Women’s Swimming & Diving Splashes Back into Action Saturday Against Evansville!

MUNCIE, Ind. – – The Ball State women’s swimming & diving team commences the new year on Saturday by hosting Evansville for Senior Day at the Lewellen Aquatic Center. The event, which is expected to start at 2 p.m., will also include the men’s team.

The women’s seniors being honored during Saturday’s competition include Neely Agnew, Eliza Bader, Emma Horton, Hannah Jones, Lilia Newkirk, Gracey Payne, and Grace Walker.

The Cardinals and the Aces have not faced each other since the 2018 Indiana Intercollegiate, which was hosted by Purdue. Ball State secured second place among the six teams that year with a total score of 454, while Evansville finished in third with a score of 348.

Supporters can track the action of Saturday’s meet through Meet Mobile.

IN THE MAC RANKINGS 
According to the most recent NCAA Division I Top Time Rankings, compiled by CollegeSwimming.com, the Cardinals boast 10 student-athletes positioned in scoring rank within their respective events leading into Saturday’s home contest.

Women’s Swimmers Currently Listed in the MAC Top 16 
50 Freestyle: 1st – Payton Kelly (22.52) / 5th – Anna Keen (22.82) 
100 Freestyle: 2nd – Payton Kelly (49.06) / 10th – Anna Keen (50.10) 
200 Freestyle: 2nd – Payton Kelly (1:47.77) 
500 Freestyle: 14th – Callie Tuma (5:00.14) 
1000 Freestyle: 3rd – McKenna Potteiger (10:17.41) / 6th – Payton Kelly (10:19.26) / 8th – Callie Tuma (10:23.18)  
1650 Freestyle: 4th – McKenna Potteiger (17:03.20) / 5th – Callie Tuma (17:05.32)  
100 Backstroke: 16th – Olivia Owens (55.86)  
200 Backstroke: 7th – Olivia Owens (2:00.06) / 10th – Alyssa Messenger (2:01.49) 
100 Breaststroke: 10th – Laura Wright (1:03.14) / 14th – Anna Keen (1:03.49) 
200 Breaststroke: 14th – Julia Ofman (2:20.06) 
100 Butterfly: 2nd – Anna Keen (53.84) / 16th – Ava Butterfield (56.00) 
200 Butterfly: 1st – Alexa Von Holtz (1:59.70) 
200 IM: 8th – Alexa Von Holtz (2:03.40) 
400 IM: 5th – Alexa Von Holtz (4:21.48) / 13th – McKenna Potteiger (4:27.61) 
200 Freestyle Relay: 4th – Ball State (1:31.95)  
400 Freestyle Relay: 5th – Ball State (3:23.29) 
800 Freestyle Relay: 5th – Ball State (7:31.98) 
200 Medley Relay: 5th – Ball State (1:41.02) 
400 Medley Relay: 5th – Ball State (3:42.94) 

FROM THE DIVING BOARDS: 
Graduate Grace Walker currently tops the Cardinals in both the 1M (293.10) and 3M (276.68) diving events, with her 1M score being an NCAA Zone Diving Qualifying standard and the fourth-best individual score for six dives in the program’s history.

Ball State Divers Top Results in 2024-25 
Grace Walker (Gr.) – 293.10* on 1M / 276.68 on 3M 
Leelah Fettig (So.) – 253.05 on 1M / 245.40 on 3M 
Hannah Justice (Jr.) – 214.95 on 1M / 196.73 on 3M 
Eeva-Liisa Gibson (Fr.) – 199.05 on 1M / 194.10 on 3M 
Tommy-Anne Marriott (Fr.) – 185.85 on 1M / 237.30 on 3M 
NCAA Zone Diving Qualifying Marks: 265 on 1M / 280 on 3M 

MAC AWARD WINNERS:

To date this season, the Cardinals have secured one Mid-American Conference weekly award, with junior Payton Kelly achieving her fifth career accolade on December 11.

