SIU Swimming and Diving: 2015-16 Season in Review

04/11/2016 | 12:00:00 | Swimming & Diving

April 11, 2016

By Elizabeth Robinson
SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The 2015-16 season for the Saluki men's and women's swimming and diving teams was one for the books. With several additions to the SIU record book, national rankings throughout the season and a down-to-the-wire conference championship title, this season was undoubtedly one of SIU's best.

For the first time in nine years the Saluki women's swimming and diving team won the Missouri Valley Conference Championship title in the most tightly contested championship meet in conference history. The Salukis finished with 799.50 points, just half a point above Missouri State at 799. The Salukis last won the conference championship in 2007, with Missouri State earning the title every year since.

The battle for first place flipped between the two teams three times in the final night of competition alone. SIU trailed by only 1.5 points heading into the final event of the meet, the 400-yard freestyle relay. A faster finish than Missouri State, regardless of the final placement, would guarantee a win for the Salukis. The team of freshman Oliwia Okaj and sophomores McKenna Avery, Kelsie Walker and Bryn Handley came away with the fastest finish in SIU history at 3:23.70, just barely topping Missouri State at 3:24.35 to earn the MVC title. SIU closed out the season with an undefeated record in the MVC.

"Winning conference was a culmination of everything," SIU head coach Rick Walker said. "We had been searching for how to win, and instead they chose to create their own way. That was a defining moment, when they decided to stop searching and do it themselves."

SIU concluded the championships with five individual titles. Kelsie Walker, Lauren Stockton, Helena Amorim and Bryn Handley earned SIU's first title in the 800-yard freestyle relay. Handley also came away with an individual title in the 1,650-yard freestyle. Sarah James had SIU's final swimming title of the meet with a first place finish in the 200-yard backstroke. On the diving side, senior Kaixuan 'Sherry' Zhang defended her titles on the 1- and 3-meter boards, earning her sixth and seventh career MVC titles.

Overall, the SIU women broke four all-time program records in the 200-yard medley relay (James, Tatigian, Brazeau, Avery), 800-yard freestyle relay (Walker, Stockton, Amorim, Handley), 400-yard freestyle relay (Okaj, Avery Walker, Handley) and 200-yard backstroke (Sarah James). In total, the Salukis added nine new times to the record book.

"I've been saying this will be won from the bottom up, and nothing could have confirmed how true that was than to have a finish like we just had," Walker said. "I love being on the side where everybody counts, everybody matters from the bottom up."

SIU's men finished with successful performances at the MAC Men's Swimming and Diving Championships as well. The Salukis came away with four individual titles and 26 new times added to SIU's record book in the team's fourth-place finish. Senior Till Pallmann finished with SIU's first title of the meet, winning the 500-yard freestyle for the fourth consecutive year with a conference, championship and pool record. His time also tied the all-time SIU record set by Gary Brinkman 30 years ago in 1986.

The Salukis' success continued from there as the team earned titles in the 200-yard freestyle relay by Till Pallmann, Joao Facciotti, Lucas de Aquino and Andre Brilhante. Pallmann, de Aquino and Brilhante earned yet another title later in the meet, along with junior Bobby Wood, in the 400-yard medley relay. Newcomer Filippo Dell'Olio had SIU's fourth title, winning the 200-yard butterfly in 1:46.54.

"The guys managed to create their own success in a dynamic that's completely different than the women in the MVC. Although it didn't culminate in a winning championship, it did in tearing down barriers and records," Walker said.

Throughout the meet, the Salukis broke seven all-time SIU records in the 800-yard freestyle relay (Pallmann, Wolfe, Jones, Brilhante), 200-yard individual medley (Filippo Dell'Olio), 400-yard individual medley (Filippo Dell'Olio), 100-yard butterfly (Joao Facciotti), 100-yard breaststroke (Bobby Wood), 100-yard backstroke (Joao Facciotti) and 400-yard medley relay (Pallmann, Wood, Aquino, Brilhante). The Salukis also added another 19 top-five times to the record book.

The road to the record-breaking conference championships was a long one, dating back to the Salukis' first competition in October. The Salukis' season began against Evansville last fall, where SIU continued its five-year undefeated streak against the Purple Aces with wins for both the men and women. From there, SIU went on to face tough opponents throughout the season, including nationally ranked Missouri, Kentucky and Purdue to name a few.

