November 9
Hannah Gabriel - Lawrence University
Freshman - Elmhurst, Ill.
Gabriel has won four individual events and been part of a winning relay team in Lawrence’s first two events of the season. In the season opener against Beloit, Gabriel won the 200-yard freestyle in 2:02.92 and took the 500 freestyle in 5:33.11. She also swam on Lawrence’s winning 200 freestyle relay team, which posted a time of 1:49.07. In a dual meet against UW-Whitewater, Gabriel won the 200 freestyle in 2:01.61 and swam to victory in the 500 freestyle in 5:28.02.
November 16
Imelda Wistey - Grinnell College
Freshman - West Des Moines, Iowa
Wistey shattered the Midwest Conference and school record in the 100-yard breaststroke with a clocking of 1:05.22 in a dual meet against Luther College. That broke the league and school mark of 1:06.23 set last season by Grinnell’s Morgan Bober, and is an NCAA provisional qualifiying mark. Wistey also placed first in the 400 IM in 4:44.96 as the Pioneers competed for the first time in their new pool, and helped the 400 medley relay team to a runner-up finish.
November 23
Imelda Wistey - Grinnell College
Freshman - West Des Moines, Iowa
Wistey set two more on Saturday. She shattered school marks in both the 200-yard breaststroke and 200 IM as the Pioneers defeated Loras College 134-98 in Dubuque. Wistey won the 200 breaststroke in 2:22.60 to not only break Lucy McCormick’s 2006 school mark of 2:30.51, but also the MWC record of 2:23.99 by Chelsea Bueter in 2004. That time was also an NCAA provisional qualifying mark. Wistey won the 200 IM in 2:11.10 to beat the school record of 2:12.28 set by Morgan Bober in 2010. Wistey was also on the winning 200 medley relay team. They had a time of 1:55.80.
December 7
Krysta Sparks - Monmouth College
Sophomore - Montrose, Colo.
Monmouth College’s Krysta Sparks came away with an impressive performance at last weekend’s two-day Carthage TYR Classic that included a Division I school and two teams with nationally-ranked swimmers. The sophomore picked up a first in the 100-yard breaststroke where she clocked a 1:09.18. She followed that with a second in the 200 breaststroke, clocking a 2:31.05. Sparks swam a personal-best 4:57.51 to take fifth in the 400 individual medley. She was just two-tenths off the school record in the 200 IM where she place sixth with a 2:17.46. Sparks also swam a leg on the sixth-place 400 medley relay team which clocked a time of 4:22.33.
January 11
Angela Illgen - Carroll University
Freshman - Brookfield, Wis.
Illgen won two events to lead the Carroll University women’s swimming and diving team to a 113-71 head-to-head victory over Ripon College. Illgen finished first in the 1650 freestyle event with a time of 22:01.02 then claimed top honors in the 500 freestyle, posting a time of 6:26.62.
January 18
Becky Shaak - Lake Forest College
Sophomore - Vienna, Wa.
Won the 1000-free in 10:40.29 and the 500-free in 5:12.32 at the Illinois-Michigan Quadrangular at Hope College on Saturday. Her time in the 1000 is the fastest in the league this season by 33 seconds. Each of the other three teams in the meet (#16 Hope, #17 Kalamazoo, and #22 Wheaton) are ranked among the top 25 in the nation.
January 25
Kendra Kuehl - Monmouth College
Junior - Morrison, Ill.
Kuehl accounted for three wins at last week’s dual meet at Ripon. The junior posted a personal-best 20:26.31 to win the 1650-yard freestyle. She followed that with a win in the 500 freestyle with a 5:53.24. Kuehl also swam a leg on the winning 200 freestyle relay. The team posted a 1:52.63.
February 1
Morgan Horton - Grinnell College
Senior - Boulder, Colo.
Horton won four events as the Grinnell women’s swimming and diving team rolled by Macalester College 172-111 at the Macalester Mini-Invite. She was first in the 100-yard backstroke (1:06.09) and 400 individual medley (4:55.58) and was on the winning 200 medley and 200 freestyle relay teams (1:55.79 and 1:45.86, respectively). She was also the runner-up in the 100 freestyle (57.76).
February 8
Kelsey Hoeper - Lake Forest College
Sophomore - Medford, Ore.
Horton won four events as the Grinnell women’s swimming and diving team rolled by Macalester College 172-111 at the Macalester Mini-Invite. She was first in the 100-yard backstroke (1:06.09) and 400 individual medley (4:55.58) and was on the winning 200 medley and 200 freestyle relay teams (1:55.79 and 1:45.86, respectively). She was also the runner-up in the 100 freestyle (57.76).