Swimming Award Winners:

12/11/2024 – Payton Kelly MAC Women’s Swimmer of the Week





EVENT WINNERS: 

As a team, the Cardinals have recorded 38 individual event victories along with five relay successes so far this season. 



2024-25 Women’s Individual Event Victors (38) 

10 – Payton Kelly (Jr.) 

      Oct. 12 vs. UIC: 100 Freestyle (51.97) / 200 Freestyle (1:51.25) 

      Oct. 18 at Miami: 50 Freestyle (23.60) / 100 Freestyle (51.83) 

      Nov. 8 at IU Indy: 100 Freestyle (52.30) 

      Nov. 23 at Bellarmine: 100 Backstroke (57.16) / 1000 Freestyle (10:19.26) 

      Dec. 5-7 at Miami Invitational: 50 Freestyle (22.52) / 200 Freestyle (1:47.77) / 100 Freestyle (49.06) 



6 – Alexa Von Holtz (So.) 

      Oct. 12 vs. UIC: 200 Butterfly (2:05.06) 

      Nov. 8 at IU Indy: 200 Butterfly (2:02.62) / 200 IM (2:07.28) 

      Nov. 23 at Bellarmine: 200 Freestyle (1:57.05) / 100 Butterfly (57.44) 

      Dec. 5-7 at Miami Invitational: 200 Butterfly (1:59.70) 



6 – Laura Wright (Gr.) 

      Oct. 12 vs. UIC: 100 Butterfly (1:04.76) / 200 Butterfly (2:23.46) 

      Oct. 18 at Miami: 100 Butterfly (1:04.90) / 200 Butterfly (2:21.96) 

      Nov. 8 at IU Indy: 100 Breaststroke (1:04.71) / 200 Breaststroke (2:21.08) 

3 – Grace Walker (Gr.) 

      Oct. 12 vs. UIC: 1M Diving (293.10) / 3M Diving (276.68) 

      Oct. 18 at Miami: 1M Diving (283.50) 



2 – Leelah Fettig (So.) 

      Nov. 8 at IU Indy: 1M Diving (253.05) / 3M Diving (242.63)  



2 – Anna Keen (Fr.) 

      Oct. 12 vs. UIC: 50 Freestyle (24.61) 

      Nov. 8 at IU Indy: 50 Freestyle (23.69) 



2- Alyssa Messenger (Jr.) 

      Nov. 8 at IU Indy: 100 Backstroke (57.65) / 200 Backstroke (2:04.16) 



2 – Lilia Newkirk (Sr.) 

      Oct. 12 vs. UIC: 100 Backstroke (57.69) / 200 Backstroke (2:05.10) 



2 – Kiran Stauffer (Jr.) 

      Oct. 18 at Miami: 200 Butterfly (2:03.88) / 400 IM (4:32.57) 



1 – Kayla Newman (So.) 

      Nov. 23 at Bellarmine: 500 Freestyle (5:14.11) 



1 – McKenna Potteiger (Fr.) 

      Oct. 18 at Miami: 1000 Freestyle (10:28.48) 



1 – Haley Sakbun (Jr.) 

      Nov. 23 at Bellarmine: 100 Freestyle (53.79) 



2024-25 Women’s Relay Winners (5) 

3 – 200 Medley Relay 

      Oct. 12 vs. UIC: Keen, Sakbun, Stauffer, Kelly (3:30.84) 

      Nov. 8 at IU Indy: Messenger, Ofman, Keen, Kelly (1:44.92) 

      Nov. 23 at Bellarmine: Messenger, Ofman, Bader, Sakbun (1:47.56) 



2 – 400 Freestyle Relay 

      Oct. 12 vs. UIC: Newkirk, Wright, Keen, Kelly (1:44.68) 

      Nov. 23 at Bellarmine: Stauffer, Sakbun, Tuma, Kelly (3:37.54)