Nearing the end of the semester, the Eastern men’s and women’s swimming teams have one meet left before resting up during the winter break.

Though they have only had three meets, the teams have learned a lot about themselves and what they need to do to stay competitive the rest of the season.

“We are just hoping to get great times and just go out there and do our best,” said senior freestyle swimmer Lauren Zillmer.

The Panthers are coming off their first win against Saint Louis since 2001 and hope to carry the win streak into their next dual meet against Ball State.

“Ball State is a little bit of a tough team to beat, they have a lot of talent,” Zillmer said.

The men’s is 2-1, and the women’s team is 1-2 on the year.

Glance at the men’s team

The men’s team has swam itself to a 2-1 record and much of that can be contributed to the fact that many of the young swimmers from the 2009 recruiting class have come up big in the first three meets.

Among the many swimmers who have contributed this season is freshman freestyle swimmer Ken Tiltges who along with Zillmer from the women’s squad, placed first in the 200-yard freestyle in last Friday’s meet at Saint Louis.

“(Tiltges) is one of the most experienced swimmers out of that class,” said head coach Matt Bos.

Tiltges has already earned honors from the Summit League.

He was named Summit League Male Athlete of the Week in October.

Also doing well early on this year is freshman freestyle swimmer John Wilson who touched the wall first in the 50-yard freestyle at Saint Louis.

Glance at the women’s team

Though the Eastern’s women’s team did win its first two dual meets, the team’s first win of the season against Saint Louis has given them a boost of confidence.

“We were just excited to go out there and race,” Zillmer said.

While the Panther men have seen some success with their young talent, the women’s swim squad has reached success with some of their more experienced swimmers.

Among the veterans who have put up some great performances this season is senior backstroke and individual medley swimmer Laura Nilsen.

Last Friday in St. Louis, Nilsen set a new school record in the 200-yard individual medley race (2 minutes, 10.35 seconds).

Also performing well is junior freestyle swimmer Megan Eshleman who along with Nilsen, won the 1,000-yard freestyle and 200-yard backstroke events against Saint Louis.

Kevin Maras can be reached at 581-7944 or kjmaras@eiu.edu.