The Valparaiso University men’s and women’s swimming teams competed in their first away meet of the 2018-19 season on Saturday afternoon at the University of Northern Iowa. Valpo squared off against the Panthers, along with Western Illinois and South Dakota State. Senior Dylan Kirar (Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley) was the top swimmer on the afternoon for Valpo, taking home first in the 1000-free.

How It Happened

• For the men, the final score after event 32 was Western Illinois 183-93 Valparaiso, and South Dakota State 219-65 Valparaiso.
• In the men’s race, Kirar capped off the afternoon with a great performance in the 1000-free, posting a 10:17.35 time, good for first place in the event. His senior counterpart Robbie Bretl (Wauwatosa, Wis./Marquette University H.S.) was not far behind, clocking in at in 10:28.04.
• In his second meet as a member of the Brown and Gold, freshman Dominic May (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) posted another quality finish, recording a 1:47.89 time in the 200-free, good for third overall.
• Senior Mac Sogandares(Reston, Va./South Lakes) also logged a third place finish in the 200-breaststroke, stopping the clock at 2:19.43. Kirar finished right behind him in that event as well, placing fourth in 2:19.54.
• In the women’s race, the final score on the afternoon was 253-40 in favor of Northern Iowa, Western Illinois 202-82 Valparaiso, and South Dakota State 208-71 Valparaiso.
• After a great start to her 2018-19 campaign, junior Paige Wright(Surprise, Ariz./Paradise Honors) picked up where she left off last week, posting a pair of fourth-place finishes. She recorded a 55.55 finish in the 100-free, and touched the wall in 1:01.73 in the 100-back.
• There were also plenty more promising signs from freshman Isabel Jenny (New Albany, Ohio/New Albany). Jenny clocked a 2:15.66 finish in the 200-back, good for fourth overall in the event.

Up Next

Valpo will return to action back at the ARC Pool on Saturday, Oct. 27, when it hosts Eastern Illinois. Event start times will be announced soon.