 200 back (2:08.16).
• Dizdarevic won the shortest race of the meet, claiming the 50 free with a time of 24.64, while Ally Unruh (Peoria, Ill./Dunlap) captured the longest race, touching the wall in 10:42.48 in the 1000 free.
• While the swims didn't result in event wins, two other Beacons posted top-10 individual swims in program history Friday. Elaina Rezabek (Pingree Grove, Ill./Hampshire) covered the 1000 free in 10:48.83, a PR by nearly 30 seconds and moving her into ninth in program history in the event. Majo Suarez de la Fuente (Mexico City, Mexico/ITESM Preparatoria Tec Campus Santa Fe [Bethel]) moved up to seventh place on Valpo's 200 IM chart with her time of 2:13.29.
• The women closed Friday's action as the quarter of Dizdarevic, Schoch, Bri Keese (Brighton, Colo./Brighton) and Morgan moved into eighth place in program history in the 400 free relay with their winning time of 3:36.09.
• The men got off to a winning start with their 200 medley relay, as Caleb Smesko (Green, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) and Ben Mettler (Sussex, Wis./Hamilton) got things started before Mai and Martin brought the winning relay home with a time of 1:34.43.
• While three of the men's seniors combined for five individual event wins, four freshmen combined for six individual victories as well. Smesko swept the back events, touching the wall in 52.38 in the 100 back and 1:57.08 in the 200 back.
• Gabriel Corkran (Avondale Estates, Ga./Druid Hills) showcased his versatility by claiming the 100 free (47.78) and the 100 fly (52.30).
• Mettler came home first in the 50 free with a time of 21.70, while Logan Walliker (Washington, Ill./Washington) took top honors in the 200 fly with a time of 1:57.09.
• The final home event of the season for the Beacons featured the quartet of Oostman, Snider, Corkran and Will Schenk (Tulsa, Okla./Holland Hall) winning the 400 free relay in 3:12.88.

 
Next Up
Valpo heads to Crawfordsville, Ind. next Saturday, Jan. 24, as the men face Wabash and Illinois Wesleyan in a double dual, while the women take on Illinois Wesleyan in a dual meet. The first event is slated to start at noon CT.