Women's S&D Opens 2023-24 Season Saturday at Indiana Intercollegiate

Saturday, October 21

West Lafayette, IN

12 p.m.

Ball State University

Indiana Intercollegiates

Women's S&D Opens 2023-24 Season Saturday at Indiana Intercollegiate

October 19, 2023 | Women's Swimming and Diving

MUNCIE, Ind. - - The Ball State women's swimming & diving program opens its 2023-24 season Saturday when it travels to the Boilermaker Aquatic Center for the Dan Ross Indiana Intercollegiate hosted by Purdue.

In addition to the Cardinals and host Boilermakers, the 10-team women's field features Anderson, Bethel, Butler, Franklin, Indiana Wesleyan, IUPUI, Rose-Hulman and Southern Indiana. Action is set to begin at Noon.

Last season, the Ball State women's squad placed second among eight teams at the meet, winning five of the 12 events contested.

SATURDAY'S EVENT LINEUP:
200 Medley Relay, 200 Freestyle, 50 Freestyle, 100 Individual Medley, 100 Freestyle, 100 Backstroke, 500 Freestyle, 100 Breaststroke, 200 Freestyle Relay, 1M Diving and 3M Diving

Fans unable to attend the Don Ross Indiana Intercollegiate can follow the action with: LIVE RESULTS

Heading into the 2023-24 season, the Cardinals return a plethora of talent, including sophomore Payton Kelly who is the defending Indiana Intercollegiate champion in both the 50 and 100 freestyle.

Kelly is one of three individual program record holders returning for the Cardinals this season, owning BSU's all-time mark in the 50 freestyle at 22.51. She is also second in the Ball State record book in the 100 freestyle at 49.81.

Senior Marcella Ribeiro, who holds the individual program records in the 200 freestyle (1:48.13), 500 freestyle (4:48.37), 1000 freestyle (10:01.21) and 1650 freestyle (16:32.61), returns as the defending meet champion in the 200 freestyle.

Also returning as a defending event champion is junior Hannah Jones who has captured top billing in the 100 backstroke at each of the past two Indiana Intercollegiate meets. Jones is also Ball State's program record holder in the event at 54.44.

Kelly, Ribeiro and Jones also combined with then-senior Apsara Sakbun to win the 200 freestyle relay at last season's Indiana Intercollege meet.

On the relay side, Kelly is a member of all three freestyle relay program records, while Jones has had a hand in the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relay records. Ribeiro is a member of the 400 freestyle and 800 freestyle relay records.

Other relay record holders returning for the season include junior Gracey Payne (200 freestyle relay, 400 freestyle relay, 800 freestyle relay), senior Laura Wright (200 medley relay) and sophomore Kiran Stauffer (800 freestyle relay).

Saturday's meet will be the first of three straight weekends of action for the Ball State women's squad which travels to Buffalo (Oct. 28), hosts IUPUI (Nov. 3) and hosts Eastern Michigan (Nov. 4).