SIOUX FALLS -- The No. 14 University of Sioux Falls Swimming Team, which has won 31 individual or relay events across two competitions, will host their first meet this season with a Quad Dual at the Midco Aquatic Center on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25-26. USF will compete with Augustana, Minnesota State, and MSU Moorhead during two days of competition. The quad dual will begin at 5 p.m. on Friday and 11 a.m. on Saturday.

USF, directed by second-year head coach Chris Hamstra, has opened 3-0 in dual competitions and had a strong performance at the Midwest Shootout  on Oct. 12 which was hosted by DI Nebraska-Omaha in Omaha, Neb. Following that performance USF was ranked No. 14 and earned its highest ranking in school history in the CSCAA/TYR Top 25 Division II Preseason Poll, which was released Oct. 14. In that poll, USF, which was picked third in the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll, was the highest ranked program from the NSIC.

Already this fall, USF sophomore Ella Johnson has been named NSIC Swimmer of the Week after accounting for seven individual or relay wins during the quad dual in Bismarck on Oct. 5. In two competitions, the All-American has 10 individual or relay wins.

With the strong early season performance, USF, led by Johnson and Chantal Kasch, have a number of individuals and relay squads ranked in the top-25 nationally. USF has 11 individual performances ranked in the DII top 25 with five in the top 10. In addition, USF has four relays in the top 25 led by the 800 free relay which ranks No. 2 in NCAA DII. 

With a clocking of 7:54.57, the Cougars 800 free relay squad of Elizabeth Spaans, Guilia Marcon, Leah Eagleton and Johnson is .47 behind the national leader Indy at 7:54.10. USF's 400 medley relay of Spaans, Johnson, Kasch and Marcon is eighth in DII and second in the NSIC with a clocking of 3:57.11. The Cougars sit eighth in DII and second in the NSIC in the 400 free relay with a clocking of 3:34.85. The relay includes Ursula Demarquet, Spaans, Johnson and Jenna Krahn. In addition, USF is 13^th nationally and second in the NSIC with a 200 medley relay clocking of 1:47.89. The relay consists of Spaans, Johnson, Kasch and Krahn.

In total, Johnson is part of six events, individual or relay, which ranks in the top-25 nationally. Aside from the relays, she is ranked first in DII in the 200 fly at 2:02.00 and second nationally in the 50 fly with a clocking of 26.31. She is also 12^th in DII and first in the NSIC in the 100 fly with her clocking of 57.08.

Kasch is ranked in three individual and five overall (two relays) in DII.  She is second nationally and first in the NSIC in the 50 breast with a clocking of 30.80. In the 100 breast, Kasch ranks seventh nationally and first in the NSIC with a clocking of 1:05.02. She is also ninth in DII and first in the NSIC in the 200 breast with a time of 2:22.74.

In the 50 back, Spaans, who is part of four nationally ranked relay squads, is 17^th in DII and first in the NSIC with her clocking of 27.40. 
The Cougars have two individuals in the top 25 nationally in the 1650 free as Nina Groene is 11^th and third in the NSIC with her 18:14.02 clocking. Alex Sanchez Clark is 18^th in DII with a 18:29.65.

Freshman Abigail Ford is ranked 11^th in DII and fourth in the NSIC in the 50 breast with a 31.69 clocking. Another freshman, Valerie Childs, is 20^th in DII and sixth in the NSIC in the 50 fly with her time of 27.49.

Season Review – Cougars dominate at Quad Dual in Bismarck
 Led by Johnson, Spaans, Jenna and Kasch, USF defeated U-Mary, 303-119; Northern State, 329-78 and Augustana, 267-141, at the Quad Dual hosted by U-Mary on Oct. 5. USF showed extraordinary depth which allowed the Cougars to build points throughout the course of the dual competition. The Cougars captured 18 wins over the two days of competition with 13 individual titles and five relay victories.

Johnson, who was named USF's Athlete to Watch in the preseason coaches poll, had a big opening meet with seven total victories which included individual wins in the 200 fly, 100 fly and 50 fly. She also was part of the 400 free, 400 medley, 200 medley and 800 free relays which picked up wins. Johnson, who earned All-American honors at the DII championships last spring, captured the 200 fly in 2:02.00 which was a NCAA "B" cut. She led a 1-2 effort in the 200 fly as Childs was second in 2:13.20. In the 100 fly, Johnson captured the title in 57:08 as USF placed three in the top four in the race. Demarquet was third in 1:00.10 while Childs was fourth in 1:00.12.  In the 50 fly, Johnson captured the title with a 26.31 clocking. Childs was fourth in 27.49.

