IOWA CITY, IOWA – The UIC women's swimming and diving teams placed seventh out of ten teams in their first Missouri Valley Conference Championship. The Flames finished with 718.50 points.
 
Many Flames received recognition from the MVC. Kerry-Leigh Morrison was recognized as the Freshman Diver of the Meet, while diving coach Susan Bromberg was awarded Diving Coach of the Meet.
 
Poleena Kovalaske claimed First-Team Honors for her performance in the 50 free (23.06). Ciara McCliment was added to First-Team for her 3m diving (300.87).Madison Helmick, Taira Juronis, Kalie Landrum, Ciara McCliment, Kerry-Leigh Morrison, and Victoria Thor were listed as All-Conference Honorable Mentions.


3 METER DIVING

• Ciara McCliment collected gold for her first place finish, scoring 300.87 points.
• Kerry-Leigh Morrison placed fourth (268.68).

 
200 BREASTSTROKE

• Taira Juronis beat her own record to remain first in UIC record books. She finished fifth with a time of 2:15.08.

50 FREESTYLE

• Poleena Kovalaske came in third place with a time of 23.06.

1 METER DIVING

• Ciara McCliment scored 250.08 on the boards, coming in third place.

200 MEDLEY RELAY

• Bella Drake, Taira Juronis, Izabella Del Rosario, and Poleena Kovalaske represented the Flames, coming in seventh place (1:42.01).

 
800 FREESTYLE RELAY

• Kalie Landrum, Madison Helmick, Victoria Thor, and Lizzie Zeller finished fifth, with a time of 7:24.65.

 
500 FREESTYLE

• Madison Helmick touched in at 4:55.27, placing fifth.
• Victoria Thor came in seconds later at 5:00.90.

 
200 IM

• Taira Juronis clocked in seventh (2:03.29).

 200 FREESTYLE RELAY

• The relay team with Bree Moericke, Izabella Del Rosario, Lizzie Zeller, and Poleena Kovalaske placed fifth (1:33.03).

200 FREESTYLE

• Kalie Landrum touched in at 1:50.77 for a fourth-place finish.
• Victoria Thor was right on her heels at 1:51.24, finishing fifth.

 
100 BREASTSTROKE

• With a time of 1:02.34, Taira Juronis came in at ninth.

400 MEDLEY RELAY

• Lizzie Zeller, Taira Juronis, Izabella Del Rosario, and Poleena Kovalaske collected a seventh place finish for the Flames (3:45.06).

 
100 FREESTYLE

• A time of 50.66 gave Poleena Kovalaske a sixth place finish.

 
400 FREESTYLE RELAY

• Bree Moericke, Kalie Landrum, Lizzie Zeller, and Poleena Kovalaske touched in at 3:24.16, coming in fifth place.

COACH'S COMMENTS

Head Coach Ashley Dell: "I couldn't be more proud of the way this group of women competed from start to finish this week. Going from consistently being in the top three in the Horizon League to a much more competitive Missouri Valley Conference is not easy and this team exceeded our expectations. To have achieved four school records and 16 top eight finishes in such a deep conference is an incredible accomplishment and just proves that we belong there. A big thank you to our seniors for all of their hard work and dedication to this program! They can leave knowing for certain that they're leaving the program in a much better place than it was when they started, and for that I am so grateful. It's exciting to think that we're just getting started and I can't wait to see what this women's team can do in the coming years."
 
Head Diving Coach Susan Bromberg: "I am so proud of everyone who competed this past week. We knew going into the meet, it would be tough competition both on the boards and in the water, and these women rose to the occasion. It was exciting to see all of the divers do well each day and they made their presence known. I am proud of how well Kerry and Ciara dove especially on Friday and Saturday in the 3 meter event. This is what we have been working towards all year and they trusted the process."

UP NEXT

The Flames' will compete at the CSCAA Nationals in Elkhart, Ind. starting Thursday Mar. 9 through Saturday Mar. 11.