Panther swimmers medal in two events to open 2026 MVC Championships

2/25/2026 9:35:00 PM | Women's Swimming and Diving

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Abby Lear takes second in the women’s 50-yard freestyle as one relay also medals on opening day of conference championships.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. --- The UNI swimming and diving team kicked off day one of the 2026 Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Championship on Wednesday at the Deaconess Aquatic Center. The Panthers sit in sixth place as a team after day one of competition with a team score of 190 points.

HOW IT HAPPENED
UNI opened the meet with the women's 200-yard freestyle relay that saw the team of Charlotte Sander, Morgan Meyer, Morgan Raether, and Abby Lear take third in the event with a time of 1:31.21, moving them to fourth fastest all-time on UNI's all-time list. Action continued with the 500-yard freestyle, where Sam Oeltjen placed 13th in the event with a career-best time of 4:58.49.

In the 200-yard individual medley, Elyse Brayton finished in 18th place for the Panthers with a time of 2:05.73, a new career-best, with Natalie Harris close behind in 22nd (2:07.38) and Nikki Walters in 23rd (2:07.61), swimming a season-best time.

Lear showed off her speed in the 50-yard freestyle, taking second in the event with a time of 22.84. Sander secured 11th at 23.21, with Raether in 16th (23.56) and Averie Bilskemper in 18th (23.86), who all swam career-bests respectively.

The 400-yard medley relay team of Raether, Aspen Cole, Hannah Nedder and Meyer capped the first day of competition, claiming sixth place with a time of 3:45.32.

TEAM STANDINGS (Thru Day One)

Southern Illinois (366)
Missouri State (323.5)
Indiana State (316)
Little Rock (234)
UIC (217.5)
UNI (190)
Illinois State (151)
Evansville (90)
Valparaiso (84)

UP NEXT
Day two of the MVC Championships begins at 10:30 a.m. CT on Thursday with the 100-yard butterfly, 400-yard individual medley, 200-yard freestyle, one-meter diving competition and 200-yard medley relay. Finals will begin at 5:30 p.m. CT

Live coverage of the meet can be found on the MVC YouTube channel, with live results available on the Meet Mobile app (swimming) and Dive Meets (diving). Click HERE to access the MVC Championship hub.

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.