MONMOUTH, Ill. -- The Ripon College swim and dive teams turned in a strong showing at the 2025 Monmouth Invite on Saturday, earning multiple top-three finishes and season-best times against a competitive field. The Red Hawk women placed fourth out of six teams, while the men finished fifth out of six in a meet that featured Illinois Wesleyan, Monmouth, Illinois College, Simpson, and North Central.

The women's team was led by senior Natalie Weidner (Portage, Wis. Portage HS), who took fourth in the 50 freestyle (26.67) and seventh in the 200 freestyle (2:12.56). Freshman Peyton Washington (Milwaukee, Wis., Divine Savior Holy Angels HS) also turned in a standout day, finishing sixth in the 50 freestyle (26.96) and seventh in the 100 backstroke (1:10.20).

Ripon's relay teams contributed key points as well, with the quartet of Washington, junior Ella Olive (Menominee, Mich., Marinette HS), junior Lily McGuire (Crystal Lake, Ill., Crystal Lake South HS), and senior Kennedy Moore (De Pere, Wis., De Pere HS) taking fourth in the 200 medley relay (2:04.23). The Red Hawks closed the meet with a fifth-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay (4:10.94) featuring Moore, McGuire, Olive, and Weidner.

Olive added a sixth-place finish in the 100 breaststroke (1:19.42), while McGuire and senior Grace McCrery (Marion, Ohio, Harding HS) went 6–8 in the 100 butterfly, both turning in strong second-half splits.

On the men's side, senior Cooper Herr (Ashwaubenon, Wis., Ashwaubenon HS) once again led the Red Hawks, claiming first place in the 200 freestyle (1:52.72), second in the 50 freestyle (22.42), and third in the 500 freestyle (5:13.86). He also anchored the 400 freestyle relay team, joining senior Brendan Kile (Verona, Wis., Verona Area HS), senior Sean Rath (Glen Ellyn, Ill., Glenbard West HS), and junior Wil Hargrave (Ripon, Wis., Wisconsin Connections Academy) to finish sixth in 3:50.96.

Rath added team points with a top-eight finish in the 200 IM (2:35.38) and 11th in the 100 breaststroke (1:16.20), while Kile scored in both the 50 freestyle (25.82) and 100 butterfly (1:09.72). Hargrave contributed in the 200 freestyle (2:21.28), rounding out a balanced team effort.

Illinois Wesleyan won the women's competition with 266 points, while Illinois College topped the men's field with 233.

Ripon will return to action at the Gene Davis Invite at Lawrence University on Saturday, Nov 8, at 11 am.