The Valpo women’s swimming team capped off the MVC Championships in Evansville, Ind. on Saturday, finishing off its season with the fourth and final day of competition, highlighted by freshman Kailyn Benoit (Sussex, Wis./Hamilton) qualifying for the evening finals in the 200 fly.

How It Happened

• Benoit posted a time of 2:09.96 in the ‘C’ final of the 200 fly, just .39 off her PR which ranks third in program history. The freshman qualified for the final by virtue of a prelim swim of 2:10.37.
• The quartet of freshman Lily Kirkpatrick (Parker, Colo./Legend), sophomore Caroline Gorski (Melrose Park, Ill./Leyden), junior Haley Hume (Ballwin, Mo./Marquette) and freshman Sophie Schoch (Medina, Ohio/Medina) covered the 400 free relay in 3:37.36.
• Sophomore Emma Schmidt (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley) paced Valpo in the 1650 free with a time of 18:38.46.
• The Beacons had a number of impressive swims in the prelims of the 200 back. Schoch led the way with a time of 2:10.06, shaving over eight-tenths of a second off her PR and moving her up into sixth in program history.
• Freshman Gretchen Schmierer Knust (Overland Park, Kan./Shawnee Mission South) briefly claimed a spot among the top-10 in program history in the event with her prelim mark of 2:11.92, which improved upon her PR by nearly two seconds. But she was bumped off the chart in the next heat by a classmate in Kirkpatrick, who sliced almost four seconds off her event PR as she touched the wall in 2:11.46, 10^th-fastest in program history.
• In other prelim action Saturday, Gorski led the Beacons in the 100 free with a time of 54.59. Junior Sara Strauss (Spring Lake, Mich./Spring Lake) posted a team-best time of 2:28.50 in the 200 breast, while sophomore Natalie Eaton (Tulsa, Okla./Jenks) was just off Strauss’ pace with a time of 2:28.72.
• Highlighting Valpo’s time trial competitors Saturday was freshman Avery Ball (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley), who moved into fifth in program history in the 50 fly with a time of 26.85. Ball now ranks among Valpo’s all-time best in four different individual events.
• Valpo finished the championship meet in ninth place, accumulating 206 points.