Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, November 9
Ypsilanti, Mich.
1 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
vs
Indiana State
Swim & Dive Preps for Home-Opener Against Indiana State
11/7/2024 11:51:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
The meet will begin at 1 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 9, inside Jones Natatorium
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University swim & dive team will open the home portion of its 2024-25 season Saturday, Nov. 9, at 1 p.m., as it is set to take on the Sycamores of Indiana State at Jones Natatorium.
Fans can follow along with live results on the Meet Mobile App and stay posted to EMUEagles.com for a post-meet recap with full results attached. Also, stay tuned to the team's social media accounts on Instagram, X, and Facebook for EMU swim & dive content.
ALL-TIME AGAINST INDIANA STATE
The Eagles and Sycamores will meet for the third time in the all-time series Saturday. They met as recently as last season as Eastern dropped the meet to ISU, 204-96, in Terre Haute, Nov. 3, 2023. Prior to that contest, EMU and ISU had not met in the pool since the 1981-82 campaign (42 years), Jan. 15, a meet that saw the Eagles emerge victorious, 77-62.
OPENING MAC PLAY WITH A WIN
The Eagles opened Mid-American Conference (MAC) competition with a narrow, 149.5-148.5 win over the Buffalo Bulls, Oct. 26. The win marked the second 2-0 start in the Head Coach Derek Perkins era. His Eagles also started 2-0 in the 2019-20 season, a campaign that saw Eastern finish 4-1 in dual meets and third at the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championships. Additionally, Perkins-led EMU teams are now 5-1 in MAC openers.
RECORD IN HOME OPENERS
The Eagles are 2-3 in home openers in the Perkins era and 35-14 in the program's 49-year history. Last season, the Eagles fell to the RedHawks, 179-120, in the first home meet of the season, Oct. 28. Perkins' Eagles last won a home-opening meet in the 2020-21 season when they topped the Toledo Rockets, 134-104, Nov. 6, a meet that saw former Eagle Bethany Berger earn an NCAA Zone Diving Championships cut with a 292.91 score in the 1m dive.
LAST TIME OUT: AT BUFFALO, OCT. 26
The Eagles escaped enemy territory with a 149.5-148.5 win over Buffalo, Oct. 26. In the pool, they were led by Abby Szadorski (Oswego, Ill./Oswego East), who swept both breaststroke events, winning the 100y in 1:04.12, shaving one second off her previous season-fastest time (1:05.12), and the 200y in 2:20.13. The senior went on to improve her time in the 200y IM, touching the wall in 2:10.05 compared to her 2:11.32 she swam against Cleveland State, Oct. 18. On the boards, Ciara Wheeler (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston) led the team with a fourth-place outing in the 1m dive as she posted 251.85 points in the six-dive format.
FIRST TIME AT JONES
As freshmen, Riess Estep (Smyrna, Ga./Whitefield Academy), Aisling Gutierrez (New Kent, Va./New Kent), Nehir Guven (Istanbul, Turkey/Istek Atanur Oguz Okullari), Rose Kendrick (Geneva, N.Y./Geneva), Megan Lupa (Campden, Ontario/West Niagara Secondary), Nehir Oz (Istanbul, Turkey/Cevre), Taityn Speier (Fairfax, Va./WT Woodson), Azra Umut (Istanbul, Turkey/Fenerbahce School), and Adley Zamore (Tampa, Fla./H.B. Plant) will all compete inside Jones Natatorium for the first time in their respective EMU careers Saturday.
Previously Noted
SZADORSKI EXCELS IN SEASON-OPENING MEET
Szadorski swam to victories in both the 100y (1:05.12) and 200y breaststroke (2:19.26) against the Vikings, and swam the second leg in the 200y medley relay, as the Eastern team of Kiersten Russell (Clinton, Mich./Saline), Szadorski, Tristen Mina (Santa Clara, Calif./The King's Academy), and Lucy Noble (Flagler Beach, Fla./Flagler Palm Coast) touched the wall first in 1:46.18.
DIVER OF THE WEEK
Rebekah Knapp (Mesa, Ariz./Skyline) appeared in mid-season form against Cleveland State, Oct. 18, as she earned an NCAA Zone Diving Championships cut in the 3m dive with a personal-best score of 317.25 points. She also took fourth-place in the 1m dive, posting 245.03 points.
For her efforts, Knapp was named MAC Diver of the Week, Oct. 23. The award marks the second of Knapp's career, the first from the team in 2024, and the first of the Head Diving Coach Tom Gimm era. Knapp previously earned the honor last season, after she placed first in the 3m dive with a score of 306.90 points in Eastern's 173-114 win over Bowling Green, Jan. 26.
BIG SEASON-OPENING WIN
The Eagles opened the season with a 190-108 win over Cleveland State, Oct. 18. The win marked the largest margin of victory (82 points) in a season-opening victory in the Head Coach Derek Perkins era. The win also went down as his fourth win to start a season in his six years at the helm of the program. Six Eagles won multiple events, as the team won nine of the 12 individual swimming events in the meet, and 12-of-16 total events.
