Chicago entered the NCAA Division III Championships in Greensboro, NC hoping to display its hard work and talent. These traits, which benefited Chicago throughout the season, resurfaced during this four-day meet. The squads swam to a fast start on the first day and earned All-American status in three events on Wednesday. When he qualified for the final of the 50-yard freestyle, fourth-year Thomas Meek set the bar high for his teammates. Subsequently, Meek swam in the evening race and tied for fourth place. At the end of the day, he earned All-American honors. Meek was also part of the All-American 200-yard medley relay team along with first-year Alexander Farrell, fourth-year James Taylor, and fourth-year Matthew Veldman, as they finished in 12th place. On the women’s side, the 200-yard medley relay team also finished with an All-American performance. The relay team placed 15th overall. The quartet included second-year Melissa Bischoff, first-year Christina Cheng, first-year Daria Wick and third-year Maya Scheidl.
The Maroons increased their All-American total and set two new school records at the second day of the NCAA Division III Championships. Third-year sisters Megan and Alison Wall broke the two school records for the 400-yard individual medley and the 200-yard freestyle, respectively. In addition to this, in the All-American 400-yard medley relay, Chicago placed 15th overall. On the other hand, the men’s team garnered two more All-American honors in the 200-yard freestyle relay and the 400-yard medley relay.
On the third day of the NCAA Championships, Chicago teams broke two more school records. Bischoff earned All-American Honors for the 100-yard backstroke and broke one of the two school records on the day. The women’s 800-yard freestyle relay placed fifth overall. It shattered the previous school record and earned All-American status in the process. The team consisted of Wall, Scheidl, fourth-year Karen Chu, and first-year Hannah Eastman. The men also received All-American Honors for the 800-yard freestyle relay.
The team completed the final day of the Championships on Saturday with three more All-American awards. Wall earned one for the 200-yard backstroke, the women’s 400-yard freestyle relay team earned the second, and the men’s 400-yard freestyle relay team earned the last honor. Over the entire national meet, the Maroons gathered All-American honors in 15 events and set four new school records. The men’s coalition earned 60.5 total points, while the women earned 79 total points; both finished in 14th place. Emory received the women’s title with 560 points and Denison snatched the men’s title with 455.50 points.
Now that the swim season is over, Wall elaborated on her plans during the offseason, “In the offseason, I will probably swim a couple times a week. I also like to play water polo. I’m very excited for next season because it’s my last one. I will definitely miss the seniors, but I’m excited to meet the new freshmen and see what they can bring to this school.” This is almost assuredly a sentiment that each one of the returners shares, as the strong finish bodes well for next year’s squad.
