GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Today the Calvin women's swimming and diving team competed in the MIAA Relay meet inside Venema Aquatic Center where they took first place in six of the eight events.
 
Coming into tonight's meet ranked fourteenth in the national polls the Knights started out hot as sophomore Emma Merkel (Wyoming, Mich./Grandville), graduate student Maggie Farrell (Portage, Mich./Portage Central), senior Sydney Sonday (Portage, Mich./Portage Central), and junior Meghan Bengelink (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian) took first place in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:46.59.
 
The Knights kept things rolling as Merkel, junior Madi McNearney (Riverside, Mo./Park Hill South), sophomore Katie Phippen (Macomb, Ill./Calvary Baptist), and freshman Ella Andrews (Carmel, Ind./Heritage Christian) took the top spot in the 200 backstroke (1:49.33) while Sonday, junior Elyse Radawski (Jension, Mich./Jenison), freshman Gracie Ganger (Tipp City, Oh./Tippecanoe), and Farrell took first in the 200 breaststroke (2:05.06). 
 
In the 500 progressive relay Bengelink, freshman Maria Heeres (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian), freshman Zoe Poe (Bridgeville, Pa./South Fayette Twp.) and Merkel finished at 4:43.38 in first place before Poe, McNearney, and Merkel went on to be the first finishers in the 3x500 freestyle with a time of 15:49.10.
 
Calvin finished up their impressive night with another first place finish when Sonday, Merkel, freshman Ella Andrews (Carmel, Ind./Heritage), and Begelink finished the 200 freestyle at 1:38.02.
 
COACHES COMMENTS: "Loved what the women did tonight," said head coach Dan Gelderloos. "We won almost all the relays and showed some increased depth over last year. We had great energy and it showed in some great wins."
 
UP NEXT: The Knights will be back in action when they compete in a triangular meet against Albion and Kalamazoo on Friday, October 25th at Venema Aquatic Center at 5PM.