Swim and Dive to Host First Home Meet at Jones Natatorium Since 2020-21 Season

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- For the first time since the 2020-21 Mid-American Conference Swimming and Diving Championships, the Eastern Michigan University Swim and Dive team will have a true home meet inside the friendly confines of Jones Natatorium on the campus of EMU when the Eagles play host to the visiting Miami University RedHawks, Saturday, Oct. 28, at 1 p.m.

Fans can follow along via livestats on emueagles.com/livestats or download the Meet Mobile app to stay up-to-date with all the in-meet action.

Last Time Out
The Eagles aim to bounce back from their season-opening loss at the University of Kentucky, 179.5-93.5, inside Lancaster Aquatic Center in Lexington, Ky.

Eastern excelled in the 400 IM against the Wildcats as it claimed the top four spots in the event with performances from Abby Szadorski (Oswego, Ill./Oswego East), Tristen Mina (Santa Clara, Calif./The King's Academy), Taylor Harris (Tiffin, Ohio/Calvert/Bowling Green State), and Maren Romine (San Antonio, Texas/International School of the Americas). Szadorski took home first place in the event, finishing in 4:34.10.

Eastern's A and B 200 yard freestyle relay teams followed suit with the 400 IM competitors, as they too claimed the top two spots with Katie Shoen (Owego, N.Y/Owego Free Academy), Lucy Noble (Flagler Beach, Fla./Flagler Palm Coast), Kiersten Russell (Clinton, Mich./Saline), and Katarina Pastar (Vienna, Austria/Gymnasium) clocking in at 1:37.67 for the A team. The B team, consisting of Emma Littrell (Taylor Mill, Ky./St. Henry District), Abbey Whipple (State College, Pa./State College Area), Hannah Ward (Waterford, Ontario/Holy Trinity Catholic), and Hannah Hardin (Granville, Ohio/Granville), finished closely behind in 1:38.70.

Sophomore Ali Kudo (Guelph, Ontario/John F. Ross Collegiate Vocational Institute) picked up where she left off from her All-MAC Second Team season one year ago as she placed second in the 500 yard freestyle with a time of 5:04.81.

On the boards, EMU's divers made it look easy with Eagles filling the top four spots in the one-meter dive. Senior Savannah Fisk (Chelsea,Mich./Chelsea) placed first, scoring 257.93 points. Fisk was followed by Keira Veltigian (Oxford, Mich./Oxford) (251.48), Malia Maire (San Luis Obispo, Calif./San Luis Obispo) (231.83), and Rebekah Knapp (Mesa, Ariz./Skyline) (200.18). Additionally, Maire's 231.83 goes down as a career-best for the second-year Eagle.

The Green and White found its way high onto the three-meter diving leaderboards as well with Veltigian leading the way for EMU, notching 268.73 points, tailed closely by Camryn Hughes (London, Ontario/Sir Frederick Banting Secondary), who posted 264.23.

Opening MAC Contest
The Eagles bring their A game when opening conference play. Under Head Coach Derek Perkins (2019-pres.) the Eagles have yet to fall in its first contest against a conference opponent. Moreover, Eastern's streak of opening MAC competition with a win dates back to the 2012-13 season, when it topped Ohio University, 168-132. The last time the Green and White lost its first MAC meet of the year came in the 2011-12 season, in a razor-thin, 151-149, loss to the Bobcats of Ohio. Eastern will look to make it 12 straight seasons kicking-off conference competition with a win when it hosts the RedHawks Saturday afternoon.

Scouting the RedHawks
The RedHawks have gotten an early start on the season as they have tucked three meets under their belt while the Eagles have competed in just one.

Miami enters Saturday's contest holding a 2-1 record with wins over Horizon League members Cleveland State University and Oakland University by a combined score of 429-169. Their one loss came in their most recent meet against the Northwestern University Wildcats, as they were bested by the Big Ten institution, 161.5-137.5.

Up Next
Eastern will venture to Terre Haute, Ind. to take on the Sycamores of Indiana State University at Vigo County Aquatic Center at 5 p.m. The Eagles hold a 1-0 all-time record against the Sycamores, with the lone contest between the two institutions coming in the 1981-82 season, resulting in a 77-62 win in favor of the Eagles, Jan. 15, 1982.

To stay up-to-date on all things Eastern Michigan swimming and diving, be sure to follow the teams on X (@EMUSwimDive), Instagram (@emuswimanddive) and Facebook (@EMUSwimming & Diving).

Swim and Dive to Host First Home Meet at Jones Natatorium Since 2020-21 Season

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Players Mentioned

Savannah Fisk

Hannah Hardin

Taylor Harris

Camryn Hughes

Rebekah Knapp

Emma Littrell

Malia Maire

Tristen Mina

Lucy Noble

Katarina Pastar

Maren Romine

Kiersten Russell

Katie Shoen

Abby Szadorski

Keira Veltigian

Hannah Ward

Abbey Whipple

Eastern Michigan Athletics