TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State swimming & diving opens the 2026-27 regular season on Friday, October 9, as the Sycamores welcome Illinois State to the Vigo County Aquatic Center. Events are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET with live results scheduled through MeetMobile.
 
The Sycamores are set to welcome back their alumni for Alumni Weekend at the Aquatic Center as a part of the week's Homecoming festivities as Indiana State is set to take on the Redbirds in their first official meet of the season.
 
"We're excited to officially get the season underway at home on Friday," said head coach Josh Christensen. "With it being Homecoming, we'll have a big group of alumnae back in town. We expect a high-energy atmosphere and some good, early season competition from a conference opponent."
 
Schedule of Events
200 Medley Relay, 1000 Free, 200 Free, 100 Back, 100 Breast, 200 Fly, 50 Free, 1M Diving, 100 Free, 200 Back, 200 Breast, 500 Free, 100 Fly, 3M Diving, 200 IM, 400 Free Relay
 
The Sycamores are coming off their annual Blue-Gray Meet held over September 7 at the Vigo County Aquatic Center. The Blue Team picked up their second win in the last three seasons with a 135-134 victory over the Gray Team in a meet that went down to the final relay.
 
Grace Cummings (1000 Free, 500 Free), Erin Cummins (200 Free, 100 Free), Lily Glasgow (100 Breast), Gemma Dilks (200 Fly), and Anna Asplund (200 Back) claimed seven event wins for the Blue Team as the roster showcased its depth throughout the meet.
 
The Gray Team swept both relays, while Sara Keefe (100 Back), Rachel Stutz (50 Free), Eva Nordyke (200 Breast, 200 IM), and Addison Johnson (100 Fly) recorded individual swimming event wins on the day. Jecza Lopez (1M Springboard) and Alessandra Mittelstadt (3M Springboard) swept the diving events for the Gray Team.
 
Friday's meet marks the first test for the Sycamores in the upcoming season as Indiana State has an aggressive meet schedule featuring opponents from the Southeastern Conference (Missouri, Vanderbilt, Arkansas) and the Big Ten (Purdue, Iowa, Illinois), as well as a key midseason matchup at the Hawkeye Invite hosted by Iowa in mid-November.
 
Indiana State heads into the 2026-27 season after successfully defending their Missouri Valley Conference crown this past season at the Deaconess Aquatic Center in Evansville, Ind. The Sycamores totaled 1,236 total points across the four-day meet to top Southern Illinois (1,161) and Missouri State (1,117) on their way to claiming the second title in program history.
 
The Sycamores claimed three individual titles with MVC Freshman Swimmer of the Year Grace Cummings topping the field in both the 500-yard and 1650-yard Freestyle events, while Ali Pearson was the top swimmer in the 100-yard Breaststroke. Indiana State also claimed the event win in the 200-yard Medley Relay. The depth of Indiana State's roster was evident with 10 athletes earning MVC First Team honors, while an additional 10 athletes received recognition on the Honorable Mention squad.
 
Among the returners highlighting the roster from the First Team includes Anna Asplund, Grace Cummings, Kaleigh Kelley, Jecza Lopez, Maria Saldana Riebeling, and Sahara Visscher. Erin Cummins, Gemma Dilks, and Addison Johnson all return after recognition on the Honorable Mention squad.
 
Illinois State opened the 2026-27 regular season with a dual meet win over Quincy, claiming the 187-69 victory at Horton Pool. The Redbirds collected 12 individual event wins and added victories in both relay events.
 
Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on Sycamore Swimming and Diving, visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from the both the App Store and the Google Play Store.