Southern Illinois University
MVC Women's Championships
Swimming and Diving takes third at State Farm/MVC Championships
02/13/2010 | 12:00:00 | Swimming & Diving
Feb. 13, 2010
By Dana Ingraham
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The 2010 State Farm/Missouri Valley Conference Swimming and Diving Championships have come to a close, and Missouri State University has taken the title for the third year in a row.
The Bears' 981.5 points remained untouched for the duration of the three day event, but Southern Illinois pursued a close race with Illinois State for second place Saturday night. The Redbirds won the battle for the silver spot, finishing with 706 points while Southern finished in a close third at 680 points. Evansville ended in fourth (432 points) and Northern Iowa finished fifth (345.5 points)
The final night of competition began with the A final of the 1650 freestyle. Kirsten Groome broke her third pool and MVC record on the weekend, capturing the crown at 16:15.49. Her time is also a new SIU record, and sits just outside the top-20 in the nation. Jennifer Kwok placed sixth in the mile, adding 13 points to Southern's total.
Samantha Dvorak finished fourth in the 200 back with a season-best time of 2:05.80.
In the 100 free, Therese Mattsson pulled out a close first-place victory at 50.81, and Tovah Gasparovich was not far behind in fourth at 52.28.
Sophomore Kristin Geppert narrowly missed first in the 200 breast final, finishing second to Missouri State's Fran Moody by .04 seconds. Geppert's time of 2:19.57 puts her at number three in the SIU record books. Marcela Teixera clocked in at fourth place for SIU for 15 points and Susan Minkel finished eighth for 11.
In the last individual swimming event, the 200 fly, Melissa Larocque was the lone Saluki in the A final and finished eighth with her own season-best time of 2:10.12. Kwok and Krystle Kutak tacked on an additional eight points for the Salukis.
Emily Gable took home the crown in the 3-meter dive with a final score of 279.20. Freshmen Michelle Bell and Shelby Brown also scored for SIU, rounding out the top eight.
The Salukis finished third in the meet's final event, the 400 free relay, with Gasparovich, Groome, Teixeira and Mattsson touching in 3:29.80.
The Missouri Valley Conference honored student-athletes from all five teams at the conclusion of the meet. Six Salukis earned All-MVC Honorable Mention status: Anna Beeck, Bell, Brown, Dvorak, Larocque and Minkel. First-team All-MVC honorees included Gable, Gasparovich, Geppert, Groome, Kwok, Mattsson and Teixeira.
In addition, Groome and Gable were named MVC Swimmer and Diver of the Year, respectively, and SIU diving coach Joy Zhao was named Valley Diving Coach of the Year.
The Salukis will now wait until the conclusion of conference competition across the country to determine if Groome's NCAA provisional marks in the 500 free and 1650 free will be enough to advance to the next level.
Records Broken at the 2010 State Farm/MVC Championships
SIU Records
500 Freestyle - 4:44.48, Kirsten Groome
400 IM - 4:19.84, Kirsten Groome
1650 Freestyle - 16:15.49, Kirsten Groome
Pool Records - Dr. Edward J. Shea Natatorium
500 Freestyle - 4:44.48, Kirsten Groome (Southern Illinois)
200 Medley Relay - 1:44.08, Dirks-Ham, Moody, Hollar, Green (Missouri State)
1650 Freestyle - 16:15.49, Kirsten Groome (Southern Illinois)
MVC Meet/Overall Records
500 Freestyle - 4:44.48, Kirsten Groome (Southern Illinois)
200 Medley Relay - 1:44.08, Dirks-Ham, Moody, Hollar, Green (Missouri State)
400 IM - 4:19.84, Kirsten Groome (Southern Illinois)
800 Freestyle Relay - 7:30.42, Groome, Gasparovich, Kwok, Mattsson (Southern Illinois)
1650 Freestyle - 16:15.49, Kirsten Groome (Southern Illinois)
Players Mentioned
