Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Four Salukis Named to MVC 25-Year Anniversary Team
02/08/2018 | 1:46:00 | Swimming & Diving
MVC Release
The Missouri Valley Conference released the Women's Swimming and Diving 25-Year Anniversary Team today selecting four Salukis to the team.
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Southern's athletes selected to the team are Julie Ju, Emily Gable, Kirsten Groome and Sherry Zhang. The athletes were selected from a ballot of 25 athletes from all universities that have competed in the Missouri Valley in the 25 years that it has sponsored women's athletics. All MVC universities were allowed to submit two ballots per institution. Zhang received the most votes of any athlete on the list and Southern's four selections is the most on the team. Missouri State was second with three selections.
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Zhang competed for Southern Illinois from 2012 to 2015 and is arguably the most dominant and successful diver in not only the program's, but the Missouri Valley Conference's history. Zhang won a total of seven conference titles for Southern throughout her career. She won the three-meter dive at the MVC Swimming and Diving Championships from the 2012-13 season to the 2015-16 season. She won the one-meter dive three times from 2013-14 to 2015-16. She is the Conference record holder in both dives at the MVC Swimming and Diving Championships. Her score of 379.35 is best all-time in the one-meter and her score of 449.10 is best in the three-meter. She owns three of the top-five diving scores in Conference Championship history in the one and three-meter dive. She made the MVC All-Conference team every year that she competed as a Saluki and was a Scholar-Athlete selection all three years that she was eligible for qualification. She was the MVC Diver of the Year three-straight years from 2014-16 and won 18 MVC Diver of the Week honors. Zhang earned All-American honors in the one and three-meter dive in 2014. She is the only Saluki to make an All-American team so far this century.
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At SIU, she holds the five best scores in program history in the three-meter dive and the four best in the one-meter dive. She helped the Salukis to a team Conference Championship in 2016. She holds Dr. Edward J. Shea Natatroium pool records in both dives.
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Ju swam at SIU from 2006 to 2008 and won a total of eight Conference Championships in her events. She won the 100-yard breaststroke all three years she competed at SIU and was a Conference champion in the 100-yard freestyle twice, 500-yard freestyle and the 200-yard breaststroke once. She was a three-time All-MVC First Team selection from 2006-08 and
was a scholar-athlete selection in 2007. She earned MVC Swimmer of the Year honors three times from 2005 to 08 and was named to the Valley's All-Centennial Team in 2007.
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At SIU, Ju holds the all-time record in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:15.99, a time she turned in in the 2007-08 season. She has the second-fastest time in program history in the 100-yard freestyle and 100-yard breaststroke.
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Gable dove at SIU from 2007 to 2010 and was an All-MVC Selection all four of her years at SIU. She earned diver of the year honors in the 2007-08 and 2009-10 season. She was the MVC Champion in three-meter dive back-to-back years in 2008-09 and 2009-10.
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Prior to this season, she held the fifth-best score in program history in the one-meter dive.
Groome swam at SIU from 2010-12 and won a total of eight individual Conference titles in her time as a Saluki. She's a two-time champion in the 500-yard freestyle, the 1,650-yard freestyle, and the 400-yard IM. She earned swimmer of the year honors in 2009-10 and earned First Team All-MVC Honors three-straight years from 2010-12. She holds the MVC Championships records in the 1,000 and 1,650-yard freestyle and is the second-fastest in Conference history at the Championships in the 500-yard freestyle. She also has the fourth-fastest time in the 400-yard IM and the fifth-fastest time in the in 1,650-yard freestyle at the MVC Swimming and Diving Championships. She earned four Conference Swimmer of the Week awards in her career.
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At SIU, Groome is the program record holder in the 500-yard freestyle, the 1,650-yard freestyle and the 400-yard IM. She also holds the second-fastest time in the 1,000-yard freestyle at SIU. She holds Dr. Edward J. Shea Natatorium pool records in both the 1,000 and 1,650-yard freestyle.
