Setting season-best or personal-best times in all but two events led the Redbird swimming and diving team to a strong second-place finish in the three day Akron Invitational.
The meet, which was the second-largest collegiate competition in the nation, featured 15 schools and was tabbed by the Redbird head coach
Steve Paska as his teams most important meet of the fall semester.
Day one of the three-day Akron Invitational posted theBirds in third-place with 380 points after producing a season-best or personal-best time in every event except one. Two second-place finishes in the 200 freestyle relay (1:37.31) and the 400 medley relay (3:56.48) highlighted Fridayss competition along with senior co-captain Lindsay Crowders third-place performance in the 50 freestyle (24.20).
Moving into the second-place position with 870 points on day two, the Redbirds grabbed another second-place finish in a relay, the 200 medley relay, with a time of 1:48.33. Junior Angie Rawlins added points to the Redbird total by securing a first-place victory in the 100 breast with a time of 1:05.36, the second-fastest time in Illinois State history. Her second-place finish in the 100 fly (57.74), also holds a new record at ISU for being the third-fastest time in that event.
The Redbirds dominated the 200 free event by winning first, third and fifth place. Co-capatin Lindsay Crowder set a personal-best time of 1:54.48 to earn first, teammate Nicole DuCharme followed suit with a season best time of 1:55.18 to grab third and MaryAnne Cooper finished fifth with a season-best time of 1:55.97.
On the final day of competition, Crowder again posted a first-place finish, this time in the 100 free with a time of 52.62, just .11 seconds away from her all-time best. Co-captain Brittany Erickson set her personal best in this event with a time of 53.39. Juniors Heather Norris and DuCharme both posted personal-best times on Saturday, Norris in the 1650 free (17:45.15) and DuCharme in the 100 free (53.23), while freshman standout Sara Hayworth set a season best in the 200 back (2:10.95) for an eighth-place finish.
Illinois State finished the Akron Invitational with 1,267 points, only 94.5 points behind first-place University of Buffalo and 200.5 points ahead of third-place Cornell University.
