BELOIT, Wis. — The Beloit College swimming and diving teams defended their home turf with spectacular individual performances at the 2025 Beloit College Midseason Invite, held from November 20–22. While the Buccaneers faced stiff competition from visiting squads like Illinois Wesleyan and Monmouth, Beloit's weekend was defined by a clean sweep in the diving well and a dominant, four-event showcase by Jeremy Mueller (Loves Park, Ill.) in the swimming lanes.
The Invite kicked off on Thursday night with just one event, the 3 meter dives. The Buccaneers proved to be the class of the field on the boards, winning 100% of the diving gold medals available at the meet. Thursday night saw only Beloit's Elsa Gregory and Jacob Fuller (Beloit, Wis.) compete. Gregory accumulated 360.65 points while Fuller scored 263.00. Both competed again on Friday in 1 meter. Both again grabbing gold. Gregory with a score of 361.05 and Fuller with a 285.65.
Mueller turned the natatorium into his personal showcase. Mueller didn't just win four events; he decimated the field in a display of versatility that covered sprints, middle distance, and the individual medley. Mueller's most dominant showing came in the 200 IM. Clocking a 1:53.68, he finished nearly 11 seconds ahead of the runner-up (2:04.62). His splits were elite across the board, including a blistering 33.95 breaststroke leg that widened the gap significantly. He demonstrated his middle-distance power in the 200 Free, touching the wall in 1:41.71, finishing five seconds clear of Monmouth's Tariq McLarty. He was the only swimmer in the field to break the 1:46 barrier. The 100 Fly saw a tighter race, but Mueller still controlled the pace, taking gold with a time of 50.91. He went out fast (23.86) and held his lead to win by over a full second. He used the 50 Free to prove he has raw speed to match his endurance, Mueller won the "splash and dash" event in 21.27, holding off the field to complete his individual sweep.
The women's squad saw several swimmers step up with podium finishes and strong swims in the consolation finals, showing the team's depth.
Lylah Murrah (North Pole, AK) served as the multi-stroke anchor for the women's team. Her top finish was a silver medal in the 100 Breast (1:10.99), where she used a strong back half to secure 2nd place. She showed her range by also placing 4th in the 200 IM (2:24.05) and 5th in the 100 Fly (1:06.92), making championship finals in three different disciplines.
Kelsey Gerstler took on the meet's most grueling event, the 1650 Free, and finished an impressive 4th with a time of 19:46.31. She proved her stamina wasn't limited to freestyle, as she also swam to a 4th-place finish in the 200 Breast (2:40.20) and scored points in the 100 Free.
Amelia Pullen (New Orleans, La.) was a consistent force in the freestyle events. She made the "A" final in the 200 Free, finishing 5th in 2:07.09. In the shorter sprint events, she swam the "B" final of the 100 Free (58.47) to place 11th overall and added an 11th-place finish in the 50 Free.
Lucy Monnig (Beaverton, Ore.) added critical depth to the distance group. She joined Gerstler in the mile, placing 6th (20:01.64), and showed great race strategy to win the "B" final of the 500 Free (5:45.08), securing 9th place overall.
Aside from Mueller, on the men's side, Jordan Hodges (College Station, TX) established himself as a future pillar of the program. The freshman took on a heavy workload of physically demanding events. Hodges earned a podium spot in the 200 Fly, finishing 3rd with a time of 2:17.22. He showcased his all-around ability by placing 4th in the grueling 400 IM (4:39.18). Adding to his point total, he placed 6th in the 500 Free (5:20.73) and 7th in the 100 Fly (58.07), completing a successful four-event campaign.
The Buccaneers return to the water on December 6th in Jacksonville, Illinois at the Illinois College Invite.