"It's a long process, and this season has been years in the making," Walker said. "We've worked to create a culture where athletes aren't just being told, `Here, do this,' but actually believing it and taking it on their own. When it matters more to them, or equally as much to them as it does to me, we're going to go places."

Members of SIU's teams made names for themselves on the national level, with several Salukis earning national rankings over the course of the season. On the women's side, sophomores Kelsie Walker and Bryn Handley each ranked in the national top-100 with both making moves into the top-25 throughout the season.

On the men's side, several relay teams ranked in the national top-100, with Andre Brilhante, Joao Facciotti, Lucas de Aquino, Alex Crawford, Joe Seguine-Hall, Trevor Jones, and Bobby Wood being represented in the rankings. Till Pallmann ranked in the top-100 for his 400-yard freestyle swim, and Michael Wolfe was nationally ranked for most of the season for his distance swims in the 1,000-, 1,500- and 1,650-yard freestyle swims, reaching as high as the top-25.

"When you're showing more at the national level, you have more guns," Walker said. "On the men's side, we have to back that up now, and like the women, win from the bottom up."

SIU's athletes were recognized for their accomplishments over the course of the season, with six Salukis earning weekly conference accolades 13 times overall. Bryn Handley earned MVC Swimmer of the Week three times, plus a CollegeSwimming.com Swimmer of the Week recognition. Emma Brazeau was also named MVC Swimmer of the Week. For the men, Lucas de Aquino, Andre Brilhante and Nolan Fahey were named MAC Swimmer of the Week once each. Kaixuan 'Sherry' Zhang finished with the most recognitions of the season, earning MVC Diver of the Week accolades six times this season alone, putting her at 21 times in her career.

Zhang concluded her career as a Saluki this season, finishing as the best diver in SIU history. Zhang went undefeated on the 1-meter board and earned first place on the 3-meter board all but one time. She was named MVC Diver of the Year for the third time in her career after winning the conference title on both boards, her fourth consecutive for 1-meter dives and third for 3-meter dives.

Zhang went on to compete at the Zone Diving meet in an attempt to qualify for the NCAA championships for the third time. After qualifying on the 1-meter board, Zhang's run ended with a nearly tragic finish on the 3-meter board. After holding as high as second place early on, Zhang hit her head on the board during a dive and was rushed to the hospital where she was found to have a concussion and a five-centimeter cut on the back of her head. Due to the injury, Zhang had to withdraw from the meet and the NCAA Championships, concluding her career as a Saluki.

"What a fighter, and what a remarkable career," Walker said. "I know we could easily say what a shame to have to end it like that, but I truly would rather say she did all that and she walked away because we were so close to not having a diver walk. But she did qualify."

Despite the disappointing conclusion to her career, Zhang remains one of the greatest divers in SIU and MVC history. She earned both MVC All-Conference and MVC Scholar-Athlete honors for the fourth time. Zhang was just one of nine Salukis to be named First Team MVC All-Conference. An additional 10 were named Honorable Mention All-Conference. Lauren Stockton and Bryn Handley each received special recognition with Stockton earning the State Farm MVC Good Neighbor award and Handley earning the prestigious Elite 18 award. The Saluki men's team had four swimmers named to the All-MAC First Team and one named to the All-MAC Second Team.

SIU was equally as honored for the team's academic success. Twelve members of the men's team were named to the Academic All-MAC team, with Cody Bailey's 4.0 GPA registering as one of only three in the conference. The women led the MVC with 21 athletes earning MVC Scholar-Athlete recognition, and also leading the conference with four 4.0 GPAs.

"It is clear that our athletes, the ones that we have sought and managed to get here, want it to be about more than just when they're in the pool. For them to accomplish that and so much more is a real highlight of the program," Walker said in a previous interview.

At the conclusion of the season, the Salukis will lose eight seniors to graduation: Till Pallmann, Andres Saavedra and Brandon Vuong for the men and Kaixuan 'Sherry' Zhang, Helena Amorim, Kiley Handley, Morgan Timms and Katy Ovington for the women. The team's youth, however, promises an exciting future for the program.

"We have so much potential, and I think we're doing pretty well with recruiting to make up the points we're losing and bring in some new talent, which means we're moving forward," Walker said.