SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Missouri State swimming and diving team hits the road for two Missouri Valley and Mid-American Conference matchups at Evansville (Dec. 2) and Southern Illinois (Dec. 3) following the team’s first-place, record-breaking weekend at the House of Champions Invitational.
Friday’s dual against Evansville is set to begin at 4 p.m. at Wyttenbach Pool in Evansville, Ind., while Saturday’s contest is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Dr. Edward J. Shea Natatorium in Carbondale, Ill.
Match Info: Missouri State vs. Evansville | Missouri State vs. Southern Illinois
Location: Wyttenbach Pool – Evansville, Ind. | Dr. Edward J. Shea Natatorium – Carbondale, Ill.
Date: Friday, Dec. 2 | Saturday, Dec. 3
Time: 4 p.m. | 11 a.m.
Evansville
The Missouri State women have a 14-2 all-time record against Evansville while the men are a perfect 18-0 against the Purple Aces. Last season, both the men and the women were victorious against Evansville in their second meet of the 2015-16 season, where the men defeated the Purple Aces, 152-84, and the women won by a score of 152-77.
At the 2016 MVC Championships, the Evansville women finished sixth with 263 points while the Bears placed second, totaling 799 points. At the 2016 MAC Championships, Evansville finished seventh with 142 points.
Order of Events
200 Medley Relay
1000 Freestyle
200 Freestyle
50 Freestyle
200 IM
3-Meter Diving
100 Butterfly
100 Freestyle
500 Freestyle
1-Meter Diving
100 Breaststroke
200 Freestyle Relay
Southern Illinois
The Missouri State men boast a 16-11 all-time record over the Salukis while Southern Illinois holds a 12-8 record over the Missouri State women. Last season, Missouri State split at home with the Salukis. The men pulled out a 121-110 victory while the women fell by a score of 125-116.
At the 2016 MAC Championships, the Missouri State men bested the Salukis by 106 to take fourth while Southern Illinois took fifth-place. At the 2016 MVC Championships, Southern Illinois bested the Bears by .5 points, totaling 799.50 points to take the MVC Championship crown.
Order of Events
200 Medley Relay
1000 Freestyle
200 Freestyle
100 Backstroke
100 Breaststroke
200 Butterfly
50 Freestyle
1-Meter Diving
100 Freestyle
200 Backstroke
200 Breaststroke
500 Freestyle
100 Butterfly
Bear Bites
The Missouri State swimming and diving team had a record-setting weekend at the House of Champions Invitational in Indianapolis, Ind., where the men’s and women’s teams each finished first out of 12 schools.
At the meet, Missouri State broke 23 meet records, two school records, and numerous season records. The women’s squad set nine meet records while the men’s team recorded 14. The women’s team racked up a total of 1762.5 points and the Missouri State men totaled 1852 through the three-day meet.
The women’s side was highlighted by performances from Lauren Pavel, Sarah Allegri, Josie Pearson and Sydney Zupan. Pavel was perfect through five events – three individual and two relays – setting five new meet records and three new career records. In her efforts, Pavel also achieved two “B” standards in both the 100 and 200-yard breast.
Freshman Sarah Allegri set a new meet record in the 200yd back after finishing the event with a time of 1:57.92, which is a new personal record. Allegri also took first in the 100yd back in 55.25 seconds.
Pearson set a new meet record in her first-place finish in the women’s 200yd butterfly (2:01.62) as well as the 400yd individual medley (4:19.64). Sydney Zupan set a new school record in the 100yd fly after swimming a time of 54.77 seconds in the finals.
In the MVC, Zupan holds the top spot in the 100yd back (54.95) and 100yd fly (54.77), Allegri leads the 200yd back (1:57.92), Pavel leads the 200yd breast (2:13.78) and 200 IM (2:02.37) while Pearson captains the 200yd fly (2:01.62) and 400yd IM (4:19.64).
