The Valpo men’s and women’s swimming teams hosted Rose-Hulman Friday evening at Valparaiso High School in the season-opening meet. Sophomore Morgan Markley (Bluffton, Ind./Norwell) led the way, winning three individual events and anchoring a team relay win to lead the Brown and Gold women over the Fightin’ Engineers.

How It Happened

• Valpo’s first win of the day came in the women’s 200 medley relay, with the team of Kenzie Conn (Celina, Ohio/Celina), Lucy Gascho (Lebanon, Ind./Lebanon), Mikayla DePover (Rock Island, Ill./Rock Island), and Mariah Sturdivant (Chicago, Ill./George Westinghouse Prep). The team clocked a final time of 1:54.14.
• Sophomore Sophie Morelock (Milan, Mich./Milan) would pick up the second win of the day for Valpo in the 1000 free, touching the wall first at (11:40.88). Tina Berger (Noblesville, Ind.) saw her first action finishing second with a time of 11:53.75 to add points to Valpo’s total.  
• Markley picked up her first individual win of the day and the third straight for the Brown and Gold as she clocked a 2:04.37 in the 200 free. Trinity Springer (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) placed second in her collegiate debut, recording a time of 2:05.61.
• Conn’s first career individual win came in the 50 backstroke as she clocked a 28.89. She picked up her second win in the 100 back (1:02.64).
• DePover’s first individual win of the day came in the 50 breaststroke (32.37). She also won the 100 breaststroke, clocking a 1:10.20.
• Sturdivant placed first in the 50 free (25.80), followed by a second-place finish by Springer (26.09).   
• Markley added to the team’s successful day with a first-place finish in the 100 free, posting a time of 56.60. The sophomore later finished first in the 500 free as she stopped the clock at 5:45.90.
• Gascho’s first individual win of her career came in the 50 fly, finishing with a time of 28.21.
• Morelock’s second individual win of the day came in the 200 IM, finishing in 2:28.17.
• The team of Conn, Springer, Sturdivant and Markley clocked a 3:50.90 in the 400 free relay to place first and end a strong day for the women.
• On the men’s side, freshman Liam Winans (Pensacola, Fla./Booker T. Washington) placed second in his Valpo debut, recording a time of 1:50.98 in the 200 free.
• Junior Dominic May (Naperville, Ill.) picked up his first win of the season in the 100 free, clocking a 47.75.
• Junior Billy Bennett (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) took top honors in the 50 breaststroke (27.72) and also earned a runner-up finish in the 100 breaststroke (1:01.02).
• The Valpo women won the scoring 186-65, while the men fell by a score of 186-85.

Up Next

Valpo will travel to Fishers, Ind. to compete in the Butler Invitational on Sunday, January 31.