Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
MVC Women's Championships
MVC Championships: Day Two Finals
02/18/2016 | 12:00:00 | Swimming & Diving
By Elizabeth Robinson
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. – For the first time since 2007, the Saluki women's swimming and diving team is in first place at the conclusion of Day Two of the MVC Swimming and Diving Championships. SIU currently totals 284 points with reigning champion Missouri State trailing by only three points at 281.
The Salukis had 17 swimmers and two divers compete on Thursday night, including 10 that competed in A Finals. At the conclusion of the night the Salukis finished with seven top-five finishes total.
"Leading going into tomorrow means we're doing better than we have in the past," SIU head coach Rick Walker said. "I think if you go back and if you look at it, statistically we've gotten better every year, and I think now we're going to get stronger every day. Nobody runs away from us, and I think we can continue to be just as strong and that's going to keep us close."
For the third consecutive year senior Kaixuan 'Sherry' Zhang earned the MVC Champion title in the 1-meter dives, remaining undefeated this season. Zhang totaled 375.90 points, over 100 points higher than the second place finisher, Evansville's Courtney Coverdale, who came in at 264.65. Zhang's mark is her best this season and just four points shy of her 379.35 record she set at last year's championships. SIU sophomore Rachel Williams finished in 8th overall at 219.35.
Thursday began with a highly competitive 500-yard freestyle race that included five Salukis in the A Final. The race was tight from the onset, but three-time reigning champion Dora Kiss from Missouri State earned the MVC title for the fourth consecutive season coming in at 4:47.21. Bryn Handley came away with her best finish this season at 4:47.81, earning second place, while Kelsie Walker and Lauren Stockton finished in third and fourth, respectively. Sophomore Nicole Fuller and senior Helena Amorim rounded out the Salukis' A Final competitors finishing in sixth and seventh.
"Bryn had a tremendous swim and Kelsie had a tremendous fight," Walker said. "That group, having five of the top eight in the 500 free, that's impressive."
The evening continued with the 200-yard individual medley. Sophomore Chandler Ott swam the race in 2:04.08 for the Salukis' highest finish in fifth place. Ott's time was the fastest for the Salukis in 200 IM this season and ranks fourth all-time in Saluki women's swimming history. Newcomer Oliwia Okaj made her first-ever MVC Championships A Final appearance, finishing seventh in the 200 IM at 2:05.92 followed by Emma Brazeau in eighth at 2:06.96.
Heading into the 50-yard freestyle, the Salukis held a 10-point advantage over Missouri State, leading the tournament with 194 points compared to the Bears' 184. The next closest competitor at the time was Illinois State with 92 points.
SIU had three swimmers compete in the 50-yard freestyle: Kristina Ksarjian in the B Final and Riley Schroedter and McKenna Avery in the A Final. Coming into the championships Avery ranked second in the MVC in the 50 free, trailing Northern Iowa's Molly Lembezeder. The two finished in the same order, with Lembezeder claiming the MVC title and Avery follow just a tenth of a second behind at 23.44. Schroedter took seventh and Ksarjian finished 13th overall.
The Salukis remained in first place heading into the final event of the night, with their lead dwindling to seven points over Missouri State. Day Two of the championships concluded with the 200-yard Freestyle Relay, with McKenna Avery, Riley Schroedter, Kristian Ksarjian and Bryn Handley representing SIU in the A Final. The Salukis were in third after Avery swam a 23.74 lead-off leg, but ultimately finished fourth at 1:35.61. Northern Iowa picked up its third win, coming in at 1:33.41.
"Every point is going to count, so what we would have shrugged off, we can't now," Walker said. "We just have to be on our game, but I think what we're doing best is we're focusing in on us and that's working."
The MVC Championships continue tomorrow with the 400-yard individual medley starting off the preliminary events at 11 a.m. Friday's action will feature that, along with the 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 100 backstroke, 3-meter diving and the 400 medley relay.
Event results will be posted on SIU's Championship Central page in real-time, along with photo galleries and complete results at the conclusion of the day. Follow along with @SIU_SwimDive on Twitter for updates throughout the weekend.
