Swimming & Diving Excited After Strong Opening Night

Gallery: (11-6-2020) Swimming & Diving vs. Eastern Illinois

Men's Score: Ball State 151 - EIU 109
Women's Score: Ball State 165 - EIU 92
Complete Results

MUNCIE, Ind. - - There was plenty to be excited about Friday night at the Lewellen Aquatic Center as the Ball State swimming & diving program opened the 2020-21 season with a sweep of visiting Eastern Illinois.

"For a first meet out of the gate, I thought you could feel the energy, you could feel the excitement to get back on the blocks and go racing," said third-year head coach J. Agnew. "I thought they did a phenomenal job. I know we have a long way to go, but we are excited about where we are moving."

The women opened the day with a dominating 1-2 finish in the 200 medley relay and went on to claim the top spot in all 12 individual events for a team win of 165-92.

On the men's side, the Cardinals also claimed the top spot in the 200 medley relay and went on to win seven of the 12 individual events for a 151-109 victory.

The big winner of the day was men's freshman Joey Garberick who took home top billing in the 100 breaststroke (56.53), 200 breaststroke (2:09.49) and 200 IM (1:58.97). In fact, in his first collegiate meet the swimmer from Middlebury, Indiana, set a Lewellen Aquatic Center record in his first individual race; the 100 breaststroke.

"I have been really close to the record in practice so far, so we were just kind of waiting for the time when I got to come out and just swim to set the record," Garberick said. "Today, I was mostly just excited to get back out into competition and race some people and put some times down."

Garberick also opened the meet by swimming the second leg for the winning 200 medley relay, which clocked in at 1:34.57, to claim four overall victories on the day.

He was not the only freshman to start their Ball State career with an individual event win, however, as five others notched their first collegiate win.

"We are really excited about our freshman class, and we knew they were going to make an impact," Agnew said. "We have been watching them for two years, and now we get to see them race for the Cardinals. They did not disappoint."

The first two wins came as Mary Kate Phillips (10:48.01) and Zach Zishka (10:15.73) combined to sweep the longest event of the meet, the 1000 freestyle.

Kya Pawli followed with a victory in the 200 freestyle (1:57.02), while Laura Wright and Sophia Kuehn claimed victory in the 200 breaststroke (2:22.01) and 200 IM (2:09.50), respectively.

Overall, 15 different Cardinals picked up at least one individual event win on the day, with junior Alexa McDonald and sophomore Apsara Sakbun each claiming two.

"Given the situation, with COVID and all the protocols in place around it, I am so proud of how our student-athletes have handled themselves," Agnew said. "Our philosophy is we do everything together. To get through these last couple months, and tell them you've got to be in small groups of four to six, you can't swim with a guy in the lane next to you, that we are always separate, that's been hard. To see them walk through this and embrace the challenge and perform the way they did is just awesome."

The Ball State women's swimming and diving program will have a quick turnaround, as it hosts Bowling Green Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Lewellen Aquatic Center.

Unfortunately, the meet will once again be closed to the general public in order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Family, friends and fans can follow the action with LIVE VIDEO and LIVE RESULTS.

For the most up-to-date news on the Ball State swimming and diving program follow:
Twitter - @BallStateSwim & @BallStateSports
Instagram - @ballstateswimanddive & @ballstatesports

Women's Event Winners:
200 Medley Relay - Audrey Schank, Laura Wright, Shelby Crist, Apsara Sakbun - 1:45.35
Mary Kate Phillips (Fr.) - 1000 Freestyle (10:48.01)
Kya Pawli (Fr.) - 200 Freestyle (1:57.02)
Shelby Crist (So.) - 100 Backstroke (58.30)
Alexa McDonald (Jr.) - 100 Breaststroke (1:06.83) / 100 Freestyle (54.24)
Phoebe Rensink (So.) - 200 Butterfly (2:08.18)
Apsara Sakbun (So.) - 50 Freestyle (24.17) / 200 Backstroke (2:07.08)
Laura Wright (Fr.) - 200 Breaststroke (2:22.01)
Katie Walker (Jr.) - 500 Freestyle (5:13.05)
Sydney Dygert (So.) - 100 Butterfly (59.22)
Sophia Kuehn (Fr.) - 200 IM (2:09.50)

Men's Event Winners:
200 Medley Relay - Jared Holder, Joey Garberick, Bryce Handshoe, Owen Chaye - 1:34.57
Zach Zishka (Fr.) - 1000 Freestyle (10:15.73)
Joey Garberick (Fr.) - 100 Breaststroke (56.53 - Pool Record) / 200 Breaststroke (2:09.49) / 200 IM (1:58.97)
Jack Wolfred (So.) - 50 Freestyle (21.64)
Davis Meyn (Sr.) - 500 Freestyle (4:54.85)
Bryce Handshoe (So.) - 100 Butterfly (52.39)

Swimming & Diving Excited After Strong Opening Night

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Players Mentioned

Owen Chaye

Shelby Crist

Sydney Dygert

Joey Garberick

Bryce Handshoe

Jared Holder

Sophia Kuehn

Alexa McDonald

Davis Meyn

Kya Pawli

Mary Kate Phillips

Phoebe Rensink

Apsara Sakbun

Audrey Schank

Katie Walker

Jack Wolfred

Laura Wright

Zach Zishka