The USI Swim and Dive teams completed their final home meet Saturday in an eventful matchup against the Panthers of Eastern Illinois University. The season has featured several highlights, including last week’s matchup where the Screaming Eagles secured a victory over cross-city rival, the University of Evansville, with a score of 154-142 for the men’s team and 195-94 for the women’s team. To replicate this result, they faced an even tougher Eastern Illinois squad.
The meet opened with the USI diving squad competing in 3-meter dives. On the men’s side, Nathan Deputy delivered a standout performance, finishing with a combined score of 304.20. This broke his own record of 297.23, which he set earlier this season against the University of Evansville. The score also has regional significance, ranking as the third-best score of the season in the Summit League.
However, Deputy wasn’t the only diver to break records Saturday. Freshman diver Anna Bunnell, a consistent force for the team this season, also broke her own record (238.05), setting a new school-record 3-meter score of 241.40. Her score ranks as the 12th highest in the Summit League this year.
The rest of the diving team also had notable performances. Junior diver Lane Pollock scored 286, the sixth-highest score of the season in the Summit League. Freshman diver Gabbie Meier set a personal best in the 3-meter event with a score of 232.58. This season, the diving team has established itself as one of the strongest in the Summit League.
The USI swimming teams had a mixed day of performances. The women’s team excelled, posting their second-best score of the season (196) and defeating Eastern Illinois by 100 points.
This effort was highlighted by an impressive comeback from freshman Emma Gabhard, an individual medley and breaststroke specialist. She finished first in the 1,000-yard freestyle, narrowly beating Eastern Illinois swimmers by just 2.24 seconds. Her victory set the tone for the rest of the meet.
Two standout performances came from sophomore freestyle and individual medley specialist Reagan Holmes and junior distance and freestyle specialist Mattilyn Smith.
Holmes won two events on the day: the 100-yard freestyle and the 200-yard freestyle. Smith finished second in the 200-yard freestyle, setting a personal best with a time of 1:57.73. She also secured second place in the 500-yard freestyle before capturing first place in the 500-yard freestyle competition.
The men’s team delivered one of their stronger performances of the year, scoring 129.5 points, but ultimately fell to a strong Eastern Illinois squad, which scored 164.5. Freshman team members Justin Knauf and Jude Winnington stood out during the meet.
Knauf and Winnington teamed up with junior Caleb Davis and sophomore Sam Smith to secure a second-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay. Knauf also earned a second-place finish in the men’s 100-yard butterfly competition. Winnington excelled individually, taking first place in the 100-yard individual medley and contributing to a first-place finish in the men’s 200-yard freestyle relay.
To close out the meet, USI Swimming and Diving Head Coach Cameron Kainer shared words of pride with the team during a post-meet huddle. The team as a whole emerged victorious in combined scores, defeating Eastern Illinois 325.5 to 260.5.
The diving team will conclude its season with a trip to the University of Illinois Chicago for a diving-only meet on Saturday, Feb. 8, where they aim to finish strong. Afterward, the entire team will travel to Iowa City, Iowa, for the Summit League Championships, scheduled for Feb. 19–22, where they hope to build on their success this season.