SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Claire Parsons set the new Indiana State mark in the 1000-yard Freestyle event to highlight the final day of competition at the 2024 Tim Welsh Classic as the Sycamores wrapped up the event at the Rolfs Aquatic Center on Saturday afternoon.
 
Parsons (10:05.26) took three seconds off the previous mark set by ISU alum Paraskevi Kritkou back in the 2018 season to highlight the third individual Sycamore record the Terre Haute native has set in her inaugural campaign in the Blue & White. Her new mark in the 1000-yard Freestyle also was the Sycamores' third record set on the weekend joining Erin Cummins (200-yard Freestyle) and the Sycamores' 200-yard Freestyle Relay records set on Friday.
 
Overall, the Sycamores posted 15 top-10 finishes on Saturday running their weekend total to 32 top-10 results overall at the annual event held by Notre Dame.
 
"This weekend was exactly what we were wanting to see at this point in the season," head coach Josh Christensen said. "We had a lot of well-executed races, which led to some great results. The team is exuding confidence, supporting each other, and competing as a team. We did all that in a tough, highly competitive environment. This meet highlighted the growth of our program and gives us a lot of confidence moving towards conference."
 
Ohio State took home the team title at the event with a two-day score 1635. Akron was second in 821, while Notre Dame (820) and ISU (545) rounded out the teams in the field.
 
Saturday Morning Events
Claire Parsons set her third personal ISU record for the 2023-24 season and the team's third of the weekend as the freshman distance swimmer started off the final day of the Tim Welsh Classic by taking down the program's 1000-yard Freestyle event record on her way to finishing fifth in the field in 10:05.26. Fellow freshman Erin Cummins also nearly topped the mark finishing sixth overall in the 1000-yard Freestyle field with a time of 10:09.90, while Esther Rydbeck Norden (10:13.36, 7th) and Haley Halsall (10:17.12, 10th) both recorded season-best times in posting top-10 results. Rose Parsons (10:30.19) and Kamila Nowak (10:35.24) also finished inside the top-12 in the standings for ISU.
 
Kalli Agapios paced the Sycamores in the 200-yard Backstroke as the sophomore finished in 2:02.63 to knock three-quarters of a second off her season-best time in placing 12th in the field. Olivia DiRuzza finished 14th in 2:03.71, while freshmen Kate Reeves (2:05.21) and Ella Moustgaard (2:05.90) both added 15th and 16th-place results. Trista Bullock rounded out the group in the field finishing in 2:07.60 to place 17th.
 
Chloe Farro and Alexa Szadorski were both in the top-10 for ISU in the 100-yard Freestyle event to lead ISU. Farro posted a 50.62 to place eighth in the field, while Szadorski took 1.29 seconds off her entry mark to finish in 50.86. Kaleigh Kelley added a 17th-place result in 51.15, while Peyton Heagy (52.79), Jordan Gruce (53.68), and Ash Saple (53.99) all finished inside the top-30 in the field.
 
Dorotea Bukvic posted one of her top times of the season in the 200-yard Breaststroke event to finish sixth overall in the field with a time of 2:16.35. Ali Pearson was eighth in 2:18.36 with Kaimi Matsumoto finishing behind her teammate in 2:18.47. Kamila Nowak rounded out the group in 19th in 2:30.58.
 
Haley Halsall posted her second top-10 finish of the day in the 200-yard Butterfly to round out the day's individual events. The sophomore finished in 2:02.10 to place ninth in the field for ISU. Raz Harel took 18th in 2:03.98, while Raine Boles (2:05.18) and Alexandria Cotter (2:05.36) finished 21st and 22nd overall. Rebecca Shaffer closed out the event finishing in 2:09.70.
 
Zoe Smith was ISU's top finisher in the 1M Diving event as the senior posted a six-dive score of 256.45 to place sixth in the field. Bailey Betzer was also in the top-10 placing ninth overall with a score of 234.90, while Daniela Orta Castaneda (203.20), Sierra Bowman (188.90), and Brenna Woodruff (151.05) all finished inside the top-15.
 
Smith and Betzer were back inside the top-10 in the 3M Diving event with the duo placing sixth and 10th respectively in the field. Smith was tops for the Sycamores finishing with a score of 252.75, while Betzer closed out the weekend with a 218.05. Bowman finished behind her teammate in 11th with a six-dive total of 217.50, while Orta Castaneda (191.60) and Woodruff (168.50) closed out the weekend inside the top-15.
 
The Sycamores wrapped up the event in the 400-yard Freestyle Relay with the team of Farro, Kelley, Matsumoto, and Szadorski finishing seventh overall with a time of 3:24.84. The team of Cummins, Heagy, Pearson, and Claire Parsons finished 11th in the field in 3:27.63, while Bukvic, Cotter, Agapios, and Boles took 12th in 3:29.68. The quartet of Reeves, Rydbeck Norden, Rose Parsons, and Nowak finished 17th overall in 3:35.78, while Bullock, Gruce, Saple, and DiRuzza wrapped up the event 18th with a time of 3:37.85.
 
Saturday Morning Results
1000-yard Freestyle: Claire Parsons (10:05.26, 5th – ISU School Record)
200-yard Backstroke: Kalli Agapios (2:02.63, 12th)
100-yard Freestyle: Chloe Farro (50.62, 8th)
200-yard Breaststroke: Dorotea Bukvic (2:16.35, 6th)
200-yard Butterfly: Haley Halsall (2:02.10, 9th)
400-yard Freestyle Relay: Chloe Farro, Kaleigh Kelley, Kaimi Matsumoto, Alexa Szadorski (3:24.84, 7th)
3M Diving: Zoe Smith (252.75, 6th)
1M Diving: Zoe Smith (256.45, 6th)
 
Up Next
The Sycamores close out the 2023-24 regular season on Friday, February 2, as Indiana State welcomes Illinois State to the Vigo County Aquatic Center for a dual meet starting at 7 p.m. ISU will recognize 2023-24 seniors Bailey Betzer, Jordan Gruce, Sierra Bowman, Esther Rydbeck Norden, Kaimi Matsumoto, and Makayla Sura in a pre-meet ceremony on the deck.
 
Follow the Sycamores
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