NIU’s women’s swimming team faced three powerhouse squads in Friday and Saturday’s University of Illinois Illini Classic, and they learned all about competition at a higher level.

Iowa took first at 981.5 with host Illinois second at 770.5. Illinois State finished third, and NIU placed fourth with scores of 672.5 and 379.5, respectively.

“It’s always good to test yourself against the best,” NIU’s women’s swimming coach Mike Burt said. “You can learn exactly how much work you have to do. We had some good individual swims and some disappointing ones, but the key is for us to have nothing but good ones by the end of the season.”