LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Bellarmine swimming is set to compete in its final event of the first semester this week, as the Knights head to Carbondale, Illinois for the A3 Performance Invitational hosted by Southern Illinois.   Action will run from Thursday at 11:00 a.m. ET (10:00 a.m. CT) through Saturday.
 
Both squads are coming off their first home meet of the season, and each claimed a dual victory.  Ten different Knights swimmers claimed a first place finish at the Bellarmine Invitational to go along with eight second place finishes. 

Last season, the men's and women's team for Bellarmine each placed third at the A3 Performance Invite. 
 
Last Time Out (Bellarmine Invitational – Oct. 28^th – 29th)

The Knights hosted Gardner-Webb and Southern Indiana, while the Florida Gulf Coast women's team also competed.  The men's team for Bellarmine bested USI 258-57, while the women's team also beat Southern Indiana by a final score of 224-90. 
 
Men's Team Scores:
Bellarmine 258 – Southern Indiana 57
Gardner-Webb 166 – Bellarmine 149
 
Women's Team Scores:
Bellarmine 224 – Southern Indiana 90
Gardner-Webb 195.5 – Bellarmine 114.5
FGCU 238 – Bellarmine 76
 
Individually, Lauren Diercks and Alexandra Pierce each earned first place finishes for the women, while eight different men's swimmers claimed firsts – Liam Connelly, Blake Whiteley, Jacob Dray, Cason Henderson, Brandon Thomas, Greyson Williams, John Paul Metzner, Sam Jones, and Will O'Connor.
 
Notable finishes for the women's team included:
Lauren Diercks – 1^st in the 200 IM (2:12.29), 3^rd in the 100 backstroke (58.67), and 3^rd in the 200 backstroke (2:08.62)
Alexandra Pierce – 1^st in the 200 breaststroke (2:24.20), 2^nd in the 100 breaststroke (1:07.23), and 2^nd in the 200 IM (2:12.75)
Anna Holt – 3^rd in the 200 butterfly (2:13.17)

Notable finishes for the men's team included:
Liam Connelly – 1^st in the 1000 freestyle (9:46.14), 2^nd in the 400 IM (4:13.27)
Blake Whiteley – 1^st in the 100 backstroke (52.21), 2^nd in the 200 freestyle (1:43.64)
Jacob Dray – 1^st in the 100 butterfly (48.79), 2^nd in the 200 butterfly (1:55.59)
Cason Henderson – 1^st in the 200 butterfly (1:54.59), 2^nd in the 200 IM (1:59.03)
Brandon Thomas – 1^st in the 400 IM (4:11.07), 2^nd in the 500 freestyle (4:44.65)
Greyson Williams – 1^st in the 200 IM (1:58.12)
John Paul Metzner – 1^st in the 100 breaststroke (59.22)
Sam Jones – 1^st in the 500 freestyle (4:42.80)
Will O'Connor – 2^nd in the 50 freestyle (21.41)

For more coverage of Bellarmine athletics, follow us on Twitter (@BUKnights), Instagram (BUKnights) and Facebook (BUKnights).