Illinois swim and dive is gearing up for what could be its final meet of the season: the Big Ten championships. The Illini have had a rocky season, where they currently sit at a 2-6 record overall and a 0-2 conference record. Despite this, the Illini have had numerous school, pool and personal records beaten throughout.
Last week, freshmen Gwen Bakker and Kylee Sessions and junior Sydney Stoll competed at the Louisville Invite, where they saw some impressive times for their events, including Stoll breaking the 100 IM school record.
Head coach Jeana Kempe said the team has not been able to swim at their home pool, but they have remained focused on their upcoming meets.
“We’ve been given some adversities in the past two weeks,” Kempe said. “They looked at everything on the positive side. To me, (that) almost prepared them more for this meet. We were a little all over the place. The divers had to drive an hour to practice. Being disciplined and having to plan their days better … rising to that occasion, I thought they handled it so well.”
These challenges served as blessings in disguise. Kempe said the additional challenges were a distraction from small issues that the team would be facing at this point in the season.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
Purdue is hosting the Big Ten championship, which is a location that Illinois is very familiar with this season. It will be the third time Illinois has competed in West Lafayette, Indiana, in the past three months. The first occasion was their midseason meet, where they placed third of eight. Sessions, juniors Suvana Baskar and Logan Kuehne and senior Lily Olson broke the school record for the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:39.37 on this trip.
At the second Purdue dual meet, Illinois lost 92-208, but freshman Elle Crisostomo earned a personal best and eighth-highest in program history on the platform dive with a score of 215.35.
Kempe said that since the coaching staff got to Illinois two years ago, they have been focusing on areas of growth, and she has seen the team be more consistent.
“I’m so ready to watch the divers and the swimmers take that to the next level,” Kempe said. “They have it. They’re ready to go, it’s all there, and I’m really excited to watch it happen.”
Illinois swim and dive will compete at the Big Ten championship in West Lafayette, Indiana, from Wednesday through Saturday. The Purdue Long Course Time trials will take place on Sunday.
