MULTIPLE LOCATIONS – Two Sycamores advanced to CSCAA National Invitational Championship finals, while Bailey Betzer and Zoe Smith both posted top-15 dives among their attempts at the NCAA Zone C Qualifiers to highlight Indiana State swimming & diving on Thursday.
 
Ali Pearson set the Indiana State record in the 50-yard Breaststroke in the morning's preliminary sessions, and then topped her mark again in the evening to highlight ISU's day, while Kaleigh Kelley set a new personal-best in the 50-yard Butterfly as to highlight the Sycamores in the pool at the CSCAA NIC held in Ocala, Fla.
 
Pearson and Kelley both qualified for CSCAA event finals marking the duo just the third and fourth athletes in program history to achieve the feat joining Madie Rutan (100 Backstroke, 2022), Marni Gray (50-, 100-, 200-Fly, 2023) to finish among the top-20 competitors in the pool in their respective events.
 
Betzer posted a top-10 dive in the sixth round of the NCAA Zone C Diving Qualifiers held in Louisville, Ky., while Smith had a pair of top-15 efforts over her first two rounds to highlight the Sycamore diving efforts in the preliminary rounds.
 
Thursday Evening Recap
Ali Pearson set the school record in the 50-yard Breaststroke for the third time in as many swims as the sophomore touched the wall in 28.64 to finish 17th overall in the event to highlight her first event final of the week. Pearson now holds the three fastest times in the event dating back to the 2024 MVC Championships and five of the top seven times all-time in ISU history following the event. She remains the only swimmer in program history to go sub-29 seconds in the event.
 
Kaleigh Kelley set a new personal record in the 50-Fly finals as the freshman competed in her first CSCAA event final. She posted a 24.98 to become the second swimmer in program history to go sub-25 seconds in the event on her way to finishing 15th overall in the field. It marked just the third swim in program history with a swimmer going under 25 seconds joining Marni Gray who went sub-25 seconds last season at the CSCAA's including a program-record 24.76 in the event.
 
Thursday Evening Finals
50-yard Butterfly: Kaleigh Kelley (24.98, 15th – Personal Record)
50-yard Breaststroke: Ali Pearson (28.64, 17th – ISU School Record)
 
NCAA Zone C Diving – 1M Results
Bailey Betzer and Zoe Smith took on the field in the NCAA Zone C Diving Qualifiers on Thursday afternoon as the Sycamore duo competed at the Ralph Wright Natatorium in Louisville, Ky. ISU's divers were among a group of 56 athletes overall who competed with six dives over the preliminary rounds.
 
Betzer paced Indiana State finishing 40th overall in the field with a six-dive score of 219.05. The senior saved her best dive of the night for last with her Forward 2 ½ Somersault Pike netting her 46.80 points from the judges and ranking as the 10th-best dive overall in the sixth round of the prelims.
 
Smith finished behind her teammate with the Raleigh, N.C. placing 45th overall in the field with a six-dive score of 209.55. Competing in her second zones with the Sycamores, Smith started off strong with her first dive, an Inward 1 ½ Somersault Pike netting her 46.80 points – the 15th-best dive of the opening round. Her second dive, a Forward 2 ½ Somersault Pike also scored 46.80 points and was the 11th-best dive among all divers on their second attempt to highlight her day.
 
Thursday Morning Recap
Indiana State started off the first day of the CSCAA National Invitational Championship putting the third and fourth swimmers in program history in event finals as Kaleigh Kelley (50 Fly) and Ali Pearson (50 Breast) both advanced to the evening's event finals after placing in the top-20 in the field.
 
Kelley posted an 11th-place result as ISU's top finisher in the 50-yard Fly event after touching the wall in 25.11. Pearson broke her ISU school record set at the MVC Championships after touching the wall in 28.87 in the 50-yard Breaststroke to place 20th overall in the field.
 
Claire Parsons (4:57.46) and Erin Cummins took on the field in the 500-yard Freestyle finishing 31st and 35th overall in the field. Dorotea Bukvic (2:03.79) and Alexandria Cotter (2:04.13) finished 22nd and 26th respectively in the 200-yard IM, while Alexa Szadorski (23.75) and Chloe Farro (23.81) both took on the field in the 50-yard Freestyle finishing 43rd and 45th respectively.
 
ISU's 400-yard Medley Relay team finished on the Sycamores' performance list to cap the morning's events. The quartet of Cotter, Pearson, Kelley, and Szadorski finished in 3:44.35 to post the fifth-best time on the Sycamores' all-time performance list on their way to finishing 11th overall in the field.
 
Thursday CSCAA Prelim Results

• 500-yard Freestyle: Claire Parsons (4:57.46, 31st), Erin Cummins (4:57.94, 35th)
• 50-yard Fly: Kaleigh Kelley (25.11, 11th)
• 200-yard IM: Dorotea Bukvic (2:03.79, 22nd), Alexandria Cotter (2:04.13, 26th),
• 50-yard Breaststroke: Ali Pearson (28.87, 20th – ISU School Record)
• 50-yard Freestyle: Alexa Szadorski (23.75, 43rd), Chloe Farro (23.81, 45th)
• 400-yard Medley Relay: Alexandria Cotter, Ali Pearson, Kaleigh Kelley, Alexa Szadorski (3:44.35, 11th) 

The NCAA Zone C Diving Events schedule:
Friday, March 15

• Prelims/Quarterfinals (10 a.m.) – Women's 3M Diving
• Finals – Women's 3M Diving

The CSCAA Events schedule:
Friday, March 15

• Prelims (9:30 a.m.): 400 IM, 100 Butterfly, 200 Freestyle, 100 Breaststroke, 100 Backstroke, 800 Freestyle Relay
• Finals (6 p.m.): 200 Medley Relay, 400 IM, 100 Butterfly, 200 Freestyle, 100 Breaststroke, 100 Backstroke, 800 Freestyle Relay 

Saturday, March 16

• Prelims (9:30 a.m.): 100 IM, 200 Backstroke, 100 Freestyle, 200 Breaststroke, 200 Butterfly, 400 Freestyle Relay, 1000/1650 Freestyle
• Finals (6 p.m.): 1000/1650 Freestyle, 100 IM, 200 Backstroke, 100 Freestyle, 200 Breaststroke, 200 Butterfly, 400 Freestyle Relay 

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