ENTERING YEAR SIX UNDER PERKINS
The program is entering its sixth year under Perkins. Overall, he holds a 14-19 record, and 10-10 mark in Mid-American Conference (MAC) competition. Under Perkins, the program has seen 64 Academic All-MAC selections and four College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-America teams.
THE SEASON AHEAD
Eastern is set to compete in nine regular season meets in 2024-25, culminating in the MAC Championships, Feb. 26-March 1. The Eagles will attend meets in the states of Michigan, Ohio, New York, Florida, and Washington.
TOM GIMM – HEAD DIVING COACH
Perkins announced the hiring of Gimm as the Eagles' Head Diving Coach, June 20. He brings extensive club coaching experience and has also coached in the MAC, as he served as the Head Diving Coach at Ohio University from 2016-18. Gimm most recently served as the Head Diving Coach/Director of Diving Operations for Moss Farms Diving, a junior diving powerhouse with a state-of-the-art facility in Moultrie, Ga. Most recently, his Flying Tigers placed second in the 2024 USA Diving Zone B Championships held at the Moss Farms Diving Facility. Gimm also coached high school standout Tuck Gregory to a Georgia High School Association Individual State Championship in 2024.
RETURNERS/NEWCOMERS
This year's Eagles team returns 23 letterwinners from the 2023-24 squad, and welcomes nine newcomers to the team, all of which are freshmen, including Estep, Gutierrez, Guven, Kendrick, Lupa, Oz, Speier, Umut, and Zamore.
DIVING LEADER
On the boards, the Eastern squad is led by Knapp who earned a second-place finish in the 3m dive at the MAC Championships last season, with a score of 301.15.
SWIMMING LEADERS
In the pool, the Eagles return Kiersten Russell (Clinton, Mich./Saline), who clocked the fifth-fastest 100y backstroke time in program history in 54.33. Joining Russell is Nina Larosa (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay), who notched the program's eighth-best 100y breaststroke time in 1:03.00 as a freshman last season. Among Russell and Larosa is Szadorski, who bettered her eighth-best program time in the 200y breaststroke, completing the event in 2:16.60.
MAC COACHES PRESEASON POLL
In a poll with the MAC's eight head coaches, the Eagles' team was picked to finish sixth in the MAC standings for the upcoming 2024-25 campaign.
UP NEXT
The Eagles will have the next week off from competition as they prepare to host the Oakland Golden Grizzlies at Jones Natatorium Thursday, Nov. 21, at 4 p.m.
FOLLOW US
Stay tuned to the team's social media accounts on Instagram, X, and Facebook for EMU swim & dive content.
Fans can follow along with live results on the Meet Mobile App and stay posted to EMUEagles.com for a post-meet recap with full results attached. Also, stay tuned to the team's social media accounts on Instagram, X, and Facebook for EMU swim & dive content.
ALL-TIME AGAINST INDIANA STATE
The Eagles and Sycamores will meet for the third time in the all-time series Saturday. They met as recently as last season as Eastern dropped the meet to ISU, 204-96, in Terre Haute, Nov. 3, 2023. Prior to that contest, EMU and ISU had not met in the pool since the 1981-82 campaign (42 years), Jan. 15, a meet that saw the Eagles emerge victorious, 77-62.
OPENING MAC PLAY WITH A WIN
The Eagles opened Mid-American Conference (MAC) competition with a narrow, 149.5-148.5 win over the Buffalo Bulls, Oct. 26. The win marked the second 2-0 start in the Head Coach Derek Perkins era. His Eagles also started 2-0 in the 2019-20 season, a campaign that saw Eastern finish 4-1 in dual meets and third at the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championships. Additionally, Perkins-led EMU teams are now 5-1 in MAC openers.
RECORD IN HOME OPENERS
The Eagles are 2-3 in home openers in the Perkins era and 35-14 in the program's 49-year history. Last season, the Eagles fell to the RedHawks, 179-120, in the first home meet of the season, Oct. 28. Perkins' Eagles last won a home-opening meet in the 2020-21 season when they topped the Toledo Rockets, 134-104, Nov. 6, a meet that saw former Eagle Bethany Berger earn an NCAA Zone Diving Championships cut with a 292.91 score in the 1m dive.
LAST TIME OUT: AT BUFFALO, OCT. 26
The Eagles escaped enemy territory with a 149.5-148.5 win over Buffalo, Oct. 26. In the pool, they were led by Abby Szadorski (Oswego, Ill./Oswego East), who swept both breaststroke events, winning the 100y in 1:04.12, shaving one second off her previous season-fastest time (1:05.12), and the 200y in 2:20.13. The senior went on to improve her time in the 200y IM, touching the wall in 2:10.05 compared to her 2:11.32 she swam against Cleveland State, Oct. 18. On the boards, Ciara Wheeler (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston) led the team with a fourth-place outing in the 1m dive as she posted 251.85 points in the six-dive format.
