Panthers Swim Heads to Valparaiso For Friday Meet

Panthers Swim Heads to Valparaiso For Friday Meet | https://images.sidearmdev.com/

By East Central Reporter Reports

Jan 20, 2023

EIU Men (1-4) and Women's Swimming (2-4) vs. Valparaiso Men (1-4) and Women's Swimming (1-3)
Friday, Jan. 20 at 5 p.m.
Valparaiso, Ind. | ARC Pool

ON-TAP: Eastern Illinois' swimming dives back into action as the Panthers look to bounce back in Valparaiso, Ind. on Friday evening. EIU will take on the Beacons of Valparaiso at ARC Pool for their first meet since Jan. 7. The Panthers have four meet left before the Summit League tournament.

EARLIER THIS SEASON: Eastern Illinois and Valparaiso will be very familiar with each other as both teams already played each other earlier this season at Padovan pool. During the meet, Eastern Illinois won on the men and women's side for their first win of the season.

Between both teams, the Panthers put together 12 first place finishes to defeat the Beacons. The men's team won 158-103 while the women's team won by a final score of 192-69.

Kaylan Ottosen recorded four total wins on the day back in October with two individual wins coming in the 200 free (2:00.85) and 100 butterfly (59.98).

On the men's side, Dismas Dillon also recorded two first place finishes including in the 50 free (21.47) which marked his first win of the season.

LAST TIME OUT: The Panthers dropped their first meet of 2023 two weeks ago when they traveled to Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill. EIU's women's team lost in a close matchup by a final score of 117-142 while the men's lost 84-177.

Olivia Viele had herself a day when she took home three first place finishes, two of them for her individual efforts. Viele had won the 50 yard backstroke to start her meet with a finals time of 28.45. She later came back and won the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:01.70.

Despite the loss, Andrew Herman had a breakout meet with two individual wins while also helped the men's relay team post a second place finish in the200 medley. Herman won the 50 backstroke and 100 backstroke with times of 24.30 and 52.45

SUMMIT LEAGUE TOP TEP: Four swimmers from EIU swimming are in the top ten in times in the Summit League this season. For the men's team, Andrew Herman ranks eighth in the Summit League in the 50 back with a time of 23.24 which he posted at the A3 Performance Invite. Herman also ranks 10th in the 100 yard backstroke (50.10).

Camryn Lewis remains in the top ten with her time of 23.50 in the 50 yard freestyle which puts her in ninth place in the league.

Corinne Staneart remains the highest ranking Panther in any event after ranking third in the Summit League in the 200 yard breaststroke with a time of 2:17.97. Staneart also ranks ninth in the 200 IM with a time of 2:07.15.

Closing out the ranking for EIU, Cydney Adams makes the list after placing a top ten time in the 200 fly (2:09.94) during the A3 Performance Invite.

NEXT UP: Eastern Illinois will return home to Padovan Pool next Thursday, Jan. 26 at 5 p.m. when they take on the Salukis of Southern Illinois.

HEAD COACH: An experienced coach at the collegiate level with additional experience on the international level, Johnathan Jordan comes to EIU following a seven-year stint as the head coach at Lincoln College where he helped grow the program from a two-year college program to a member swimming at the NAIA level. He becomes the ninth coach in school history at EIU.

On the international level, Jordan was a member of the Marshall Islands Swimming Federation coaching staff with athletes competing in the World Championships, Pacific Games Oceania Games and the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. He also worked on the Fiji Swimming Federation coaching staff for one summer helping develop the program's Olympic qualification standards and as a member of the Oceania National Olympic Committee.