The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams will be facing non-conference opponent Monmouth College on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, for their final home meet of the ‘25-26 season.
They will also be celebrating Senior Day with a ceremony taking place before the meet begins honoring the teams’ four combined seniors: the men’s team’s Jay Jenkins, alongside the women’s team’s Natalie Porter, Kayleigh Kuschewski and Julianna Boyle.
“These seniors are more than just captains for our team,” junior Julia Jozwiak said, “They are friends. They care a lot, and they actually showed up to things. They brought a good team vibe this year,” she said.
For many of these seniors, swimming has been a lifelong commitment, one that will (competitively) end following this season.
“I started swimming when I was eight years old,” Kuschewski said. “I was always told that I was really tall and that I should give swimming a shot, so I did. I joined a club team near my hometown of Octavia, and I really enjoyed it,” she said. “It wasn’t great at first, but I enjoyed it. It was something I could push myself in every day. It’s cool because it’s a team sport, but it’s also an individual sport.”
“Even from when I was eight, all the different experiences I’ve had, whether that be club or high school or summer, they’ve all been beneficial to myself and who I am today. Swimming shaped me as a person,” she said.
To end both their interviews with ‘The Argus,’ Kuschewski and Jozwiak shared memories they had with the outgoing class of seniors.
“My favorite memory has been gearing up for the conference championships every year,” Kuschewski said, “Our season is brutal. It’s hard, and it can beat you down. So, it’s fun to see everyone’s life come back and to see everyone smiling and having fun.”
“My favorite memory with a senior was sharing a room with Juliana in Arizona for our training trip with the girls team,” Jozwiak said. “We took a lot of naps and had dinners as a team and Juliana was the person I could turn to whenever I wanted to talk to someone.”
The Titans will face off against Monmouth for their final home meet. They battled Monmouth in their first road meet of the ‘25-26 season at the Monmouth Invite, a six-school meet between Monmouth, Simpson College, Ripon College, Grinnell College, Illinois College, and IWU. The women’s team placed first, and the men’s team placed second. The women’s team win gave new Titans’ head coach Dan Lloyd his first win as coach of the Green and White.
During their last meet against the Scots, the Titans posted 23 top-three finishes, including 12 first places, four of which came from seniors. Jenkins placed first in two events: the men’s 100 back, with a time of 55.39, and the men’s 50 free, with a time of 22.17, his personal best. Porter finished atop the podium in the women’s 200 free (2:03.87) and the women’s 500 free (5:28.05). Kuschewski placed first in the women’s 200 individual medley (2:19.93).
The Titans’ final home meet begins at 1 p.m. on Jan. 31 at Fort Natatorium. Spectators can come early to watch the senior day honors or tune in to the meet’s livestream on iwusports.com.
