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Dana Kaftan
Sarah Twidwell

Western Illinois Vies To Sink Omaha

| By: WIU Athletic Communications

Leatherneck women host Mavericks at 6:30 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 2)

MACOMB, Ill. – The Western Illinois women's swimming and diving team will host the Omaha Mavericks at 6:30 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 2) inside of Brophy Hall for their first home meet of the season.
 
PIZZA PARTY: All students who attend Friday's meet will receive free pizza while supplies last.
 
THE LAST SWIM: Erica Hagen and Brennan Bladel each won individual events in an Oct. 20 dual meet against IUPUI, Butler and Olivet Nazarene in Indianapolis.
 
Bladel earned his victory in the 100-back by .14 in the 100-back and Hagen swam to her triumph in the 100-breast by just .20. Bladel later came in third in the 200-IM (1:56.91).
 
The Leathernecks also collected a pair of second-place performances. Miranda Mathus netted second in the 200-free (1:56.16) before touching third in the 100-fly (59.98). In his first competition of the season, senior Chance McQuigg registered a second-place finish in the 100-breast (58.49).
 
SWAMP DRAGON SPEED: The Summit League Swimmer of the Week for both Oct. 16 and 23, Brennan Bladel is the first WIU male swimmer to take home two weekly awards in one season since Eric Campbell in 2009.
 
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 School product followed that up with a strong performance on Oct. 20 in a dual meet with IUPUI, Butler and Olivet Nazarene. Bladel won the 100-back (52.21) and later came in third in the 200-IM (1:56.91). He also helped Western Illinois' 200-medley relay team place second (1:35.23) and 400-free relay squad touch fourth (3:14.71).
 
DIVE BAR: Colin Parker was named The Summit League Diver of the Week for Oct. 23, becoming the first Leatherneck diver to earn weekly honors since Doug Ogilvie in 2013. A junior from Maryland Heights, Mo., Parker came in fourth on Saturday in the 3-meter dive (213.98) and fifth in the 1-meter (250.28).
 
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: Western Illinois competes in the House of Champions from Nov. 16-18 in Indianapolis.
 
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