Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Men’s Swimming and Diving picked third in MAC preseason poll
10/12/2018 | 12:00:00 | Swimming & Diving
Cleveland, OH — Southern Illinois was picked to finish third in the Mid-American Conference by the preseason coaches poll, which was released earlier today.
Missouri State was projected to win their second-straight MAC championship, receiving four first-place votes. Miami (OH) was picked second and collected the fifth and final first-place vote. Rounding out the poll was Ball State in fourth and Evansville in fifth.
The Salukis finished fourth in the MAC last season and return all-conference honorees Chris Cole and Tamas Hajtman. Also returning are juniors Kevin Kluge and Chris Phillips. Last season at the MAC Championships, Kluge placed third in the 1,650-yard freestyle (15:20.33) and Phillips swam the third-fastest 200-yard breaststroke (1:59.72) in Saluki history.
Southern returns divers Kai Hoffman-Dussome and Eli Mercado as well. The two delivered noteworthy performances in last weeks season-opening meet verses McKendree. Mercado took first in the one-meter dive, with a score of 339.06. Hoffman-Dussome won the three-meter dive, with a career-best score of 343.68.
The Saluki men will next travel to Lebanon, Ill. on October 20 for a quad meet against McKendree, Missouri S&T and Saint Louis.
Players Mentioned
