Southern Illinois University
Butler
Salukis conclude Butler Invitational with 18 top-three finishes
01/25/2016 | 12:00:00 | Swimming & Diving
By Elizabeth Robinson
SIUSalukis.com
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- In the team's final multi-squad meet of the 2015-16 regular season prior to conference championships, the Saluki swimming and diving team came away with fourth place finishes on both the men's and women's side at the Butler Invitational.
The Salukis concluded Sunday's meet with 18 top-three finishes, achieved by nine individuals and one relay team. Senior Till Pallmann led the team with three first place finishes, followed by Lauren Stockton and Bryn Handley, each with two.
SIU hit its stride early in the meet as the Salukis swept the men's and women's 1650-yard freestyle swims, with Bryn Handley and Chris Cole earning the first place spots. From there, Till Pallmann came away with his first winning swim of the day in the 200-yard freestyle where he finished in 1:39.32, less than half a second off his best this season. Pallmann went on to earn first place in the 100-yard freestyle at 45.75 and the 200-yard individual medley at 1:53.03
Andre Brilhante competed in the 200-yard freestyle and 200-yard individual medley races as well, finishing in third and second places, respectively. Brilhante's best finish of the day came in the 50-yard freestyle where he came out on top with a 21.35 finish.
Along with Brilhante's win in the 50-yard freestyle, Lauren Stockton's performance in the same race on the women's side allowed the Salukis to sweep that race as well. Stockton finished in 24.50 to secure first place. She went on to earn first place in the 100-yard freestyle coming in at 52.57. Bryn Handley followed in second place at 52.72. Handley's earned another first place finish of her own, taking the 500-yard freestyle title at 5:00.79, nearly seven seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.
Several other Salukis had notable finishes throughout the day in a variety of strokes. Patrick Hesse and Christian Taylor both came away with top-three finishes in the 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard backstroke, respectively. Saluki newcomer Filippo Dell'Olio also had two top finishes, earning second in the 500-yard freestyle at 4:43.68 and third in the 100-yard butterfly at 51.80. In his two meets as a Saluki thus far, Dell'Olio has finished in the top-three in each of his races. For the women, freshman Emma Brazeau had a strong showing in the 100-yard butterfly, finishing second with a 58.01 mark.
The meet concluded with the Saluki men earning third place in the 400-yard freestyle relay with a 3:08.01 finish, the third best for the Salukis this season.
"Some of our swims were good, but the times were not. Some of our races were good, but the outcome was not," Saluki head coach Rick Walker said. "It's that time of year where it's getting tough, and I know the women are really ready to rest. The men still have some work to do, but we will be prepping the women for their tapers."
The teams will take a familiar opponent in Evansville in two weeks at home in the final meet before conference championships. The women will then host the MVC Championships beginning Feb. 17, while the men will travel to Michigan in early March for the MAC Championships.
*NOTE: Sophomore Kelsie Walker was not listed in last week's preview despite her national rankings, which was an unintentional oversight. Walker ranks 27th in the 400 freestyle, 61st in the 500 freestyle, 13th in the 800 freestyle and 90th in the 1650 freestyle.
Players Mentioned
