2026 Liberal Arts Championships

MT. PLEASANT, Wis. — The Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks showcased their talent at the 2026 Liberal Arts Championships, with both the men's and women's teams demonstrating impressive performances. The men's team claimed second overall with a total of 521 points, highlighted by standout performances from Eli Riegler, Don Rose, and Colin Schultz, while the women's team finished in 3rd place with 458 points, led by stellar performances from Claire van Biljon, Kristen Hampton and Elishka Janout.

Overall, the men's team won 4 gold medals, 11 silver medals and 3 bronze medals between individual and relay events, with Rose and Zeng Wye Liew leading the way with 7 medals total, while Riegler led with 2 gold medals. On the women's side, the team earned 7 gold medals, 10 silver medals, and 3 bronze medals between individual and relay events, with van Biljon leading with 7 medals in total, including 4 gold medals.

"The Scarlet Hawks had an amazing week of swimming and diving at the Liberal Arts Conference Championships," said Head Coach Kate Chronic.  "Overall, we set 7 new school records, 1 new meet record, and had 10 individual Conference Champions.  Our athletes showed up big time for each and every race.  I am so proud of each them; the guts and heart they put into each of their races showed. The early mornings, the hard work, the extra time really paid off this year. Congratulations on a job well done, Swimmers & Divers!"

In addition to the medal recipients, the Scarlet Hawks also came away with three individual meet awards. Schultz was named men's Diver of the Meet, winning the 3-meter diving competition during Saturday's finals while finishing in second place in the 1-meter competition during Thursday's finals. Assistant Coach and lead diving coach Dar Novak also won the Diving Coach of the Meet for performances on both the men's and women's side. Lastly, Chronic was named the men's Swimming Coach of the Meet for the Scarlet Hawks' men's teams performance throughout the week's events.

Meet Summary - Men's Team

For the men's team, they secured a strong second place, with 185 points on Day 2 and ultimately finishing with 521 points. The men's 800-yard freestyle relay team, featuring Eli Riegler, Ean Arbogast, Tristan Minarik, and Paul Turberg, finished second with a time of 7:02.74. The dynamic quartet of Aidan Chance, Don Rose, Giorgio Turchetti, and Zeng Wye Liew powered through to a second-place finish in the 400-yard medley relay, clocking in at 3:23.02.

Eli Riegler was a standout performer, clinching first in the 500-yard freestyle with an impressive 4:36.62 and later dominating the 200-yard freestyle in 1:41.79. Don Rose also had a stellar meet, securing victory in the 100-yard freestyle with a swift 46.63 and contributing to the second-place finish in the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:05.10. On the diving front, Colin Schultz made waves, earning top honors in the 3-meter diving event with a score of 353.75.

The Scarlet Hawks' depth was further demonstrated by Zeng Wye Liew's strong finishes, including second in the men's 400-yard individual medley and a key role in multiple relays. Despite a setback with the C team's disqualification in the men's 400-yard freestyle relay, the squad's potential shone through with multiple top finishes throughout the meet.

Personal Bests (PBs or Lifetime Best Times) = 39
Season Bests (SBs) = 9

Results Summary - Men's Team

**Relays**
- 800 Yard Freestyle Relay — Illinois Tech A placed second with a time of 7:02.74; Illinois Tech B finished with a time of 7:25.30.
- 400 Yard Medley Relay — Illinois Tech A came in second at 3:23.02.
- 200 Yard Medley Relay — Illinois Tech's A team clinched second in 1:33.28; Illinois Tech's B team swam an exhibition, clocking in at 1:37.99.
- 400 Yard Freestyle Relay — Illinois Tech A took 2nd with 3:05.10; Illinois Tech B finished at 3:11.65; Illinois Tech C was disqualified.

**Individual Swimming**
- 500 Yard Freestyle — Riegler triumphed in 4:36.62; Paul Turberg landed sixth in 4:53.69; Tristan Minarik took seventh in 4:54.68.
- 200 Yard Freestyle — Eli Riegler emerged victorious.
- 400 Yard IM — Zeng Wye Liew finished second; Alejandro Osorio came in fifth.
- 50 Yard Freestyle — Rose nabbed third in 21.22; Chance was sixth in 21.48; Turchetti finished eighth in 21.41.
- 100 Yard Butterfly — Don Rose secured second; Ean Arbogast finished fourth.
- 200 Yard Breaststroke — Zeng Wye Liew captured 2nd in 2:01.96; Ricky Rosales took 6th.
- 200 Yard Backstroke — Tristan Minarik nabbed 5th with 2:02.29; Davin Mikulcik came in 7th.
- 1650 Yard Freestyle — Eli Riegler secured 2nd in 16:30.91.

**Diving**
- 1 Meter Diving — Schultz earned second; Swun Tun finished fourth.
- 3-Meter Diving — Colin Schultz took the crown with 353.75; Swun Tun placed 4th.