FIRST TIME AT JONES
As freshmen, Riess Estep (Smyrna, Ga./Whitefield Academy), Aisling Gutierrez (New Kent, Va./New Kent), Nehir Guven (Istanbul, Turkey/Istek Atanur Oguz Okullari), Rose Kendrick (Geneva, N.Y./Geneva), Megan Lupa (Campden, Ontario/West Niagara Secondary), Nehir Oz (Istanbul, Turkey/Cevre), Taityn Speier (Fairfax, Va./WT Woodson), Azra Umut (Istanbul, Turkey/Fenerbahce School), and Adley Zamore (Tampa, Fla./H.B. Plant) will all compete inside Jones Natatorium for the first time in their respective EMU careers Saturday.
Previously Noted
SZADORSKI EXCELS IN SEASON-OPENING MEET
Szadorski swam to victories in both the 100y (1:05.12) and 200y breaststroke (2:19.26) against the Vikings, and swam the second leg in the 200y medley relay, as the Eastern team of Kiersten Russell (Clinton, Mich./Saline), Szadorski, Tristen Mina (Santa Clara, Calif./The King's Academy), and Lucy Noble (Flagler Beach, Fla./Flagler Palm Coast) touched the wall first in 1:46.18.
DIVER OF THE WEEK
Rebekah Knapp (Mesa, Ariz./Skyline) appeared in mid-season form against Cleveland State, Oct. 18, as she earned an NCAA Zone Diving Championships cut in the 3m dive with a personal-best score of 317.25 points. She also took fourth-place in the 1m dive, posting 245.03 points.
For her efforts, Knapp was named MAC Diver of the Week, Oct. 23. The award marks the second of Knapp's career, the first from the team in 2024, and the first of the Head Diving Coach Tom Gimm era. Knapp previously earned the honor last season, after she placed first in the 3m dive with a score of 306.90 points in Eastern's 173-114 win over Bowling Green, Jan. 26.
BIG SEASON-OPENING WIN
The Eagles opened the season with a 190-108 win over Cleveland State, Oct. 18. The win marked the largest margin of victory (82 points) in a season-opening victory in the Head Coach Derek Perkins era. The win also went down as his fourth win to start a season in his six years at the helm of the program. Six Eagles won multiple events, as the team won nine of the 12 individual swimming events in the meet, and 12-of-16 total events.
ENTERING YEAR SIX UNDER PERKINS
The program is entering its sixth year under Perkins. Overall, he holds a 14-19 record, and 10-10 mark in Mid-American Conference (MAC) competition. Under Perkins, the program has seen 64 Academic All-MAC selections and four College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-America teams.
THE SEASON AHEAD
Eastern is set to compete in nine regular season meets in 2024-25, culminating in the MAC Championships, Feb. 26-March 1. The Eagles will attend meets in the states of Michigan, Ohio, New York, Florida, and Washington.
TOM GIMM – HEAD DIVING COACH
Perkins announced the hiring of Gimm as the Eagles' Head Diving Coach, June 20. He brings extensive club coaching experience and has also coached in the MAC, as he served as the Head Diving Coach at Ohio University from 2016-18. Gimm most recently served as the Head Diving Coach/Director of Diving Operations for Moss Farms Diving, a junior diving powerhouse with a state-of-the-art facility in Moultrie, Ga. Most recently, his Flying Tigers placed second in the 2024 USA Diving Zone B Championships held at the Moss Farms Diving Facility. Gimm also coached high school standout Tuck Gregory to a Georgia High School Association Individual State Championship in 2024.
RETURNERS/NEWCOMERS
This year's Eagles team returns 23 letterwinners from the 2023-24 squad, and welcomes nine newcomers to the team, all of which are freshmen, including Estep, Gutierrez, Guven, Kendrick, Lupa, Oz, Speier, Umut, and Zamore.
DIVING LEADER
On the boards, the Eastern squad is led by Knapp who earned a second-place finish in the 3m dive at the MAC Championships last season, with a score of 301.15.
SWIMMING LEADERS
In the pool, the Eagles return Kiersten Russell (Clinton, Mich./Saline), who clocked the fifth-fastest 100y backstroke time in program history in 54.33. Joining Russell is Nina Larosa (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay), who notched the program's eighth-best 100y breaststroke time in 1:03.00 as a freshman last season. Among Russell and Larosa is Szadorski, who bettered her eighth-best program time in the 200y breaststroke, completing the event in 2:16.60.
MAC COACHES PRESEASON POLL
In a poll with the MAC's eight head coaches, the Eagles' team was picked to finish sixth in the MAC standings for the upcoming 2024-25 campaign.
UP NEXT
The Eagles will have the next week off from competition as they prepare to host the Oakland Golden Grizzlies at Jones Natatorium Thursday, Nov. 21, at 4 p.m.
FOLLOW US
Stay tuned to the team's social media accounts on Instagram, X, and Facebook for EMU swim & dive content.
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