The Valpo men’s and women’s swimming teams returned to the pool Friday afternoon with a dual meet at Evansville, the first of back-to-back meets this weekend for the Beacons. The dual against the Purple Aces was the first of three against conference opponents for both the men and the women this season.

How It Happened

• Four individuals posted second-place finishes to lead Valpo on Friday, three of which came on the women’s side. The Beacons claimed runner-up honors in both of the distance swims, as junior Sophie Morelock (Milan, Mich./Milan) took second-place points in the 1000 free with a time of 11:37.91 and sophomore Trinity Springer (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) placed second in the 500 free with a time of 5:43.14.
• Also earning a second-place finish on the women’s side was freshman Haley Hume (Ballwin, Mo./Marquette), as she touched the wall second in the 200 back with a time of 2:16.32.
• On the men’s side, sophomore Brett Little (Princeton, Iowa/North Scott) was second-quickest in the 50 free, posting a time of 22.22 for the sprint.
• Valpo’s 400 medley relay squad earned a second-place finish as well with a time of 3:38.73. Senior Dominic May (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) recorded the fastest final split of the race, completing his 100 free in 47.35.
• Hume added a third-place individual finish to her second-place showing in the 200 back, as she touched the wall in 2:03.48 in the 200 free to lead Valpo in that event. Also leading the Beacons with third-place individual finishes were freshman Bridget Pollard (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield South) with a time of 2:20.99 in the 200 IM and senior Chiara Robinson (Castle Pines, Colo./Rock Canyon) with a time of 56.15 in the 100 free.
• The men had five different individuals lead the way for Valpo in their respective events with third-place showings. In the distance races, freshman Alex Koetter (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller) touched third with a time of 10:31.88 in the 1000 free and senior Derek Eidson (Ventura, Calif./Ventura) came home in 5:11.12 in the 500 free.
• May added a third in the 100 free to his impressive relay split, posting a time of 48.90. Freshman Ethan Welker (Clear Spring, Md./Saint James School) touched third in the 200 IM with a time of 2:01.88, while sophomore Ian Jaegers (Los Alamos, N.M./Los Alamos) posted a time of 2:08.42 in the 200 back.
• The Purple Aces won the team scoring on both fronts — 155-50 on the men’s side and 166-53 on the women’s side.

Next Up

It’s a quick turnaround for the swimmers, as Valpo returns to the pool Saturday at the Indiana Intercollegiates in West Lafayette, hosted by Purdue. The meet is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. CT, and links for live video and scoring are available at ValpoAthletics.com.