The Missouri State men were led by Antonio Thomas, Artur Osvath and Phillip Willet. Thomas, a freshman, dominated the 500 (4:22.87) and 1650yd free (15:23.90) as he earned two individual victories over the three day meet. Like Pavel, Thomas earned two “B” standards as his time in the 500yd free sits 30th in the nation and first in the MAC. His time in the 1650yd free set a new school record, is the tenth-fastest time in the nation and sits first in the MAC.
Osvath took first-place in the 100yd fly (48.14), 100yd breast (54.15) and 200yd breast, breaking meet records in all three events. Willett finished first in the 400yd IM, finishing first and shattering the meet record with his time of 3:50.54. He also set a new meet record of 1:47.40 in the 200 IM.
In the MAC, the Missouri State men hold the top spot in 13 separate events. Osvath holds first-place in the 100yd breast (54.15), 200yd breast (1:55.52), 100yd fly (48.14) and 200yd fly (1:47.42). Thomas leads the way in the 500yd free (4:22.87), 1000yd free (9:07.56) and 1650yd free (15:04.50). Willett claims the top spot in the 200yd IM (1:47.40) and 400yd IM (3:50.54). Freshman Samuel Senn ranks first in the 50yd free (20.35), junior Will Brand leads the 100yd free (44.96), sophomore Michael Mollak leads the 200yd free (1:37.63) and freshman Thomas Heye ranks first in the 100yd back (49.57).
A Look At The Competition
Evansville
The Purple Aces men’s and women’s team started off the season with losses against the Southern Illinois Salukis. The team’s first victories were against Valparaiso where the men’s squad defeated the Crusaders, 131-74, and the women’s team won by a final of 152-33. Following the first two meets of the season, the men’s team finished fifth at the Indiana Intercollegiate where they racked up 137 points in the event. They earned their second and third victories of the season when they outscored Eastern Illinois, 115-90, and Rose-Hulman, 179-115. The men’s team competed at the House of Champions Invitational on Nov. 18-20 where they finished seventh with 466 points.
The women’s team followed their victory against Valparaiso with a third place finish at the Indiana Intercollegiate with a total of 189.5 points. Two weeks later, the squad fell to Little Rock by a score of 177-118. The women’s team has also earned victories against Indiana State and Rose-Hulman. Also competing at the House of Champions Invitational, the women took fourth with a total of 1045 points. Junior Danielle Freeman leads the MVC in the 50yd free (23.25) and 100yd free (50.94)
Southern Illinois
The Southern Illinois women’s squad kicked off the season with a 188-142 win over Evansville. The following week, the Missouri State and Southern Illinois women’s teams met up at the Missouri State Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 8 where the Salukis took fourth place and the Bears were named co-champions of the meet. Since then, the women split with Illinois (L, 178-103) and Illinois State (W, 171-110) in a tri-dual, placed fourth at the Louisville Invite and have fallen to No. 14 Missouri, No. 18 Kentucky, and Northwestern. Junior Bryn Handley leads the MVC in the 200yd free (1:49.54) and 500yd free (4:48.99), 1000yd free (10:07.80) and 1650yd free (16:37.85)
The men’s team has found similar success this season, kicking off the 2016-17 season with a 190-118 victory over the Evansville Purple Aces. Three weeks later, the Salukis earned their second victory of the season after they defeated McKendree University, 125-54. The squad placed fifth at the Louisville Invite and have fallen victim to No. 2 Missouri, No. 24 Kentucky and Northwestern. Junior Alex Crawford leads the MAC in the 200yd back with a time of 1:48.00.
Final Details
Friday’s conference dual against Evansville is slated for 4 p.m. at Wyttenbach Pool in Evansville, Ind. The following day, the Bears travel to Southern Illinois to take on the Salukis at 11 a.m. at Dr. Edward J. Shea Natatorium in Carbondale, Ill. For more information on the Missouri State men’s and women’s swimming and diving team visit www.missouristatebears or Twitter (MoStateSwim).
