Southern Illinois University
Evansville
Salukis down Evansville on Senior Day
02/07/2015 | 12:00:00 | Swimming & Diving
By Rico Cruz
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill.- SIU swimming and diving sent their senior class out in style, defeating the University of Evansville in the regular season finale on Saturday. The women's team won 12 events, while the men took first in 11 and defeated UE, 165-62.
Kaixuan 'Sherry' Zhang will head into the Missouri Valley Championships undefeated, after she swept the one and three-meter dive for the eighth time this season. Zhang had a score of 364.88 in the one-meter dive and a final score of 406.95 in the three-meter dive.
Freshman Kelsie Walker picked up wins in the 100 and 250-yard freestyle for the Salukis. Bryn Handley added to her stellar freshman season, finishing first in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:00.13.
In the 25-yard freestyle, Mikaela Montgomery came away with a win, besting the field with a time of 11.39. Chandler Ott earned a win in the 100-yard IM, when she finished the race in a time of 1:00.94. Kristina Ksarjian gave the SIU yet another win, after she finished first in the 50-yard butterfly. Ksarjian had a time of 26.62 in the race.
Sarah James was able to pickup a win in the 50-yard backstroke, beating her competition with a time of 27.75. Liane Tatigian earned the final individual win for the women's side, getting a win in the 50-yard breaststroke with her time of 30.99.
SIU was just as successful in the relay events. The team of McKenna Avery, James, Tatigian, and Ott gave the Salukis a win in the 100-yard medley relay, while the team of Handley, Ksarjian, Montgomery, and Walker got the win in the 100-yard freestyle.
The men's team was just as strong as the women's team, winning 11 events with eight different swimmers picking up individual wins.
Kegan Skelton swept the one and three-meter dive, giving the Saluki diving team a perfect record on the day. He tallied a final score of 319.57 in the one-meter dive and 383.48 in the three-meter dive.
Lucas Aquino gave the Salukis two wins on Saturday, finishing first in the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard butterfly. His time of 49.40 in the 100-yard Butterfly was almost four second faster than second place.
The 1000-yard freestyle saw four Salukis compete against each other. Michael Wolfe was able to best his teammates, finishing with a time of 9:29.10, which was nearly 14 seconds than second place.
Trevor Jones saw success in the 200-yard freestyle, cruising to a victory with a time of 1:46.05. Andre Brilhante gave the Salukis a boost in the 200-yard IM, capturing a win with his time of 1:55.94.
In the 100-yard freestyle, Joe Seguine-Hall pulled away from the field and finished first with a time of 47.50. Joao Facciotti edged out UE's Daniel O'Brien in a tight race in the 100-yard backstroke. Facciotti's time of 52.77 gave him the crown in the event. Calvin Kolar rounded out the top individual finishes for the men's team, winning the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 58.61.
The Salukis were also able to pick up a win in the 400-yard medley relay. The team of Alex Crawford, Andy Ross, Brandon Vuong, and Shaun Wolfe earned a first place finish with their time of 3:31.14.
SIU will now begin preparations for the MVC and MAC Championships. The Salukis host the Women's MVC Championships Feb. 18-21, while the Men's MAC Championships takes place March 4-7 in Geneva, Ohio.
Players Mentioned
