2025 Clutch Sports Media All-Area Girls Swimming and Diving Team: 35 Central Illinois athletes earn honors 

With another girls swimming and diving season in the books, Clutch Sports Media is proud to announce its first CSM All-Area Teams, honoring more than 30 of the best swimmers and divers in the Central Illinois area. 

Athletes from the region made noise at the IHSA State Finals, especially in diving where six local divers qualified and two reached the final heat. Peoria Notre Dame’s Kamryn Gardiner made history as the Irish’s first state medalist in over a decade as she finished third in the 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly. 

Washington and Metamora headlined the most successful teams with both Mid-Illini squads winning sectional crowns. It marked Washington’s third consecutive and Metamora’s second consecutive sectional title.

Clutch Sports Media’s girls swimming and diving All-Area team, which features a total of 35 honorees, is composed of athletes from the 39 schools in the CSM coverage area surrounding Peoria and Bloomington/Normal.

Clutch Sports Media will also have a Coach of the Year and a Swimmer of the Year, which will both be announced shortly. All of the All-Area nominees below are listed in alphabetical order by last names.

Clutch Sports Media All-Area First Team 

Kamryn Gardiner, freshman, Peoria Notre Dame

Gardiner broke onto the high school swim scene in a massive way and took home a pair of medals at the IHSA State Finals. She finished third in the 200 individual medley (2:03.33) — after finishing seventh in the prelims — and third in the 100 butterfly (54.56). Gardiner won sectional championships in both events at the Pekin Sectional and was part of the Irish’s 200 freestyle relay and 400 freestyle relay, which both finished second at the meet. Gardiner’s season also featured a first-place finish in the 100 butterfly at the Evanston Invite (57.74)

Eileen Hamilton, freshman, Peoria Notre Dame

Hamilton was the second part of PND’s star freshmen duo and excelled in the distance events. She qualified for state in the 200 freestyle, finishing 33rd in the prelims (1:55.37) and 32nd in the prelims of the 500 freestyle (5:12.13). That came after Hamilton won the Pekin Sectional title in the 500 freestyle (5:10.19) and took second in the 200 freestyle (1:54.77) and she was a Big 12 champion in both events. Hamilton also was part of PND’s 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relays that took second at sectionals. 

Maya Happel, junior, Washington 

Happel was a leader for Washington, which won the Normal Community Sectional, and won multiple sectional titles and swam in four different races at state. The Panthers’ junior finished 20th in the 100 freestyle (52.33) and 34th in the 100 breaststroke (1:08.01) at state after winning sectional crowns in both events. Happel was also part of Washington’s 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay, which both qualified for state as well. She put up four top-two finishes at the Mid-Illini Conference Meet, including wins in the 500 freestyle and being part of Washington’s winning 400 freestyle relay. 

Hailey Kardas, sophomore, Bloomington

Kardas had a strong sophomore year, which she finished at the IHSA State Finals after winning the Normal Community Sectional in the 100 butterfly (59.55). Kardas went on to finish 37th in the event at state with a clocking of 59.46. She was also the third-place finisher in the 500 freestyle at the Pekin Sectional and helped the Purple Raiders’ take second in the 200 medley relay and third in the 400 freestyle at the meet. Kardas relied on her bread and butter, the 100 butterfly, and won the Big 12 championship in the event, among multiple other victories during the year.  

Jenna Kozinski, junior, Washington

Kozinski, an East Peoria student on Washington's co-op, was the Panthers' top distance swimmer and was a consistently strong presence for the team all season. The junior qualified for state in four events, winning sectional championships in the 200 freestyle (1:59.33) and 500 freestyle (5:27.07) and powering Washington to a sectional championship. She was also part of Washington’s 200 freestyle relay and 400 freestyle relay, which both qualified for state and was the Mid-Illini Conference champion in the 100 freestyle. 

Piper Lowder, senior, Normal Community

Normal Community’s top swimmer was one of the highest-placing area finishers at state as a senior. Lowder finished 17th at state in the 100 freestyle (52.17), nearly qualifying for the final heats, and 24th in the 50 freestyle (24.06). She was a threat to win the 50 freestyle every time she was in the pool and won the event at the Normal Community Sectional, as well as the Big 12 Conference Meet. Lowder also won the Big 12 in the 100 freestyle and placed second in the event at sectionals. 

Ava Peplowski, junior, Metamora 

The younger sister of Olympian Anna Peplowski was a great swimmer in her own right for a Metamora squad that won the Pekin Sectional title. She led two Redbirds relay teams to state and was part of a group that finished 25th in the 200 medley relay (1:47.86) and 29th in the 200 freestyle relay (1:39.11). Individually, Peplowski was the sectional runner-up in the 200 individual medley and finished 41st at state with a time of 2:11.59. She led all Mid-Illini swimmers with four titles at the conference meet, winning the 200 IM and 100 butterfly while being part of the 200 medley relay and 200 freestyle relay. 

Quincy Points, senior, Metamora

Points excelled in the breaststroke and freestyle events for Metamora and was a three-event state qualifier for the Redbirds. She took home three sectional titles at the Pekin Sectional, including the 100 breaststroke (1:06.79) where she went on to finish 32nd at state. Points was also part of Metamora’s 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays that both earned top-30 finishes at state. Points won the 100 breaststroke in multiple events throughout the season, including the Mid-Illini Conference Meet, Bloomington Raider Invite and Normal Community Iron Invite. 

Ava Ray, senior, Washington 

Ray, a Morton student who dives for Washington’s co-op, finished the best out of six area divers that qualified for the IHSA State Finals. The school record-holder in diving, Ray won the Normal Community sectional with 503.60 points after finishing third at the Mid-Illini Conference meet. Ray advanced through the prelims and semifinal rounds at state and finished 14th with 435.30 points. She is committed to continue her career at Division I Nebraska-Omaha. 

