The Valparaiso University men’s and women’s swimming squads continued their 2015-16 seasons Saturday evening at Eastern Illinois. EIU downed the Crusaders on both sides, as the Valpo men fell 120-85 and the women dropped a 125-69 decision.

Between the two teams, six Crusaders combined for seven first-place finishes on the day, highlighted by a pair of first-place showings for freshman Dylan Kirar (Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley) on the men’s side. Kirar touched the wall first in the 400 IM with a time of 4:24.58 and added a second top showing later in the 500 free, posting a time of 4:54.38.

Joining Kirar with first-place finishes on the men’s side were seniors Gonzalo Castro Diaz (Mexico City, Mexico/Instituto Oxford) and Fred Jenny (New Albany, Ohio/New Albany). Castro Diaz recorded a win with a time of 1:46.15 in the 200 free, while Jenny was the fastest competitor in the 100 free, finishing just seven-hundredths of a second off Valpo’s all-time top-10 in the event with a time of 47.80.

The Crusaders earned three wins on the women’s side of the ledger in three separate freestyle events. Sophomore Paiton Krebs (Sarasota, Fla./Cardinal Mooney) kicked off the first individual event of the meet on a strong note with a first-place showing in the 1000 free, covering the distance in 11:19.80. Junior Emily Trimpe (New Palestine, Ind./New Palestine) earned an event victory with a time of 2:00.72 in the 200 free.

Later in the meet, freshman Betsy Pogue (Corpus Christi, Texas/Flour Bluff) took first place in the 500 free, touching the wall in 5:32.76. Elsewhere, while she came in second place in the event, junior Rachel Law (Wayne, Pa./Villa Maria Academy) earned a spot among Valpo’s all-time best in the 400 IM, as her time of 4:50.88 is eighth-best in Crusader history.

Valparaiso returns to the pool next Friday and Saturday with meets against Rose-Hulman and Saginaw Valley State, respectively.