CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Vanderbilt swimmers posted pool-record performances while featuring multiple repeat winners from a week ago, but it was not enough to overcome Illinois as the Commodores fell 156-106 to the Fighting Illini at the ARC Pool on Saturday.
Kailia Utley accomplished both, setting pool records while winning both the 100 and 200 butterfly for the second week in a row, and Faith Knelson was victorious in the 100 breaststroke while setting a new facility standard in the race.
Grace Ciaramitaro and Abby Francis won the 200 backstroke and 100 freestyle, respectively, for the second consecutive week as well for Vandy (1-2).
“This was another good, hard-fought meet for us,” head coach Jeremy Organ said. “We weren’t able to come up with a couple of key races that tipped the scales, but overall I really like the way this team is coming together and competing right now. We’re looking forward to a good midseason meet in 10 days.”
The fall season will conclude with the Gamecock Invitational, which gets underway in Columbia, South Carolina, on Nov. 15.
Meet Highlights
-Knelson recorded the Dores’ initial victory of the meet in the 100 breast.
-Utley followed by claiming the 200 fly, while her win in 100 fly was Vandy’s last of the day.
-The victories from Francis and Ciaramitaro came in back-to-back races.
-Megan Ciezczak was runner-up in both the 50 and 100 free.
-Ellie Taliaferro touched the wall second in the 200 free, with Madelyn Porter also placing second in the 500 free.
Notes
-This was just the second meeting ever between the two programs, and first in Champaign.
-Ciaramitaro moved into second on Vanderbilt’s all-time performer list in the 200 back after finishing the race in 1:59.39.
-Porter touched the wall in 10:25.13 in the 1,000 free to move into the top 10 all-time in the event at Vandy, and her 5:01.18 mark in the 500 free was a career best as well.
-Utley’s times in the 100 (54.18) and 200 (2:00.36) were her fastest of the season.
-After posting a season-low 1:01.74 mark in the 100 breast, Knelson picked up her first individual victory of the campaign and the ninth of her career.
-A pair of freshmen—Liv Gooding and Kate Heintz—recorded times that meet the NIC B Standard.
-Gooding accomplished the feat with a mark of 4:29.92 in the 400 IM, while Heintz had a 2:04.82 time in the 200 fly.
-Ciezczak’s times in the 50 (23.67) and 100 (52.12) free were her fastest of the season.
-Carpenter also posted season-low marks in multiple races, turning the trick in both the 100 (56.13) and 200 (2:02.10) back.
-Taylor Carey led the Commodores in the 200 breast, with her time in the race of 2:21.72 the best on the team thus far this fall.
