The Panthers return home winless from competing in The House of Champions Invitational over the weekend.

In the nine-team competition, neither the men’s team nor the women’s team earned a first or second place award.

The Panthers placed in the top ten a total of 18 times out of 36 total events.

Freshman Kate VanHootegem had positive thoughts about the invitational.

“I think as a team we did really well,” VanHootegem said.

VanHootegem said that the swimming teams would still have normal scheduled practices during their month and a half layoff except for a week layoff around Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“I think it will get us prepared for our conference meet, and hitting the training really hard,” VanHootegem said.

The team of junior Michael Lacine, junior Daniel Enge, senior Rich Waszak and sophomore Adam Jones came in fourth in the dual 200-yard Freestyle. Waszak, senior Matt O’Hagan, Enge and Lacine also took third place in both the 200-yard and 400-yard medley.

Junior Michael Bower took fourth place in the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 4:20.06 as Chacour Koop finished ninth in the same event.

Enge won third place and Waszak won fifth place in the men’s 100-yard Butterfly. Waszak also finished fifth place in the 100-yard Backstroke at 55.08.

Koop, Enge, Christian Rhoten and Ryan Krug finished in seventh in the 800-yard freestyle. Koop also finished sixth in the 200-yard backstroke.

Lacine earned ninth place 100-yard freestyle, while Enge finished fourth place in the 200-yard butterfly.

Freshman Katelynn Paige, senior Morgan Roberts, sophomore Olga Livshits and freshman Mackenzie Anderson earned sixth place in the 200-yard freestyle.

Anderson, junior Kelli Dicanio, Paige and Livshits won fourth place in the 400-yard medley. Sixth place was awarded to Anderson, Dicanio, Paige and Roberts in the 200-yard medley.

Sophomore Mary Lacine took sixth place in the 400-yard individual medley at 4:47.36.

Dicanio and sophomore Janis McGee won fourth and ninth place in the 100-yard breaststroke. Dicanio also took fifth place in the 200-yard Breaststroke.

Junior Hailey Foss, Lacine, freshman Nikki Peck and Livshits finished in seventh place in the 800-yard freestyle.

The Panthers will not have a meet until the first of next year against the Auburn Tigers in Auburn, Ala.

Nick Blankenship can be reached at 581-7942 or nrblankenship@eiu.edu.