CHICAGO – University of Chicago swimming and diving kicked off their 2023-24 season inside the Ratner Athletic Center when they hosted three other teams from the Chicagoland area for the UChicago Quad. The Maroons showed why they are one of the most highly regarded teams in the country with 22 event wins against opponents from Wheaton, Olivet Nazarene, and Illinois Tech on Saturday afternoon.

RESULTS
No. 3 Men's Team – vs. Wheaton (231-55), vs. Olivet Nazarene (207-71), vs Illinois Tech (209-79)
No. 5 Women's Team – vs. Wheaton (238-52), vs Olivet Nazarene (204-87), vs. Illinois Tech (247-42)

MEN'S TEAM RECAP

• The men were dominant on both sides of the pool on Saturday, scoring over 200 points in each matchup while limiting Illinois Tech, Olivet Nazarene, and Wheaton all to 79 points or less. UChicago came away with 12 victories on the day overall. The men come into the season ranked third in the country by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA).
• Jerry Zhou was on top of his game with wins in both the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly. Garrett Clasen was also ready and earned two wins as well (200-yard freestyle and 400-yard medley relay)
• Spencer Dearman couldn't be touched on the boards for the Maroons and easily won the 1-meter and 3-meter dives by over 100 points in each event.

UCHICAGO MEN'S WINNERS

• 50-yard Freestyle: Jerry Zhou (21.24)
• 100-yard Butterfly: Jerry Zhou (50.58)
• 100-yard Freestyle: Victor Song (46.99)
• 200-yard Freestyle: Garrett Clasen (1:41.93)
• 200-yard Butterfly: Hudson Chung (1:55.23)
• 200-yard IM: Cooper Costello (1:57.94)
• 200-yard Breaststroke: Joe Zhang (2:06.97)
• 200-yard Medley Relay: Garrett Clasen, Dylan Danaie, Jonathan Tang, Jason Starbuck (1:33.85)
• 400-yard Freestyle Relay: Junichiro Asano, Sebastien Vernhes, Robert Quan, Jonathan Tang (3:06.09)
• 1-meter Diving: Spencer Dearman (269.60)
• 3-meter Dive: Spencer Dearman (274.40)

WOMEN'S TEAM RECAP  

• Much like the men's squad, the women finished with team scores of at least 204 points or more as they dispatched the Thunder, Scarlet Hawks, and Tigers. The Maroons won a total of 10 events, including both diving disciplines. The women are also ranked by the CSCAA heading into the year and entered yesterday's event as the fifth best team in the nation. 
• Ella McEver came away with two individual wins in the 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard IM, while Lauren Richards was victorious in the 500 and 1,000-yard freestyle events. Karen Zhao also had two victories, one on the individual side (50-yard freestyle) and one with three of her teammates (400-yard freestyle relay).
• Veronica Fong and Lilia Atanda each achieved NCAA provisional scores for their efforts in the 1m diving event as the two teammates finished first and second with scores of 264.50 and 263.90 respectively. The Maroons dominated the event and owned the top five positions while Fong also came away with the win in the 3-meter.

UCHICAGO WOMEN'S WINNERS

• 50-yard Freestyle: Karen Zhao (24.13)
• 100-yard Backstroke: Sophia Zhao (58.97)
• 100-yard Butterfly: Alesha Kelly (58.18)
• 100-yard Breaststroke: Ella McEver (1:08.28)
• 200-yard IM: Ella McEver (2:11.06)
• 500-yard Freestyle: Lauren Richards (5:08.64)
• 1,000-yard Freestyle: Lauren Richards (10:34.01)
• 400-yard Freestyle Relay: Karen Zhao, Samantha Bertschi, Julia Polsky, Elisabella Forest (3:35.32)
• 1-meter Diving: Veronica Fong (264.50)
• 3-meter Dive: Veronica Fong (260.80)

WHAT'S NEXT
The Maroons have one more dual on the docket before they host the D3 shootout during the first weekend of November. They'll take on WashU on the road in St. Louis on Saturday, October 28^th at 1:00 pm.

For up-to-the-minute University of Chicago Maroons news, visit www.athletics.uchicago.edu. You can also follow us on Twitter @uchicagoath and @uchicagoathletics on Instagram.