The women took the top honor at home, while the men clinched third at Meyers-McLoraine this past weekend at the Midwest Invitational. The Maroons hosted the Midwest Invitational, a meet used as a final chance for competitors to qualify for the Chicago conference squad as well as to meet the NCAA qualifying times for their respective events.

The women finished first in the meet, beating out Marquette Swim Club by 140 points, while the men finished third, just behind Marquette Swim Club in second and Case Western Reserve University in first. However, the most exciting part of the meet was the times of several individuals who swam fast enough to get a shot at the NCAAs.

On the women’s side, third-year Laura Biery qualified for the 200-meter breaststroke. “It was definitely the highlight of the meet. She had a great swim and we all look forward to seeing how she swims at nationals. I think we can expect another All-American performance from her this year,” said fourth-year Ellie Elgamal.

For the men, there were no automatic qualifications, yet several team members did post their best or near-best times, which will increase their chances of qualifying for the NCAAs.

“Overall, each men’s team member that participated in the meet did well,” said fourth-year James Schlabach.

“After this weekend, we have two members who have strong chances for getting into the NCAAs: first-year Eric Hallman and second-year Bobby Morales.”

Both teams will now turn their focus to the NCAAs, which will be held March 23 through March 26 in Knoxville, Tennessee.

“For those who qualified, they will be preparing for nationals while the rest of the team cheers them on into the championship meet,” said Elgamal.

“Hopefully the women’s side can break into the top 20 in the country, and we are excited to see a lot of All-American performances and new team records.”