Chambana Sun

The Illinois swim and dive team is preparing for its final home meet of the season against Nebraska. The event will take place on Saturday, January 27, at 11 a.m. CT at the ARC Pool in Champaign, Illinois. This meet also marks Senior Day for the team.

Several members of the Illinois team have achieved NCAA B cuts this season. Sophomore Sara Jass has secured B cuts in both the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:13.12 and the 400 IM with a time of 4:15.46. Junior Suvana Baskar made her mark in the 100 backstroke, setting a school record with a time of 53.66. Freshman Matilda Garcia has earned B cuts on both diving boards, achieving scores of 271.20 on the one-meter board and 287.35 on the three-meter board.

Seniors Taylor Michael and Brooke Michael have also achieved B cuts on the three-meter boards with scores of 293.55 and 283.70 respectively. Freshman Bethany Mercer made her cut on the one-meter board with a score of 270.23, while freshman Dani O'Kelly completed her B cut list with a score of 284.93 on the three-meter boards.

Nebraska enters this competition holding a dual record of five wins and two losses overall but is winless in conference duals at zero wins and two losses. In previous encounters against common opponents, Nebraska defeated Kansas by a score of 187-113 but lost to Iowa by a margin of 160-141; meanwhile, Illinois lost to Kansas (169-131) and Iowa (166.5-133.5). In their last meeting on January 21, 2023, Nebraska emerged victorious over Illinois with a scoreline of 168-132.