“We are the champions!”

It was the most common refrain on the mouths of the Panthers this weekend as they swam away with a men’s conference title and a second place finish for the women at the Midwest Classic Invitational hosted by IUPU- Indianapolis.

The three day, six-team conference championship was held at the IUPUI Natatorium in Indianapolis, the same facility that held the 1996 Olympic trials and the Pan America Games. It’s been hailed as the fastest pool in the country.

“It’s like a baseball team playing in Yankee Stadium,” IUPUI head coach Jim Shuck said. “It’s like Mecca”

In the men’s division of the invitational, the Panthers took first in the six-team conference championship with a total 748 points. Western Illinois was 33.5 points behind Eastern’s winning total on the leader board. The final score was not indicative of the competition between Eastern and Western. Going into the final day, Eastern’s men were ahead by only three points and needed to swim as well as they did the previous two days in order to keep the lead.

Top male finishers were Nic Cheviron (third in the 500-yard freestyle, 200 freestyle) Tom Watson (second 1650 free), Nick Croucher (second 200 breaststroke), Joe DeLuca (first 200 butterfly, first 100 fly), Kevin Wheatley (second 200 fly), Rich Walhgren (second 200 freestyle) and Josh Kercheval (first 200 Individual Medley, 400 IM, 200 backstroke).

The 400 freestyle relay team took second, the 800 relay team took first, and the 400 Medley Relay team took second. Diver Zach Miller took fourth place in both the one- and three-meter competitions.

The women were in the hunt for the title over the first two days, but the team from Western blew out the rest of the competition with a 205-point margin of victory over second place finisher Eastern, 690.50. Western was just a little more talented,” assistant coach Matt Bos said. “But we swam great and it’s not always the outcome of the meet but how we swim as a team.”

Top female finishers were Allison Kenny (first 50 freestyle, second 100 freestyle), Jessica Kaatz (third 200 breaststroke), Jordan Sherbrooke (third 200 freestyle), and Michelle Wroblewski (third 100 breaststroke). The 200 freestyle relay team took first place as the 400 medley relay placed third. Divers Lindsae Baldes and Susie Kretch both took third place in the one-meter and three-meter competitions, respectively.