NORMAL, Ill. - Quincy University women's swimming went on the road Friday afternoon to take on Division I opponent Illinois State at Horton Pool in Normal, Illinois. The Hawks battled throughout the meet but ultimately fell by a score of 180-82.
Despite the team's result, QU picked up two event victories.
Ellie Benjamin won the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:21.42, leading a 1-2-3 sweep for the Hawks with
Chantal Tiesinga and
Shelby Smith finishing close behind. Quincy also captured the 200-yard freestyle relay, as the quartet of
Bella Sparrow,
Vanja Vrbanec,
Lise Puissant, and
Ariaa Sheth posted a winning time of 1:44.41.
The Hawks collected several additional standout performances against the Redbirds. Tiesinga (11:25.90) and Sheth (11:30.01) finished third and fourth in the 1000-yard freestyle, while Puissant claimed third place in the 500 free (5:36.13).
Faith Cummings was strong in the breaststroke events, taking third in the 100 (1:08.63) and second in the 200 (2:32.53). In the backstroke,
Olga Pucarevic (1:02.53) and
Lise Puissant (1:03.58) secured fourth and fifth in the 100, while freshman
Laiken Vorthmann earned a fourth-place finish in the 200 back (2:15.60).
On the sprint side,
Angelina Pagliaccio (26.78) and Vrbanec (26.95) scored points in the 50 free, and Pucarevic (56.65), alongside Sheth (56.81), notched top-five finishes in the 100 free. Pucarevic added a third-place swim in the 100 butterfly (1:00.83), with Vrbanec contributing a fifth-place effort in the same race.
Quincy showed depth across multiple events despite the strong challenge from Illinois State. With contributions from both veterans and newcomers, the Hawks earned valuable experience early in the season against a Division I foe.
The Hawks will return to action on October 17, traveling to Davenport, Iowa, for a dual meet with St. Ambrose University beginning at 6:00 PM.
