Chambana Sun

The Illinois swim and dive team made significant progress on the third day of the Big Ten Championships held in Columbus, Ohio. The Illini set four new school records during the event, showcasing their competitive edge.

Kayla Duran emerged as a standout performer by breaking the 100 breaststroke school record with a time of 1:00.39 in the preliminary round, securing her spot in the B finals. She finished 12th in the finals with a time of 1:00.47, making her Illinois' highest individual placer at these championships as a freshman.

Sydney Stoll broke her own record in the 200 freestyle with a preliminary time of 1:46.47 and qualified for the B finals where she placed 16th with a time of 1:47.30.

Sara Jass also made headlines by setting a new school record in the 400 IM with a time of 4:12.40 during the C finals after qualifying earlier with Illinois' second-fastest time of 4:13.98.

The team's success continued with Suvana Baskar, Kayla Duran, Chloe Diner, and Sydney Stoll forming the 400 medley relay team that shattered the previous school record by nearly two seconds to finish ninth overall with a time of 3:37.63.

In diving events on the three-meter boards, Elle Crisostomo led Illinois divers finishing in 45th place followed by Dani O'Kelly, Matilda Garcia, and Bethany Mercer who finished in various positions ranging from 47th to 53rd place.

Illinois stands at 13th place with a total of 176 points after three days of competition. The current standings have Ohio State leading with over nine hundred points followed closely by Indiana and Michigan.

As part of their upcoming schedule, Illinois is set to compete on Saturday for the final day of action starting at 9 a.m., concluding later that day at around four p.m., Central Time.