BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Normally the collegiate swimming & diving season would begin in early to mid-October and by the third week of January thoughts would be turning to the year-end championship meets. The COVID 19 pandemic has turned that completely upside down and on Saturday, January 23 the Augustana swimming & diving team hit the water in a competitive situation for the first time in the 2020-21 season.
 
It was successful for both the men and the women as head coach Dan Lloyd's team came away with a pair of victories over Illinois Wesleyan at the Fort Natatorium in Bloomington, Illinois. The Vikings took a pair of close decisions with the women winning 139-132 while the men triumphed 132-129 over the Titans. In both meets Augustana was forced to come from behind and it was the final two events that made the difference in each win.
 
"I could not be more proud of our entire team and the way we performed today," said Lloyd. "Everyone stepped up and gave everything they had in every race."
 
Lloyd acknowledged that this has been a unique season so far and he paid a huge compliment to his team.
 
"Over this season where we have faced so many challenges we have stayed strong and committed to each other throughout it all. That is truly the greatest strength of our team," he commented. "Today that strength and commitment could be seen as we were ready for this moment to finally compete and race as one team and represent Augustana with great honor and pride."
 
Augustana will be in action again on Saturday, January 30 in a dual meet at Wheaton.
 
AUGUSTANA 139, ILLINOIS WESLEYAN 132 (WOMEN) – Augustana opened the 2020-21 women's swimming & diving season with a dramatic 139-132 win over Illinois Wesleyan on Saturday, January 23 in the Fort Natatorium water in Bloomington, Illinois. The Vikings used a 26-10 scoring advantage in the final two events of the meet to give head coach Dan Lloyd his first victory over the Titans on the women's side of things in his Augustana career.
 
Augustana trailed 122-113 heading into the 200 individual medley, the penultimate event on the afternoon. Junior Lauren Raike (Alamo Heights HS, San Antonio, Texas) won the event in 2:19.40 and freshman Emily Martin (Fort Zumwalt West HS, Troy, Mo.) grabbed second in 2:19.78. That trimmed the advantage to 128-126 and set the stage for the final event, which was the 200 free relay. The Vikings number one team of junior Aviana Zahara (Pleasant Valley HS, Moline, Ill.), freshman Micaela Koeppen (El Modena HS, Orange, Calif.), sophomore Dominique Valentine (Walnut Hills HS, Cincinnati, Ohio) and junior Isabelle Seten (Champaign Centennial HS, Champaign, Ill.) pulled away from the Titans to win in 1:42.60. For good measure the second Augustana team took third in 1:46.22 to leave no doubt in the 139-132 final score. The members of that second unit were junior Madelynn Marunde (Belvidere North HS, Belvidere, Ill.), junior Alicia Garcia (Seminole HS, Lake Mary, Fla.), sophomore Megan Frost (McHenry East HS, Lakemoor, Ill.) and freshman Olivia White (Moline HS, Moline, Ill.).
 
Zahara had a tremendous day in the water as she won the 100 backstroke in 1:00.72 and the 100 freestyle in :54.87 and handled the leadoff leg on the 200 medley relay team that opened the meet with a win in 1:52.86. She was joined on the 200 medley relay by Marunde, Valentine and Seten. Marunde took second in the 100 breaststroke (1:12.46) and third in the 1000 freestyle (11:35.99). Valentine placed second in both the 200 freestyle (2:02.35) and 100 butterfly (1:02.86). Seten won the 50 freestyle in :25.48 as well as anchoring both victorious relays.
 
Freshman Olivia White (Moline HS, Moline, Ill.) made the most of her first collegiate competition as she won the 1000 freestyle in 11:16.34 and came back later to take the 500 freestyle in 5:32.95.
 
Freshman Kaite Zaborenko (Glenbrook South HS, Glenview, Ill.) led a one-two sweep in the one meter diving event as she scored 161.15 points. Junior Amy Nicholson (East Leyden HS, Schiller Park, Ill.) was second with a score of 101.85.
 
Before she won the 200 individual medley, Raike took first in the 200 breaststroke in 2:36.20.
 
Martin was third in the 200backstroke in 2:20.11 and fourth in the 100 backstroke in 1:03.42. Frost placed third in the 50 freestyle (:26.44) while Koeppen took third in the 100 butterfly (1:03.24) and fourth in the 100 breaststroke (1:13.96). Sophomore Maddie McFarland (Barrington HS, Tower Lakes, Ill.) was fourth in the 200 backstroke in 2:20.34 and Garcia took fourth in the 200 freestyle in 2:07.05.