Top Performers - Men's Team

**Eli Riegler**
- 1st place — 500Y Freestyle (4:36.62)
- 1st place — 200Y Freestyle (1:41.79)
- 2nd place - 1650 Freestyle (16:30.91)
- 2nd place - 800 Freestyle Relay (7:02.74)

**Don Rose**
- 1st place — 100Y Freestyle (46.63)
- 2nd place — 400Y Freestyle Relay (3:05.10)
- 2nd place - 100Y Butterfly (50.96)

**Colin Schultz**
- 1st place — 3 mtr Diving (353.75)
- 2nd place - 1 mtr Diving (334.25)

**Zeng Wye Liew**
- 2nd place — 400Y IM
- 2nd place — 200Y Breaststroke
- 2nd place — 400Y Freestyle Relay (3:05.10)

**Aidan Chance**
- 2nd place — 400Y Medley Relay (3:23.02)

**Giorgio Turchetti**
- 2nd place — 400Y Medley Relay (3:23.02)

School Records - Men's Team
200 Breast - Zeng Wye Liew 2:01.96 (old record was from 2017 2:02.37 by Brendan Howley)
400 IM - Zeng Wye Liew 4:02.99 (old record was from 2012 4:03.97 by Michael Bodzay)

Conference Champions (winner of an event) - Men's Team
Eli Riegler - 500 Free, 200 Free
Don Rose - 100 Free
Colin Schultz - 3 meter Diving


Meet Summary - Women's Team

Illinois Tech's women's 800-yard freestyle relay team kicked off the championships with a magnificent victory, where Claire M van Biljon, Kristen Hampton, Kayla Matsumoto, and Elishka Janout finished first with a time of 7:57.45. Van Biljon continued her impressive performance by winning the women's 50-yard freestyle in 23.74 and the 200-yard freestyle with a stellar time of 1:54.33. The women's 400-yard medley relay, featuring van Biljon, Taryn Oser, Janout, and Matsumoto, also secured second place. 

Personal Bests (PBs or Lifetime Best Times) = 11
Season Bests (SBs) = 18

Results Summary - Women's Team

**Relays**
- 800 Yard Freestyle Relay — Illinois Tech clinched first with a time of 7:57.45.
- 400 Yard Medley Relay — Illinois Tech A placed second with a time of 4:01.32; Illinois Tech B clocked in at 4:27.83.
- 400 Yard Freestyle Relay — Illinois Tech A posted a finals time of 3:36.64 for 2nd place.
- 200 Yard Freestyle Relay — Illinois Tech A finished in 1:46.67
- 200 Yard Medley Relay — The women's A team took second with a time of 1:48.29; Illinois Tech B finished in 2:04.61

**Individual Swimming**
- 1650 Yard Freestyle — Kristen Hampton claimed first with 18:04.39; Anna Malik took fifth in 19:22.53; Bianca Perez rounded out the top seven at 20:01.85.
- 200 Yard IM — Oser secured second; Nethmi Bopearatchy placed seventh.
- 500 Yard Freestyle — Hampton took third; Grace Kolody seventh; Anna Malik eighth.
- 200 Yard Backstroke — Matsumoto secured second place with a 2:14.28 finish; Grace Kolody took sixth in 2:20.60.
- 100 Yard Freestyle — van Biljon took first with a time of 51.72; Nethmi Bopearatchy secured ninth at 58.19.
- 200 Yard Breaststroke — Oser finished second with 2:26.54.
- 200 Yard Butterfly — Janout triumphed with a 2:13.64 finish.
- 100 Yard Butterfly — Janout grabbed second, finishing at 58.69; Nethmi Bopearatchy secured fourth.

**Diving**
- 3 Meter Diving — Hannah Malin captured second with a prelim score of 218.70 and a finals score of 250.75.
- 1 mtr Diving — Malin placed third with a score of 231.35; Aislinn McManus followed in fourth with 209.65.

Top Performers - Women's Team

**Claire van Biljon**
- 1st place — Women's 800 Yard Freestyle Relay (7:57.45)
- 1st place — Women 50 Yard Freestyle (23.74)
- 1st place — 100 Yard Freestyle (50.72)
- 1st place — 200 Yard Freestyle (1:54.33)
- 2nd place — Women 400 Yard Medley Relay

**Kristen Hampton**
- 1st place — 1650 Yard Freestyle (18:04.39)
- 1st place — 400 IM (4:45.33)
- 1st place — Women's 800 Yard Freestyle Relay (7:57.45)
- 3rd place — Women 500 Yard Freestyle

**Elishka Janout**
- 1st place — 200 Yard Butterfly (2:13.64)
- 1st place — Women's 800 Yard Freestyle Relay (7:57.45)
- 2nd place — 100 Yard Butterfly
- 2nd place — Women 400 Yard Medley Relay

**Taryn Oser**
- 2nd place — Women 200 Yard IM
- 2nd place — Women 400 Yard Medley Relay
- 2nd place — 200 Yard Breaststroke (2:26.54)

**Kayla Matsumoto**
- 1st place — Women's 800 Yard Freestyle Relay (7:57.45)
- 2nd place — 200 Yard Backstroke (2:14.28)
- 2nd place — 100 Yard Backstroke (1:01.01)
- 2nd place — Women 400 Yard Medley Relay

School Records - Women's Team
200 Free - Claire Van Biljon 1:53.89 (old record was from 2023 by Anna Slominski)
100 Free - Claire Van Biljon 51.51 (also a LAC Meet and Open Record.  Old record was from 2010 51.54 by Victoria Masney)
800 Free Relay - Claire Van Biljon, Kristen Hampton, Kayla Matsumoto, Elishka Janout 7:57.45 (old record was from 2007 7:58.28 Wong, Babicz, Staley, Mallinger)
200 Medley Relay - Kayla Matsumoto, Taryn Oser, Elishka Janout, Claire Van Biljon 1:48.29 (old record was from 2020 1:48.56 Wurster, Slominski, Burrill, Lydon)
400 Free Relay - Claire Van Biljon, Elishka Janout, Kayla Matsumoto, Kristen Hampton 3:36.64 (old record was from 2007 3:37.35 Wong, Babicz, Staley, Stone)

Conference Champions (winner of an event) - Women's Team
Claire Van Biljon - 50 Free, 200 Free, 100 Free
Kristen Hampton - 400 IM, 1650 Free
Elishka Janout - 200 Butterfly