Owls start season against NCAA DII opponents

10/4/2025 7:05:00 PM

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The Kenyon College women's swimming and diving team got the 2025-26 season started earlier than previous seasons and posted 11 top-five event finishes Saturday while competing against three NCAA Division II opponents in the Indianapolis University Quad, which was held at North Central High School.

While the Owls' individual results were a good start to the season, the overall team results came back with the team defeating Carson-Newman University, 157.5-121.5, but falling to Nova Southeastern University, 198-81, and also falling to host Indianapolis, 197.5-83.5.

In swimming events, sophomore Kelsey Van Eldik was Kenyon's top performer. She started out the day with a fifth-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke and, later, improved to a third-place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke. Her respective times in the two events were 1:04.12 and 2:22.41.

In the diving well, junior Lucy Cassell-Kelley had Kenyon's top finish of the day. She ended up taking the runner-up spot in the one-meter event by finishing with a score of 378.53. She was not the only Kenyon diver to have success in the event. Sophomore Nadia Milovich finished second with a score of 373.13 and senior Bryn Tiernan took third with a final tally of 310.88.

Back in swimming competition, senior Molly Haag finished the 500-yard freestyle in fourth place, clocking in at 5:07.97. She, as well as the rest of the Owls, were supported by fifth-place finishes from fellow senior Gwen Eisenbeis, junior Amelia Stevenson, and Kate Dunagan. Eisenbeis hit that placement in the 100-yard backstroke (58.46), Stevenson did so in the 200-yard butterfly (2:10.93) and Dunagan, a first-year, got fifth in the 200-yard backstroke (2:08.61).

Kenyon's other two fifth-place finishes occurred in relay competitions. Opening the meet, the Owls' 200-yard medley relay team of Eisenbeis, Van Eldik, Maggie Grespin, and Lisa Torrecillas-Jouault placed fifth in 1:45.39. Closing the meet, that same placement was achieved by the 400-yard freestyle relay team of Haag, Afsana Rawlins, Eisenbeis, and Torrecillas-Jouault. They clocked in at 3:33.00.

Kenyon swimmers won't be back in action until a home meet against John Carroll University on October 18. Kenyon divers, however, get back to work next weekend, when they travel to Clarion University for the Don Leas Diving Invitational.

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