Annie Yingling, senior, Dunlap 

Yingling reached the final round of the diving competition at the IHSA State Finals and ended her high school career with a 16th-place finish. She won the Mid-Illini Conference title with a mark of 458.70 and took home the Pekin Sectional title with a 481.95 total. Yingling finished in the top 12 in both the prelim and semifinal rounds at state before taking 16th with 409.10 points. 

Clutch Sports Media All-Area Second Team 

 Lauryn Burroughs, freshman, Normal U-High 

Burroughs was one of three first-team all-Central State Eight Conference swimmers for the Pioneers. Primarily a distance swimmer, she won conference titles in the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle. Burroughs narrowly missed out on qualifying for state in both events as a freshman, settling for runner-up finishes at the Normal Community Sectional with marks of 2:04.00 in the 200 freestyle and 5:27.36 in the 500 freestyle. 

Kara Hofmann, senior, Richwoods

Hofmann was one of the top swimmers for Richwoods, finishing third in the 200 freestyle (1:59.58) at the Pekin Sectional and fourth in the 500 freestyle (5:23.29). Her other season highlights include placing third in both events at the Big 12 Conference Meet and winning several races in dual matches. 

Anna Jennings, sophomore, Bloomington 

Jennings gave Bloomington a strong presence in multiple events, culminating her season with four top-3 finishes at the Normal Community sectional. She placed second in the 100 breaststroke (1:11.19) and led the Purple Raiders to a matching finish in the 200 medley relay. She also earned bronze in the 200 individual medley (2:22.23) and helped BHS to third in the 200 freestyle relay. Jennings’ other highlights included winning the Big 12 title in the 100 breaststroke and the 200 individual medley at Palos Heights Shepard’s Astro Invitational. 

Madelyn Parrott, senior, Washington 

Parrott was a key piece of three Washington relays that won sectional championships and qualified for state. She swam on the Panthers’ 200 medley relay that took 32nd in state, the 400 freestyle relay that slotted in 33rd and on the 200 freestyle relay that placed 34th. Individually, Parrott added bronze medals in the 100 butterfly at the Normal Community Sectional and Mid-Illini Conference Meet and a silver in the 200 individual medley at the conference meet. Parrott will continue her career in college at St. Ambrose University.

Ella Peplowski, senior, Metamora

Peplowski was an integral part of several Metamora relay teams that saw success throughout the year and led the Redbirds to a sectional title. She swam on her team’s 200 medley relay (1:47.86) that placed 25th at the IHSA State Finals, as well as the 200 freestyle relay that came in 29th with a clocking of 1:39.11. Both of those relay teams earned gold at the Pekin Sectional and the Mid-Illini Conference Meet. Peplowski also took first in the 200 freestyle at the Macomb Invitational. 

Lexi Rankin, junior, Normal West

The Wildcats’ junior diver put together an impressive campaign that included winning the Big 12 Conference championship. During the regular season, Rankin also grabbed first place in meets  at Bloomington, Normal Community and Deerfield, setting the stage for a second-place finish at the loaded Normal Community Sectional with 468.85 points. Rankin qualified for the IHSA State Finals and finished 21st in the prelims. 

Addison Robison, junior, Metamora

Along with both Peplowskis and Points, Robison was part of Metamora’s strong relay group that placed in the top 30 in both the 200 freestyle relay and 200 medley relay at the IHSA State Finals. She also finished third in the 100 backstroke at the Pekin Sectional (1:01.14) and won the event at the Mid-Illini Conference Meet. 

Finley Smith, senior, Washington

Smith swam legs on all three of Washington’s state-qualifying relay teams, but was a strong individual swimmer as well. She earned second place at the Normal Community Sectional in the 50 freestyle (24.99) and 100 freestyle (55.05) while helping the Panthers’ 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay teams to victories. Smith won the Mid-Illini Conference title in the 200 freestyle and placed third in the MIC in the 100 freestyle. Smith will continue her career at Carleton College.

Eden Soviar, freshman, Dunlap

Soviar was Dunlap’s top swimmer as a freshman and qualified for the IHSA State Finals in the 50 freestyle, where she finished 40th (24.63). That came after she placed third in the event at the Pekin Sectional while helping the Eagles’ 200 medley relay team to a bronze medal as well. She racked up multiple podium finishes in the 500 freestyle during the year, including winning it at the Mid-Illini Conference Meet. 

Katie Unger, senior, Dunlap 

Part of a great 1-2 Dunlap diving punch, Unger ended her prep career with a top-20 finish at the IHSA State Finals. There, she advanced to the semifinal round and placed 18th with a total of 314.55. Unger finished second at the Pekin Sectional, narrowly behind her teammate Yingling, with 474.65 points and was the runner-up at the Mid-Illini Conference Meet. During the year, she also won the East Moline United Panther Invitational. 

Clutch Sports Media All-Area Honorable Mentions

Addison Bauer, senior, Metamora

Delaney Brown, senior, Bloomington

Isla Brown, sophomore, Pekin

Cora Culp, freshman, Pekin

Vivian Dare, sophomore, Richwoods

Paytyn Dykes, junior, Washington

Kate Fitzjarrald, sophomore, Peoria Notre Dame

Angela Guelde, junior, Tri-Valley

Haleigh Guy, freshman, Normal Community

Nika Happel, junior, Washington

Olivia Hepp, sophomore, Pekin

Ella Kraft, junior, Normal U-High

Emily Peterson, junior, Metamora

Brynlee Pufahl, freshman, Dunlap

Mary Toca, sophomore, Normal U-High