Johnson swam the third leg of USF's winning 200 medley relay which finished in 1:47.89. Other team members on the 200 medley relay included Spaans, Kasch and Krahn.  Johnson was part of the winning 400 free relay in 3:37.21 which also included Krahn, Giulia Marcon and Demarquet.  USF's second place 400 free relay finished in 3:40.44 with a team of Spaans, Leah Eagleton, Tori Bailey and Evelyn VanDeMark. Johnson, Spaans, Kasch and Marcon won the title in the 400 medley relay in 3:57.11. USF also was second in the 400 medley relay with Julia Zanto, freshman Ford, Demarquet and Krahn. In addition, Johnson was part of the 800 free relay, which finish in 7:54.57. Aside from Johnson, Spaans, Marcon and Leah Eagleton also swam on the winning squad. USF was also fourth in the 800 free relay with Groene, freshman Makenzy Kennedy, Evelyn VanDeMark and Ford.

Krahn, who was part of five victories individually or as a member of a relay, helped lead USF to a win in the 200 free relay in 1:39.95. She was joined on the team by Marcon, Bailey and Eagleton. USF also had a second place squad with Spaans, Ford, Sydnie Saddoris and DeMarquet clocking a 1:40.98. Krahn led a strong USF contingent in the 50 free by clocking a 24.65 to claim the title. In that race, Marcon was third in 25.01 while Demarquet was fourth in 25.02 with Eagleton, sixth, 25.50 and Bailey, eighth in 25.68.

Krahn also picked up a title in the 100 free in 54:06. In the race, USF dominated by taking the top four spots in the race. Demarquet was second in 54.08 while Marcon was third in 54.39 and Eagleton, fourth in 55.04.

Spaans wasn't only a standout in the relays, she won three individual titles and was part of six titles overall. She claimed the win in the 400 IM in 4:43.56 with Kennedy taking third in 4:46.04. Spaans won the 200 backstroke in 2:11.87 with Zanto taking third in 2:16.04.  And, Spaans won the 200 IM in 2:11.93 while Kennedy was second in 2:15.79 with Keelin O'Connor, third, in 2:17.61.

Kasch picked up three individual wins which included the 50 breast in 30.80. Ford was third in the same event in 31.69. Kasch also won the 200 breast in 2:22.74 while Ford was second in 2:30.74. And, she also won the 100 breast with a clocking of 1:05.02.

Also picking up wins for USF was Gigi Bario in the 50 back in 28.20. In that race, USF also had three others in the top six with Krahn, third, 28.43; Zanto, fourth, 28.81 and O'Connor, sixth, 29.18. Zanto won the 100 back in 1:01.94 and Childs finished fourth at 1:03.25. Also for USF, Marcon was second in the 500 free in 5:19.29 with Kennedy, fourth at 5:21.96. Marcon took third in the 200 free. USF had a second place finish from Groene in the 1,650 free in 18:14.92 with Sanchez-Clark, fifth, in 18:29.65. Kennedy also took third in the 1,000 free in 10.57.55 with Sanchez Clark, fifth in 11:06.81.

Cougars win eight events in Omaha
USF had an impressive showing winning eight of 12 swimming events at the Midwest Shootout which was hosted by the University of Nebraska-Omaha on Saturday (Oct. 12).

The Cougars picked up three wins individually from Spaans, Johnson and Demarquet among the standout efforts.

Spaans won the 200 IM in 2:11.81 and was part of two winning relays. She swam on the winning 200 medley relay that finished in 1:49.95. Johnson, Marcon and Kasch also swam on the relay. USF also took third (Krahn, Ford, Childs and Eagleton) and fifth (Zanto, Sydnie Saddoris, Kennedy and Tori Bailey) in the relay.

Spaans, Johnson, Krahn and Demarquet was part of the victorious 400 free relay in 3:34.85. The Cougars also took fourth in the race in 3:48.54 with a team of Ford, Kennedy, Groene and Kasch. 

Johnson also captured the 500 free with a clocking of 5:13.17. Across nearly every event, USF had multiple place winners. And in the 500 free, Ford was third in 5:15.33 while Spaans was fifth in 5:21.83.

Demarquet picked up and individual win in the 100 fly in 58.18 and was joined in the top four by Childs, second, 59.66 and Kennedy, fourth, 1:00.06.

USF also picked up a win the 50 free as Krahn clocked a 24.62 to earn the win. She was joined in the top four by Johnson in third at 25.44 and senior Kyjana Webber, fourth, 25.59.

Kasch captured the 100 breast in 1:05.59 and was joined by Ford in the top four at fourth at 1:09.77.

USF also had a third relay win in the 200 free as they clocked 1:40.20 to earn the win. Demarquet, Childs, Eagleton and Marcon were part of that relay. USF was fourth in the same relay with a clocking of 1:44.61 with a team of Evelyn VanDeMark, Gigi Bario, Saddoris and Bailey.

Marcon had another solid meet for USF by taking second in the 200 free in 1:57.63 and just .47 out of first. She was third in the 100 free in 55.18. And, USF also had a solid performance in the 100 backstroke as Krahn was third in 1:01.34 with Bario, fourth, 1:01.34 and Zanto, fifth, 1:02.6.