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The Missouri Valley Conference released the Women's Swimming and Diving 25-Year Anniversary Team today selecting four Salukis to the team.
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Southern's athletes selected to the team are Julie Ju, Emily Gable, Kirsten Groome and Sherry Zhang. The athletes were selected from a ballot of 25 athletes from all universities that have competed in the Missouri Valley in the 25 years that it has sponsored women's athletics. All MVC universities were allowed to submit two ballots per institution. Zhang received the most votes of any athlete on the list and Southern's four selections is the most on the team. Missouri State was second with three selections.
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Zhang competed for Southern Illinois from 2012 to 2015 and is arguably the most dominant and successful diver in not only the program's, but the Missouri Valley Conference's history. Zhang won a total of seven conference titles for Southern throughout her career. She won the three-meter dive at the MVC Swimming and Diving Championships from the 2012-13 season to the 2015-16 season. She won the one-meter dive three times from 2013-14 to 2015-16. She is the Conference record holder in both dives at the MVC Swimming and Diving Championships. Her score of 379.35 is best all-time in the one-meter and her score of 449.10 is best in the three-meter. She owns three of the top-five diving scores in Conference Championship history in the one and three-meter dive. She made the MVC All-Conference team every year that she competed as a Saluki and was a Scholar-Athlete selection all three years that she was eligible for qualification. She was the MVC Diver of the Year three-straight years from 2014-16 and won 18 MVC Diver of the Week honors. Zhang earned All-American honors in the one and three-meter dive in 2014. She is the only Saluki to make an All-American team so far this century.
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At SIU, she holds the five best scores in program history in the three-meter dive and the four best in the one-meter dive. She helped the Salukis to a team Conference Championship in 2016. She holds Dr. Edward J. Shea Natatroium pool records in both dives.
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Ju swam at SIU from 2006 to 2008 and won a total of eight Conference Championships in her events. She won the 100-yard breaststroke all three years she competed at SIU and was a Conference champion in the 100-yard freestyle twice, 500-yard freestyle and the 200-yard breaststroke once. She was a three-time All-MVC First Team selection from 2006-08 and
was a scholar-athlete selection in 2007. She earned MVC Swimmer of the Year honors three times from 2005 to 08 and was named to the Valley's All-Centennial Team in 2007.
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At SIU, Ju holds the all-time record in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:15.99, a time she turned in in the 2007-08 season. She has the second-fastest time in program history in the 100-yard freestyle and 100-yard breaststroke.
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Gable dove at SIU from 2007 to 2010 and was an All-MVC Selection all four of her years at SIU. She earned diver of the year honors in the 2007-08 and 2009-10 season. She was the MVC Champion in three-meter dive back-to-back years in 2008-09 and 2009-10.
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Prior to this season, she held the fifth-best score in program history in the one-meter dive.
Groome swam at SIU from 2010-12 and won a total of eight individual Conference titles in her time as a Saluki. She's a two-time champion in the 500-yard freestyle, the 1,650-yard freestyle, and the 400-yard IM. She earned swimmer of the year honors in 2009-10 and earned First Team All-MVC Honors three-straight years from 2010-12. She holds the MVC Championships records in the 1,000 and 1,650-yard freestyle and is the second-fastest in Conference history at the Championships in the 500-yard freestyle. She also has the fourth-fastest time in the 400-yard IM and the fifth-fastest time in the in 1,650-yard freestyle at the MVC Swimming and Diving Championships. She earned four Conference Swimmer of the Week awards in her career.
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At SIU, Groome is the program record holder in the 500-yard freestyle, the 1,650-yard freestyle and the 400-yard IM. She also holds the second-fastest time in the 1,000-yard freestyle at SIU. She holds Dr. Edward J. Shea Natatorium pool records in both the 1,000 and 1,650-yard freestyle.
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