By: After more than a month away from competition, the Illinois College swimming programs were swept in a dual meet by Millikin on Saturday.
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – In the final home meet of the 2014-15 season, the Illinois College men's and women's swimming teams were swept by Millikin University on Saturday afternoon at Coultas Natatorium. The Blueboys lost a 78-53 decision to the Big Blue, while the Lady Blues fell, 96-64. After a month away from competition and following a tough winter training regimen, it was a meet that wasn't designed to have the teams at their fastest, but there were positive signs for IC nonetheless.
On the men's side,
Elijah Rhoad and
Oak Wattanasirakul posted a combined three individual event wins, while also taking part in both the 200 Medley and 200 Freestyle relays. The two led off the 200 Medley Relay, with
Christopher Morton and
Braedon Sheppard taking the closing legs. The team posted a time of 1:56.04 to better the Millikin team by nearly two seconds.
Later on, Rhoad dominated the 400 IM with a time of 5:05.84, nearly 20 seconds faster than his closest competitor. He then swam a 2:23.78 in the 200 Butterfly, posting the second-fastest time in IC history, trailing behind only the school record he set in December. Wattanasirakul also took home a win in the 200 Breaststroke, coming in at 2:29.11. The same members of the 200 Medley team also took home points in the 200 Freestyle Relay with a time of 1:40.34.
For the Lady Blues, it was Senior Day for
Taylor Brien and
Kelsey Tucker. The two were kept busy with a number of individual events as well as relay duties. In the 200 Medley Relay, the senior had the final two legs after
Kaitlyn Flachs and
Eve Gonzales led off. The team posted a time of 2:19.70 to finish second. Tucker then added a third-place finish in the 1650 Freestyle, touching the wall in 22:14.95. Gonzales added a second-place finish of 21:51.06.
Lanie Thompson had two individual wins for IC, first nabbing a victory in the 200 Freestyle with a time of 2:15.08, more than seven seconds ahead of the closest Millikin competitor. She would later add a victory in the 100 Freestyle in 1:02.12.
Following the opening relay, Brien's next action came in the 400 IM, where she logged a second-place finish with a time of 5:35.78. That time registered as the fifth-best 400 IM time in Lady Blues history. Later on, she added a victory in the 200 Butterfly, clocking in at 2:43.55. The final race of the afternoon was the 200 Freestyle Relay, and Flachs, Gonzales, Brien and Thompson were able to beat the Big Blue to the wall, touching in 1:59.74 for the win.
The Blueboys and Lady Blues will compete at Principia College for two weeks running, first making the trip south on Jan. 24 for the Panther Invite. Swimming will begin at 1 p.m. in Elsah, Ill.
