SIU Carbondale vs Evansville
- February 1, 2020
- Carbondale, Illinois
- Results
Courtesy: SIU Carbondale Athletics
CARBONDALE, Ill. — The Southern Illinois swimming and diving program concluded its regular season with a conference sweep over Evansville on Saturday afternoon at Shea Natatorium. The Saluki women rolled the Aces 175-63, while the men’s team came out on top, 122-78.
Southern won 23 out of 24 events and added nine runner-up finishes in the Senior Day meet. Six Salukis earned two individual event wins. SIU’s 21 seniors were recognized during the course of the meet and combined for 14 of the 23 victories.
“I was happy with how we raced after competing yesterday against Missouri. It was fun to honor our seniors with a good effort,” head coach Geoff Hanson expressed. “We expected our top individuals to perform well and they did, but it was fun to see our depth, too. We have individuals capable of winning in every event, but we also rely on our depth to get those second, third and fourth-place points.”
EVENT WINS
* Women’s team
Rita Naude
• 50-free (24.27)
• 100-fly (56.40)
Eden Girloanta
• 500-free (5:08.76)
• 1000-free (10:33.66)
Sierra Forbord
• 100-free (53.12)
200-free (1:53.71)
Baobao Ji
• One-meter dive (300.90)
• Three-meter dive (321.15)
Sarah Vogt
• 100-breast (1:06.89)
Laura Carver
• 200-IM (2:09.31)
Lucia Romero
• 100-back (56.94)
Romero, Vogt, Naude, Forbord
• 200-medley relay (1:44.39)
Carver, Young, Romero, Rose
• 200-free relay (1:39.52)
* Men’s team
Adam Cernek
• 100-back (49.99)
• 200-IM (1:52.00)
Zheng Yang Yeap
• 100-free (46.75)
• 200-free (1:41.42)
Kevin Kluge
• 1000-free (9:46.16)
Tamas Hajtman
• 100-fly (50.53)
Jimmy Dooley
• 100-breast (58.02)
Matt Ciezczak
• 50-free (21.70)
Cernek, Dooley, Hajtman, Ciezczak
• 200-medley recap (1:32.69)
Hajtman, Yeap, Ciezczak, Kluge
• 200-free relay (1:25.05)
MEET HIGHLIGHTS
* Women’s team
The Saluki women were dominant in the pool and on the boards, as they won all 13 events against MVC opponent Evansville.
Seniors Rita Naude and Baobao Ji each won a season-best two individual events in their last career meet at Shea Natatorium. Naude claimed first in the 50-yard freestyle (24.27) and 100-yard butterfly (56.40), while Ji topped the podium in the one- and three-meter dives with scores of 300.90 and 321.15.
Swimmers Sierra Forbord and Eden Girloanta also tallied two victories for SIU. For the third-straight weekend, Forbord swam to first place in the 100- and 200-yard freestyle with marks of 53.12 and 1:53.71. Girloanta swept distance competition with wins in the 500-yard freestyle (5:08.76) and 1000-yard freestyle (10:33.66). The two end the regular season with a combined 25 first-place finishes in freestyle events.
Senior Laura Carver, along with newcomers Lucia Romero and Sarah Vogt, each placed first in one individual event. Carver celebrated her last home meet with a first-place nod in the 200-yard individual medley (2:09.31). Romero, coming off a record-setting meet at Missouri, won the 100-yard backstroke (56.94) and Vogt was first in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:06.89).
SIU opened and closed the meet with relay wins. Romero, Vogt, Naude and Forbord raced to a winning time of 1:44.39 in the 200-yard medley relay. Swimmers Carver, Abigail Young, Romero and Jacqueline Rose sprinted to first in the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:39.52).
Six Salukis added runner-up finishes. Swimmers Grace Hale (50-free // 25.33), Mariana Sanchez (1000-free // 10:41.54) and Rose (100-free // 54.55) earned second in freestyle events. A pair of seniors in Samantha Parsons and Beibei Ji tabbed multiple second-place marks. Parsons swam to second in the 100-breast (1:08.05) and 200-IM (2:11.49), while Ji was runner-up in the one- and three-meter dive with scores of 296.85 and 297.23. Young was second in the 100-fly (59.10) for her fourth runner-up finish of the season.
* Men’s team
The SIU men’s team capped its regular season with 10 victories in 11 events versus the Aces.
Adam Cernek and Zheng Yang Yeap led SIU with a combined four individual event victories. Cernek elevated his win total to 15 on the season with firsts in the 100-back (49.99) and 200-IM (1:52.00). Yeap grabbed wins in the 100- and 200-free with times of 46.75 and 1:41.42. It was third time he won the two events in the same meet this season.
Four SIU seniors earned individual victories. Kevin Kluge came from behind to win the 1000-free with a time of 9:46.16. Tamas Hajtman swam a winning time of 50.53 in the 100-fly and Jimmy Dooley was first in the 100-breast (58.02). Matt Ciezczak grabbed a first-place finish in the 50-free for his first-career collegiate win. Ciezczak helped SIU to a pair of relay victories as well.
The quartet of Cernek, Dooley, Hajtman and Ciezczak swam a winning time of 1:32.79 in the 200-medley relay. The team of Hajtman, Yeap, Ciezczak and Kluge claimed first in the 200-free relay (1:25.05).
Swimmers Sam Flessner, Chris Phillips and Max Ransom were other SIU standouts. Flessner turned in a second place performance in the 500-free (4:47.39). Phillips placed third in the 100-free (49.01) and 200-IM (1:59.05), while Ransom was third in the 100-fly (53.37) and 1000-free (10:04.57).
MORE THOUGHTS FROM COACH HANSON
On back-to-back meets…
“It’s another challenge that we will again face when we get to our conference meets. The conference championships are seven sessions, which is a lot of racing, so going back-to-back this weekend was good preparation.”
On seniors success…
“It was great to see. I don’t think Matt Ciezczak has won the 50-free in a meet in his college career. It was cool to see someone like that having success and improving all the way up to the very end of his career. It’s great for our senior class to feel like they’re leaving the program better than they found it.”
NEXT UP
With the conclusion of the regular season, Southern will next compete in their conference championship meets. The Saluki women take part in the MVC Championships from Feb. 19-22 in Columbia, Mo. The SIU men will host the men’s MAC Championships from Mar. 4-7 at Shea Natatorium.
Courtesy: Evansville Athletics
CARBONDALE, Ill. – The University of Evansville’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams closed out the regular season with a strong performance at Southern Illinois, Saturday afternoon.
Zeke Metz earned an event title in the 500-yard freestyle with a 4:45.66 time, while Austin Smith took third with a 4:49.11 event finish.
Ee E Tan posted a second place 1000-yard freestyle time of 9:53.02, while Samad Abu-Shamab took fifth in the event at 10:32.25.
Sonsoles Aguayo captured second place at 1:57.68 in the 200-yard freestyle, while Andrea Ramis (2:01.13) and Sarah Jans (2:02.11) took fifth and sixth respectively in the event.
Paul Cozzens took down a 1:57.70 200-yard IM time finishing in second, while also taking fifth place in the 100-yard breaststroke at 1:03.58.
Alaina Sylvester (1:09.38), Sage Moore (1:10.56) and Allison McDonald (1:11.44) took second through fourth in the 100-yard breaststroke.
In diving Fae Keighley took fourth place on the 3-meter board with a 224.70 score, while Maggie Franz earned third in 1-meter with a 237.89 score.
The Purple Aces now ready for the Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Championship, Feb. 19-22 held in Columbia, Mo., while the men will set for the Mid-American Conference Championship March 4-7 back in Carbondale, Ill.
