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Claire Straetker
Sarah Twidwell

Swimming and Diving Heads To Indianapolis For Dual Meet

| By: WIU Athletic Communications

Leathernecks compete at 2 p.m. on Saturday (Oct. 20) against IUPUI, Butler and Olivet Nazarene

MACOMB, Ill. – After a strong meet to open the season last week, the Western Illinois swimming and diving teams head to Indianapolis on Saturday (Oct. 20) for a dual meet against IUPUI.
 
MEET INFORMATION: The Leathernecks will compete against the Jaguars, Butler Bulldogs and Olivet Nazarene Tigers. The meet will take place at the IUPUI Natatorium.
 
THE LAST SWIM: Five Western Illinois Leatherneck male swimmers won individual events in Saturday's (Oct. 13) dual meet with Northern Iowa, Valparaiso and South Dakota State in Cedar Falls.
 
Brennan Bladel was the only member of the Purple and Gold to win two events, taking both the 200-yard back (1:55.64) and 200-IM (1:57.87). Samir Almhiemid collected a victory in the 100-back (53.57) and Garrett Kemp did the same in the 200-fly (1:57.86).  Freshman Adam Peterson sprinted to first place in the 50-free with a time of 21.66 while Phillip Kudela swiped the 1000-free in 10:17.38.
 
On the women's side, Erica Hagen took second in the 100-breast (1:06.29), third in the 200-breast (2:33.44) and third in the 200-IM (2:17.73). During the 200-IM, Laramie Reed came .16 back of first place with a 2:16.86 swim.
 
SWAMP DRAGON SPEED: Brennan Bladel was named The Summit League's Swimmer of the Week, the conference announced Tuesday (Oct. 16). Bladel is the first Leatherneck men's athlete to earn Swimmer of the Week since Chris Neaveill in 2016.
 
A native of Davenport, Iowa, Bladel was the only Western Illinois swimmer to win two events in Saturday's (Oct. 13) dual meet with Northern Iowa, Valparaiso and South Dakota State. The junior touched first in the 200-back (1:55.64) before setting a personal-record in taking the 200-IM (1:57.87).
 
The Davenport North High Schoo product also narrowly missed first place in the 200-free with his time of 1:43.89 marking second by just .84. Bladel also teamed with Connor Owens, Samir Almhiemid and Adam Peterson to notch a win in the 200-medley relay (1:37.30).
 
BLADEL RUNNER: Prior to the 2018-19 season, The Summit League named Brennan Bladel a 'Swimmer to Watch' for Western Illinois. A junior from Davenport, Iowa, Bladel holds the Western Illinois record in the 200-free with a time of 1:39.54. The Davenport North product is also second in school history in the 100-back (50.34), 200-back (1:50.76) and 100-fly (49.72), respectively. Bladel's 45.94 time in the 100-free is the fifth-best such swim in the program's record books.
 
HAGEN-DAZS: Perhaps the top returner for Western Illinois is Erica Hagen. The senior from Lisle, Ill., is the school-record holder in both the 100-breast (1:03.33) and 200-breast (2:21.55). She also ranks eighth in the 200-IM with a mark of 2:11.33. The Summit League named Hagen a 'Swimmer to Watch' in the preseason.
 
PRESEASON POLL: The Summit League revealed their preseason polls, conducted by the conference's coaches. The Leatherneck men were picked fourth with 12 points, while the women were selected fifth with nine points.
 
OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW: This season, eight new freshman will compete for the Western Illinois women's team. Emily Check, Caitlin Dassow, Alexis Dreyer, Samantha Kessinger, Shannon O'Malley, Madeline Pittman, Laramie Reed and Keelie Shuck are all newcomers for the Leathernecks. On the men's side, Tyler Cunningham, Nicholas Kontos, Julian Newman, Jordan Ovanic and Adam Peterson are freshmen who will compete for the first time at the collegiate level this season.
 
UP NEXT: The Western Illinois women host Omaha at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, November 2 in a dual meet against Omaha. The Leatherneck men will not compete until the House of Champions from Nov. 16-18 in Indianapolis.
 
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