Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
MVC Women's Championships
MVC Championships: Day Three Finals
02/20/2015 | 12:00:00 | Swimming & Diving
By Elizabeth Robinson
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Saluki women's swimming and diving team came away with yet another conference event title after Day Three of the MVC Swimming and Diving Championships on Friday. At the conclusion of the third day of competition, SIU remains in second place with 455 points. Missouri State maintained its lead, totaling 552 points, with Illinois State in third at 391.
"I think if you take a look overall at how young we are, and we're scoring more points than we've ever scored, that alone is an accomplishment," head coach Rick Walker said.
Sophomore Sarah James came away with the night's top finish for the Salukis after a record-breaking day in the 100-yard Backstroke.
Going into the day, James held the SIU all-time record at 55.70, which she claimed earlier this season. In the preliminary race, James broke her own record, clinching the first seed for finals with a 55.48 finish. James came out strong in the 100-yard Backstroke A Final, taking the lead from the beginning and never relenting, finishing with a record time at 55.33.
"Sarah came out off that wall and it was like somebody shot her out of a cannon, and I think she owned it from that point on," Walker said. "She wanted it, she owned it, and you have to give her all the credit. It was a fantastic race."
Katy Ovington finished sixth in the same race, coming in at 57.22, followed by McKenna Avery in seventh at 57.70.
The 200-yard Freestyle was a tight race across the board. Freshmen Kelsie Walker and Bryn Handley entered the race as the second and third seeds after strong performances in the preliminary rounds. Walker swam the 200 yards in 1:48.68 to take third place, followed by Handley who finished in 1:50.03 to take fifth. Evansville's Michelle Tipton clinched the title, finishing the 200-yard Freestyle in 1:48.35.
That wasn't Evansville's only title of the day, as the Purple Aces' Danielle Freeman came away with the top finish in the 100-yard Butterfly, finishing in 55.63. For the Salukis, sophomores Kristina Ksarjian and Lauren Stockton swam in the A Final, with Ksarjian finishing sixth at 56.87, followed by Stockton in eighth at 57.79.
Other notable performances throughout the day for the Salukis include Hannah Pinion's sixth place finish in the 400-yard Individual Medley and sixth and eight-place finishes by Holly Johnson and Liane Tatigian in the 100-yard Breaststroke.
The Salukis concluded the evening with a close finish in the 400-yard Medley Relay, coming in at fourth place with a 3:48.07 time, only two-tenths of a second behind third-place Evansville.
Tomorrow - the final day of the MVC Swimming and Diving Championships - includes the A Final for Three-Meter Diving, the 200-yard Backstroke, Breaststroke and Butterfly, the 100-yard Freestyle, the 1650-yard Freestyle and the 400-yard Freestyle Relay.
"We have to do ourselves proud in each event, and hopefully put some points up tomorrow," Walker said. "Is it going to be enough to catch Missouri State? I don't know. Is it going to be enough to stay in front of Illinois State? I don't know. But our main goal is to go one step at a time."
The final preliminary round of the MVC Swimming and Diving Championships begins at 10 a.m. tomorrow at the Dr. Edward J. Shea Natatorium in the SIU Student Rec Center.
Players Mentioned
