The Valparaiso University swimming team started off the Carthage Classic in Kenosha, Wis. with a big splash as junior Dylan Kirar (Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley) took down an eight-year-old school record on day one. Multiple swimmers and relays moved into the all-time Top Ten list for Valpo. Kirar posted another victory on day two, while teammates senior Max Penn (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep.) and junior Bob Bretl (Wauwatosa, Wis./Marquette University H.S.) added second and third-place finishes, respectively. Sophomore Tara Lawson (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein) led the way for the Crusader women with a runner-up finish on day two.

How It Happened

The quartet of junior Mac Sogandares (Reston, Va./South Lakes), sophomore Dylan Ogle (Simpsonville, S.C./Mauldin), Bretl and Kirar combined for a third-place finish in the 800-free relay with a time of 7:03.05 on the first day, which moves them into seventh all-time.

The women captured a third-place, as well. The foursome of sophomores Paige Wright (Surprise, Ariz./Paradise Honors), Danielle Richardson (Valparaiso, Ind./Chesterton) and Erica Martins (Hartland, Wis./Lake County Lutheran), along with senior anchor Amanda Jenny (New Albany, Ohio/New Albany) totaled a time of 7:56.06 in the 800-free relay, and is now the seventh-fastest time in Valpo history.

Kirar bested the previous school record of 16:14.96 set in 2009 in the grueling 1650-free. His time came in first at 16:07.73, well ahead of second-place which was 16:31.71.

In the first event on day two, the 200-IM, sophomore Brendon Johnson (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) moved into seventh on the all-time list when he touched the wall in fifth with a time of 1:58.92. He added another top-ten time later in the meet in the 200-breast at 2:11.93. That puts him eighth in Valpo history for that race, while he finished fifth in the meet.

Sophomore Emily Baumgartner (Fishers, Ind./Fishers) grabbed fifth-place for the women in the 200-breast, going 2:34.22.

Sophomore Harrison Jenny (New Albany, Ohio/New Albany) took the fourth spot in the 100-free, coming in at 47.83.

Wright picked up a fourth-place finish for the Crusaders, along with cracking the top-ten list in the 100-free, as well, with a time of 54.07. She now sits in tenth for this event.

Amanda Jenny wound up right behind Wright in the 100-free for fifth-place, clocking a time of 54.22. She then went on to place fourth in the 500-free recording a time of 5:21.80.

Penn and Lawson both saw their runner-up finishes come in the 200-back. Penn stopped the clock at 1:53.40, while Lawson was timed at 2:08.55. Newcomer Megan Lugar (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) added a third-place finish in the same race, coming in at 2:13.80. Both Lawson and Lugar moved into the history book with Lawson moving all the way up to second-best all time with her effort. Lugar’s time puts her tenth all-time.

In the 100-fly, both Ogle and Martins came in fifth-place for Valpo. Ogle posted a time of 53.34 for the men, while Martins stopped the waves at 1:00.94 for the women.

The distance duo of Kirar and Bretl brought home first and third-place finishes in the 500-free. Kirar clocked in before anyone else at 4:40.01, and put himself second all-time in Crusader history with that swim. Bretl reached the wall in 4:48.83.

The group of Penn, sophomore Adrian Acero (Bogotá, Colombia/Agustiniano Salitre), Ogle and Harrison Jenny jumped into ninth all-time with their combined time of 3:32.67 in the 400-medley relay. That placed them fourth overall in the meet.

On the women’s side, Wright, Baumgartner, Martins and Amanda Jenny joined forces for third-place with a time of 4:06.64 in the 400-medley relay.

Sogandares, Penn, Kirar and Harrison Jenny got together to post a time of 1:27.31 in the 200-free relay, which put them in third at the end of the race.

Lugar, freshman Lillia Pogue (Corpus Christi, Texas/Flour Bluff), Lawson and freshman Mariah Sturdivant (Chicago, Ill./George Westinghouse Prep.) finished with a time of 1:44.02 in fifth-place.

Up Next

The Crusaders will cap off the third and final day of action Saturday at the Carthage Classic before taking time off from competition until January.