The Valparaiso University men’s and women’s swimming team wrapped up day three of the Horizon League Championships on Friday in Chicago, setting more milestones in the water. Junior Max Penn (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep) broke his own school record in the 100-yard backstroke, while seniors Rachel Law (Wayne, Pa./Villa Maria Academy) and Emily Trimpe (New Palestine, Ind./New Palestine) and sophomore Dylan Kirar (Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley) also placed in event finals on Friday.

How It Happened

• For the men, Penn swam a 50.66 in the 100-yard backstroke preliminary round to break his own school record in the event. In the final, he hit the wall at 51.00 to just miss surpassing his new record, placing 12th.
• In the 400-yard individual medley race, Kirar made it to the finals to lead Valpo. He ended up earning a 15th-place mark in the event, with a time of 4:07.07, which lands him in second place all-time in Crusader history. Freshman Brendon Johnson (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) swam a 4:11.88 in the prelims as well to tie him for fifth place in program history in the event.
• The team of junior Grant Girten (Blue Ash, Ohio/Sycamore), freshman Peyton Stambeck (Bartlesville, Okla./Bartlesville), freshman Dylan Ogle (Simpsonville, S.C./Mauldin) and Penn swam the 400-yard medley relay, securing Valparaiso 24 points with a time of 3:31.74 – seventh-fastest all-time in program history.
• Ogle also swam a prelim time of 51.60 in the 100-yard butterfly to move into fourth on Valpo’s all-time chart in the event. Sophomore Christopher Bean (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard South) touched the wall in 52.42 in the same event, ninth-fastest in Crusader history.
• Stambeck posted the sixth-best time in program history in the prelims of the 200-yard freestyle, recording a time of 1:44.54.
• For the women, Law earned a 15th-place spot in the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 4:46.10.
• Trimpe swam her way into second all-time for the Crusaders after her finals performance in the 100-yard breaststroke, touching the wall with a time of 1:05.81 to place 16th.
• Freshmen Tara Lawson (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein), Paige Wright (Surprise, Ariz./Paradise Honor), Erica Martins (Hartland, Wis./Lake County Lutheran) and Trimpe were members of the 22-point effort in the 400-yard medley relay, as the quartet moved into fifth in Valpo history with a time of 4:01.50.
• Freshman Harrison Jenny (New Albany, Ohio/New Albany) led Valpo in the prelims of the 100-yard breaststroke.
• Martins achieved Valpo’s top prelim time in the 100-yard butterfly, while junior Amanda Jenny (New Albany, Ohio/New Albany) led Valpo in the 200-yard freestyle event and Wright earned the Crusaders’ best time in the 100-yard backstroke.
• The Crusader men move up to 105 points, after receiving 31 on Friday, and the women’s total climbs to 69, from their 25-point performance on Friday.

Next Up

The teams are back in action tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 25 at the Flames Natatorium for day four and the final day of the Horizon League Championships. Prelims begin at 10 a.m. CT and finals are at 5:30 p.m. CT.