Sophomore Emily Wong and senior Andrea Hupman did all they could to help Northwestern start off its season on a high note against No. 23 Indiana on Friday, finishing in the top two spots in both the 50m and 100m freestyle.
But the Wildcats couldn’t top the Hoosiers, falling 163.5-136.5.
Hupman also won the 200m freestyle. Sophomore Kassia Shishkoff had an impressive meet as well, taking second in the 1000m freestyle, fourth in the 200m individual medley and coming in a tie for first in the 500m freestyle, resulting in a dead heat.
Indiana’s Brittany Barwegan led the team, with a pool-record time of 1:59.44 in the 200m butterfly.
On the men’s side, the No. 8 Hoosiers beat the No. 18 Wildcats, 167-127.
Junior Eric Nilsson won the 200m freestyle and came in second in both the 500m freestyle and the 200m individual medley. Junior Adam Beckman took second in both the 100m backstroke, breaking up a potential 1-2-3 finish for the Hoosiers, and came in second in the 200m backstroke and third in the 200m individual medley. Senior Bruno Barbic came in second in the 50m and 100m freestyle, leading a 2-3-4 sweep in both of those events.
Both the men’s and women’s team bounced back against Illinois-Chicago the next day.
The women won all but one event in a 161-70 victory over the Flames. The Cats set the tone for the meet with a sweep of the top four positions in the 200m medley relay, the first event of the day, and never looked back.
The meet gave many of the freshmen an opportunity to shine. Ellen Grigg won the 1000m freestyle and came in third in the 100m backstroke, with teammate Liza Engstrom winning the 100m backstroke. Engstrom also finished third in the 400m individual medley, with sophomores Kassia Shishkoff and Mary Beth Francis taking the top two spots. Shishkoff also led a sweep of the 100m freestyle.
Women’s coach Jimmy Tierney said he was pleased with the outcomes of both meets.
“Everyone, especially the freshman, did a terrific job,” he said. “The upperclassmen led the way, but the freshmen put together some good races of their own.”
The men were just as successful against Illinois-Chicago, winning all but two events, and beating the Flames with a score of 152-83. Senior Kyle Bubolz won both the 100m backstroke and the 200m freestyle, leading a sweep of the 100m backstroke.
After his strong showing Friday, Nilsson led a sweep of the top three spots in the 1000m freestyle against Illinois-Chicago.
“(The meets this weekend) went according to form,” men’s coach Bob Groseth said. “They were early season meets, and we have a very young team. There are some things we could have done better, such as the overall enthusiasm and support, but we talked about that. We will get better week to week, and at the end of the year, we will be where we want to be.”
Reach Bette Marston at [email protected].
