Jayhawks Fall Short On The Road, 186-114
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas swimming and diving team could not match the efforts of Illinois as it fell 186-114, Saturday afternoon at the ARC pool.
The Jayhawks, 2-3 in dual meets this season, relied on the performance of senior diver Alyssa Golden, who took first-place finishes in both the one- and three-meter diving events. Golden chalked up 18 points for Kansas with scores of 236.37 in the one-meter and 249.52 in the three-meter.
“She has really transitioned to Coach Pritt’s program well,” head coach Clark Campbell said. “He has helped her get to a high level. She shows up during the week and works hard to get better and it’s been a blast watching her compete at such a high level.”
The Fighting Illini broke four pool records in what Campbell said was their best dual meet performance of the season. The 400-yard medley relay (3:49.94) and the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:34.81) topped the old pool records, while Alison Meng broke a pool record in the 100-yard backstroke (55.79). Gabbie Stecker also set a pool record in the 1000-yard freestyle with a time of 10:13.77.
“I told the girls when they put a Jayhawk cap on, they are going to bring out the best in their opponent,” Campbell said. “As Kansas swimmers, we inspire a high level of performance. If we don’t compete at our best, we will not be able to match the competition level of everyone else.”
Bryce Hinde and Chelsie Miller were the top individuals in the pool for Kansas. Hinde took first in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:05.50) and Miller swam the top time in the 200-yard butterfly (2:05.92). Freshman Pia Pavlic also posted points for the Jayhawks, taking second in the 100-yard butterfly (57.80), while fellow classmate, Gretchen Pocisk took third in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:25.03.
The Jayhawks will take a two-week break before they host the Kansas Classic in Topeka, Kan., later this month. Campbell hopes to see the team on the same page heading into the meet.
“A lot of the team members are tired and sick, which is the nature of things during the fall,” Campbell said. “Bottom line is they need to compete through it. My hope for the Kansas Classic is that we start to see the potential this team has. We haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of what they are capable of achieving.”
Senior leadership is key to determine the success of the team and Campbell is looking toward his senior class to lead by example.
“The team will only be as good as our seniors,” Campbell said. “As leaders of the team, if the seniors are doing well, that will inspire the younger girls to follow suit. I’m going to look for more out of them from this point forward.”
The Jayhawks will host the Kansas Classic Nov. 22-24 at the Capital Federal Natatorium in Topeka, Kan. The first day of the meet is set to begin at 10 a.m.
