NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In a nonconference dual meet decided by the final event, Vanderbilt emerged victorious Saturday at the Centennial Sportsplex with a 134-128 triumph over visiting Illinois. Vandy out-touched the Illini in the 200-yard freestyle relay to win by .15 seconds, with Eleanor Beers anchoring the winning quartet to finish in 1:34.20.
“This was a team win today,” said Vanderbilt head coach Jeremy Organ. “Everyone contributed to put us in a situation where the last relay takes the meet.”
On the front end of the meet, Vanderbilt took the 200-yard medley relay in 1:43.59. Mercedes Traba (10:20.19) won the 1,000-yard freestyle by over six seconds. Tonner Debeer (56.30) paced three Vanderbilt point-scorers with a first-place showing in the 100-yard backstroke.
Illinois racked up first-place points in each of the next five events until Francesca Neubauer snapped the streak by going 2:20.99 for a one-second win in the 200-yard breaststroke.
Debeer (55.33) added another win in the 100-yard butterfly to help set the stage for the final relay, and ultimately, the Vanderbilt victory.
The home portion of the schedule resumes when Vanderbilt plays host to Tulane at 1 p.m. on Nov. 6.
