University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
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UNI swim and dive split UIC, Southern Indiana triangular in Chicago
10/10/2026 4:16:00 PM | Women's Swimming and Diving
Panthers defeat Southern Indiana, fall to UIC to close opening weekend of regular season.
CHICAGO --- The UNI swimming and diving team split a triangular dual on Saturday in the Windy City, falling to Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) rival UIC by a score of 172-128, while topping Southern Indiana by a score of 196-104.
Northern Iowa led from start to finish against Southern Indiana, racking up five first-place finishes in the process. The Panthers would have an early back-and-forth with UIC before eventually falling short.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Saturday's triangular dual got off to a strong start as the team of Morgan Raether, Neriah Giedrys, Nikki Walters and Charlotte Sander claimed the top spot in the 200-yard medley relay in 1:45.73, followed by the group of Rachel Rolow, Avery Duerr, Payton Hultgren and Averie Bilskemper in fifth (1:49.46). Action continued with the 1,000-yard freestyle, which saw Cassidy Miklos finish in third (10:52.41) and Abigail Barkhurst in fifth (11:12.06).
The 200-yard freestyle would see Olivia Gustafson take third (1:55.75), with Bilskemper following in fifth (1:57.41). In the 100-yard backstroke, Raether would take a second lead on her way to first (57.21), while Jennifer Barajas would claim fifth with a time of 59:64.Â
Giedrys notched a second place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:05.73), followed by Duerr, who would take fifth (1:07.99). The 200-yard butterfly would see the duo of Sam Oeltjen (2:09.48) and Walters (2:09.78) claim second and third, respectively. In the 50-yard freestyle, which saw Sander take the top spot at 24:13, followed by Hultgren, who would come in fourth at 24:55.Â
The action would continue with the 100-yard freestyle, which saw Gustafson take second with a time of 53.19, followed by Bilskemper in third at 53.56. Raether would claim the top spot in the 200-yard backstroke (2:05.91), followed by Barajas in second (2:07.48).
The 200-yard breaststroke would see Giedrys take the fourth spot (2:27.30), followed by Aspen Cole in sixth (2:29.27). The 500-yard freestyle would see the duo of Miklos (5:17.68) and Natalie Kuboushek (5:19.45) claim the fourth and fifth spots. In the 100-yard butterfly, Walters took second in 57.32 seconds, followed by Hultgren, who would slide into fourth place (58.39).Â
Payton Pasqualicchio claimed fourth place in the 200-yard individual medley (2:13.99), followed by Natalie Harris in fifth (2:14.21). In the last event of the afternoon, the team of Raether, Gustafson, Hultgren, and Bilskemper would finish the 400-yard relay in second (3:31.59), followed by the quartet of Duerr, Sander, Harris, and Magnuson in fourth.
In the diving well, Avery Hogan would lead the way on the one-meter boards, finishing with a score of 258.60. Trista Thompson followed behind in third at 247.13. The three-meter would see Thompson claim third with a score of 231.83.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to the pool next Friday and Saturday, Oct. 16-17 as they host Southern Illinois and St. Thomas with swimming action to be held at the Cedar Falls Community Natatorium and diving at the Glen F. Henry Pool inside UNI's Wellness-Recreation Center. Competition is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. CT on Friday and 10 a.m. CT on Saturday, with live results available on the Meet Mobile app (swimming) and Dive Meets (diving).
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UNI swimming and diving action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Swimming and Diving), X (@uniswimdive) and on Instagram (@uniswimdive). Schedules and rosters, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.Â
