OCALA, Fla. (March 15, 2024) – UIC swimming closed one of its best seasons in program history with nine top ten finishes and the men placing eighth (350 points) overall this weekend at the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association (CSCAA) National Invitational Championship in Ocala, Fla. The eighth place finish was a 15 place and 264.5 point improvement from last season's finish, and the 14 Flames that qualified for the meet is the most in school history
COMMENT FROM HEAD COACH ASHLEY DELL
"I'm incredibly proud of the way these 14 swimmers competed this weekend and finished the season strong. Having to race again so soon after the taxing conference championships is not easy and this group exceeded my expectations. Both teams placed higher and scored more points than last year and the men moving up from 23rd (2024) to 8th place while scoring over 264 more points was the stamp on an incredible season."
TOP PERFORMERS
- Sophomore James McCarthy (Minnetonka, Minn./DeLaSalle) broke a school record, placed third and became NCAA B cut qualified in the 200 breaststroke (1:56.77). McCarthy had another top ten finish in the 400 individual medley. He also placed 18th in the 200 individual medley.
- Cory Michalek (Wales, Wis./Kettle Moraine) had two top ten finishes in the 50 and 100 backstroke placing seventh and 10th respectively.
- Rafe Dolan Peterson (Austin, Minn./Austin) placed sixth in the 100 freestyle and 20th in the 100 butterfly.
- Madison Helmick (Birmingham Farms, Mich./Birmingham Groves) finished seventh in the 1000 freestyle, 14th in the 500 freestyle and 17th in the 200 freestyle.
- The 200 freestyle relay team of senior Daniel Galinski (Elmwood Park, Ill./Elmwood Park), Dolan Peterson, graduate student Liam Davis (Naperville, Ill./Plainfield North) and Michalek placed eighth.
- The 200 medley relay team of Dolan Peterson, freshman Will Gray (Durham, N.C./Durham School of the Arts), Galinski and Michalek placed sixth, an improvement from 19th last season.
- The 800 freestyle relay team of Davis, Dolan Peterson, sophomore Jack Mills (Toronto, Canada/Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute) and freshman Kenneth Wills (Bloomington, Ill./Normal Community) placed 10th.
NOTABLE FINISHERS
- Sophomore Matthew Lofstrom (Fort Collins, Colo./Rocky Mountain) finished 19th in the 50 breaststroke.
- Daniel Galinski placed 15th in the 100 breaststroke.
- Jack Mills placed 11th in the 1650 freestyle and 13th in the 1000 freestyle.
- Kenneth Wills finished 18th in the 1650 freestyle and 19th in the 1000 freestyle.
- Liam Davis placed 13th in the 200 butterfly.
- Freshman Samantha Wilson (Richmond, New Zealand/Waimea College) finished in 11th in the 200 butterfly.
- Sophomore Molly Kroeger (Easton, Md./Easton) finished 13th in both the 1650 freestyle and the 1000 freestyle.
- The 400 medley relay of Michalek, Galinski, Gray and Dolan Peterson placed 11th, an improvement from 15th a season ago.
- The 800 freestyle relay of Helmick, Kroeger, freshman Zoe Shields (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) and Wilson placed 12th.
SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA!
For more information, fans are encouraged to visit
UICFlames.com, or follow the Flames on social media through X (
@UIC_SwimDive and
@UICFlames) and Instagram (
@uic_swimdive and
@uicflames).
#ChicagosCollegeTeam
