Eastern Illinois University’s swimming program faced a challenging outing this past Friday, as both the men’s and women’s teams struggled to keep pace with McKendree University and Little Rock at a highly competitive tri-meet. According to the official results posted by EIU Athletics, the Panthers encountered a tough afternoon in the pool, with the men’s squad falling 165 to 91 against McKendree. The women’s team faced an even steeper climb, dropping their matchups 182 to 78 against McKendree and 176 to 79 against Little Rock.
Individual Highlights Amidst the Competition
Despite the lopsided team scores, the Panthers secured nine podium finishes, showcasing individual talent capable of standing out in high-pressure environments. On the men’s side, Poyraz San Askin led the charge by capturing a gold medal in the 400-yard IM with a finishing time of 4:17.45. San Askin remained a focal point of the team’s performance throughout the day, also securing a second-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle at 4:41.18. Jameson Cooke followed his teammate in the 400-yard IM, taking silver with a time of 4:21.96.
The men’s relay depth also proved vital. The 400-yard freestyle relay team—comprising Jack Hannon, Luke Helm, RJ Higgins, and Eddie Myers—clinched a first-place finish with a collective time of 3:13.41. Additional silver and bronze efforts from the men’s team included:
- Elijah Nevins: 2nd place, 200-yard backstroke (2:00.89)
- Carson Hughes: 2nd place, 50-yard freestyle (21.60)
- Simonas Rimskis: 3rd place, 200-yard breaststroke (2:11.94)
Women’s Team Resilience
The EIU women’s team fought through a demanding slate of events against two formidable opponents. Sophia Buswell provided a standout performance for the Panthers, earning a silver medal in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:17.86. Anna Mueller added to the team’s tally with a third-place finish in the grueling 1650-yard freestyle, clocking in at 18:23.20, while Jenna Patridge secured third in the 200-yard backstroke at 2:11.59.
Rounding out the top performances for the women were Aubrey Faith McLaughlin, who finished fourth in the 400-yard IM at 4:51.51; Kara Anne Hofmann, who took fourth in the 500-yard freestyle at 5:32.34; and Maja Przybylska, who claimed fifth in the 100-yard freestyle with a 55.56 finish.
Looking Toward the SIU A3 Performance Invite
For collegiate programs, these early-season tri-meets serve as essential benchmarks for coaching staffs to evaluate conditioning and technical adjustments before the mid-season championship meets. The results from Friday highlight the gap between the Panthers and the competition, particularly in team depth, which is often the deciding factor in dual-meet scoring structures.
The Panthers are already shifting their focus toward the next phase of their schedule. The team is set to travel to the SIU A3 Performance Invite, which runs from November 12th through November 14th. This upcoming event will provide a broader stage to test their endurance and refine their race strategies as the season progresses toward the winter break.
