{"id":118440,"date":"2014-12-26T09:00:58","date_gmt":"2014-12-26T16:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=118440"},"modified":"2014-12-26T07:36:32","modified_gmt":"2014-12-26T14:36:32","slug":"lindenwood-belleville-enjoys-naia-swimming-ranks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/lindenwood-belleville-enjoys-naia-swimming-ranks\/","title":{"rendered":"Lindenwood-Belleville Enjoys NAIA Swimming Ranks"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Lileana Pearson, Swimming World College Intern<\/em><\/p>\n

BELLEVILLE – Constantly changing and progressing as colleges and universities add new teams, NAIA swimming is on a roll as it gains recognition. Each year, swim programs are added to the NAIA, and this year was no exception as Lindenwood University-Belleville joined the ranks of NAIA and continues to impress everyone.<\/p>\n

Lindenwood University-Belleville, more commonly known as LU-Belleville, is a small private, four-year liberal arts university in Belleville Illinois. This full-fledged, standalone university is a sister school of Lindenwood University and in 2014 the school added two new sports, one being swimming and diving.<\/p>\n

Head coach Mandy Chun, a graduate of Lindenwood University, has lead\u00a0the men’s and women’s team through its\u00a0first season with huge amounts of success. After an incredible season with Maryville University, Chun came to LU-Belleville ready to produce a team that is exceptionally powerful in its\u00a0first year. She has done just that as her team placed high at invitationals.<\/p>\n

None of this would be possible\u00a0without swimmers to power the success. Katelyn Hilmes was the first student-athlete to make a\u00a0commitment and sign with LU-Bellville as she\u00a0entrusted her college swimming career to\u00a0Chun. A transfer from Kaskaskia College, Hilmes is a mid distance and freestyle sprinter from Carlyle, Ill.<\/p>\n

Hilmes was soon followed by the first two men to sign to the program, Thomas Berthe and Chris McLeod. Berthe is a Belleville, Illinois native and is a freshman at LU-Belleville. He competes in sprint freestyle, butterfly, and individual medley. Berthe also has the honor of holding the title of team captain as a first year student. Named vice president, McLeod is a transfer from Bishop State Community College and originates from Mobile, Ala. McLeod is a strong competitor in breaststroke and freestyle events and is helping his team earn a positive reputation.<\/p>\n

LU-Belleville currently has 29 student-athletes ranging from freshman to senior. With a total of 15 women and 16 men they are making an impressive start to their very first season. As they progress and add more swimmers to their program, Lindenwood University-Belleville will be a university and swim program that will be making a name for themselves and leaving their mark at NAIA Nationals in March this 2014-15 season.<\/p>\n