The Eastern Michigan University swim and dive programs returned to Jones Natatorium in Ypsilanti on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, for a competitive conference matchup against Ball State University. Despite a series of impressive individual performances and a dominant showing on the diving boards, the Eagles fell to the Cardinals with a final score of 166.5 to 133.5. The contest marked the 40th meeting between these two programs in a series history that dates back to Jan. 14, 1978.
Diving domination
The highlight of the day for Eastern Michigan was an absolute sweep of the diving events. The Eagles showcased their depth and talent by claiming the top four positions in both the one-meter and three-meter competitions. Rose Kendrick led the charge, winning both events and setting personal bests. In the one-meter dive, Kendrick earned 280.88 points. She was followed by Marnie Howard in second place, Taityn Speier in third and Aisling Gutierrez in fourth. Kendrick continued her dominance in the three-meter event with another personal best score of 295.13 points. Speier took second, Gutierrez finished third and Howard rounded out the sweep in fourth place.
Standout swimming performances
In the pool, the Eagles won three events. Nina LaRosa was a standout performer, capturing two first-place finishes in the breaststroke events. She touched the wall first in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:02.61 and followed it up with a winning time of 2:20.02 in the 200-yard breaststroke. The third swimming victory came during a dominant performance in the 100-yard butterfly. Tristen Mina led a sweep of the top three spots in that race with a time of 55.31. Abbey Clarke finished closely behind in second place, and Nehir Guven secured third place with a personal best time of 56.53.
Multiple personal bests
Abbey Clarke was instrumental for the Eagles throughout the meet, earning multiple second-place finishes while setting new personal records. In addition to her runner-up finish in the butterfly, Clarke took second in the 50-yard freestyle with a career-best time of 23.59 and second in the 100-yard freestyle with another personal best of 51.29. Shayne Patrick also provided strong performances by finishing second in the 200-yard butterfly and the 400-yard individual medley.
Relays and distance events contribute points
The meet opened with the 200-yard medley relay, where the Eastern Michigan A Team, consisting of Siporah Sang, Nina LaRosa, Tristen Mina and Marlee Christie, finished in second place. In the distance events, Nehir Oz and Marianna Fardella also contributed significant points. Oz took second place in the 1000-yard freestyle while Fardella earned third with a personal best time of 10:12.38. Fardella later added a second-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle. Emma Littrell also made her mark with a second-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle and a third-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle.
Looking Ahead
Across all events, the Eagles combined for six personal best performances. While the loss brings their all-time record against Ball State to 23 wins and 16 losses, the team remains a formidable force in the conference. Looking ahead, the Eagles will return to Jones Natatorium on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, to host their annual Senior Day Extravaganza at 1 p.m. This event will honor the program's graduating members.
