EVANSVILLE, Ind.- University of Southern Indiana Men's Swimming and Diving took the win over the University of Illinois-Chicago in the first home meet of the season, Saturday afternoon at the USI Aquatic Center.
 
The Screaming Eagles scored 159 points over UIC's 140, with nine first-place finishes for the meet.
 
The first event win came in the 200 medley relay, where freshmen Jarrett Watkins and Jerrin Dale, and juniors Sam Smith and Joey Smith raced to a time of 1:33.17.
 
Freshman Garrett Gabhart took the second event win for the Eagles in the 50 backstroke (24.17). Dale followed with a first-place finish in the 50 breaststroke with a time of 26.13. He took the win in the 100 breaststroke as well with a time of 56.24, marking three first-place finishes for the freshman.
 
S. Smith and sophomore Jude Winnington took the top two spots in the 100-butterfly race. Winnington added even more points to the board, winning the 100 individual medley with a 52.21 time.
 
S. Smith and J. Smith were joined by Winnington and sophomore Stokes Knight to cap off the meet in the 200 free relay. They took the edge over the Flames in the last lap, winning with a time of 1:25.02.
 
Senior diver Lane Pollock secured a third-place win against strong UIC competition in both the one and three-meter dives today. He scored 278.25 on the one-meter, followed by a 293.48 on the three-meter.
 
Up next, the Screaming Eagles take a trip to Charleston, Illinois, to take on the Eastern Illinois University Panthers on January 24^th at noon. For updates on the Eagles on the road, fans can follow USI Athletics on Facebook, Instagram, and X, as well as online at usiscreamingeagles.com.