Southern Illinois University
Little Rock/Henderson State
Swim and Dive opens 2020 at Little Rock
01/16/2020 | 1:00:00 | Swimming & Diving
The Southern Illinois swimming and diving program opens the second half of the season in a tri-meet against Little Rock and Henderson State on Saturday, Jan. 18 in Little Rock, Ark. Events will begin at 1 p.m. inside the DSC Aquatic Center.
THOUGHTS FROM COACH HANSON
On winter training…Â
"We have not raced in two months, so it has been a lot of heavy training. Through finals week to winter break they had two weeks off and then came back for training camp. They have done a lot of good work and are as fit as they can be. Now it is fine-tuning as we approach conference-championship season. We are all anxious to race again and see where we are at."
On opponents Little Rock and Henderson State…
"Little Rock will give our women a chance to see a conference opponent. We always put a lot of emphasis on racing teams from our conference, so I know they will be ready. Henderson State is a top tier Division II program on both sides and I am thankful they are competing because it gives our men a chance to race. We do not take anyone lightly and we are going to put up our best lineup in all of the remaining meets. Our goal is to win every dual meet. I know the divers are ready to get going as well. We get a couple of men back on the roster who did not compete last semester, so we have to get them tuned up and ready to go."
On the possibility of school records in the second half of the season…
"We sure hope so. Laura Carver and Adam Cernek broke records in the first half of the season and expect to be faster. Our preparation for our midseason meet was a short drop taper and we were not fully prepared. Our expectation is that everybody will go faster. We have our sights set on relay records. We think that is a great step for our program. You can have individuals who perform great, but if you can put good relays together it shows we are progressing as a team."
HISTORY AGAINST LITTLE ROCK AND HENDERSON STATE
The women's team holds a perfect 7-0 advantage in dual-meet competition against Missouri Valley Conference opponent Little Rock. Southern defeated the Trojans 174.5-122.5 last season — the closest margin since the two programs first met in 1994. Samantha Parsons had a team-best two individual wins in the meet while Laura Carver, Rita Naude, Beibei Ji and Baobao Ji claimed one victory each.Â
The men's and women's team boast a 1-0 all-time record versus Henderson State. The lone appearance on both sides transpired during the 1995-96 season, where the Saluki men won 95-15 and the women came out on top 96-17.Â
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Little Rock sits at 0-5 in dual-meet competition this season, which includes losses to MVC opponents Evansville and Indiana State. The Trojans managed to win the Little Rock Invitational with 861 points, besting second-place Oklahoma Baptist by a 180-point margin. Freshman swimmer Maria Fer Moussier Pichardo is off to a strong start in her freshman campaign, as she holds MVC top-10 marks in the 100- and 200-yard butterfly.Â
The Division II Henderson State men's and women's team are both 4-1 in dual meets this season with victories over Iowa Central, Montevallo, Ouachita Baptist and UT-Permain Basin. Both sides lone loss came at home against nationally ranked Delta State. The men's side has also won two invitationals – the Little Rock Invite and Hendrix Classic. Last season, the Red Wave men placed 24th at the NCAA Division II Championships – its highest placement since 2013.Â
CONFERENCE RANKINGS
*Salukis in the MAC top-fiveÂ
Adam CernekÂ
• 1st - 100-back (48.35)
• 1st - 200-back (1:45.02)
• 2nd - 200-IM (1:48.68)
Kai Hoffmann-DussomeÂ
• 1st - One-meter dive (351.00)
• 1st - Three-meter dive (345.00)
Ian Marshall
• 3rd - 400-IM (3:59.12)
Zheng Yang YeapÂ
• 4th - 200-free (1:39.43)
Chris PhillipsÂ
• 4th - 200-breast (2:01.34)
• 4th - 400-IM (4:00.73)
Kevin Kluge
• 4th - 1000-free (9:31.66)
• 5th - 1650-free (15:51.30)
Jimmy Dooley
• 5th - 200-breast (2:03.75)
Tamas Hajtman
• 5th - 50-free (20.74)
Ryan LehaneÂ
• 5th - 200-back (1:50.31)
*Salukis in the MVC top-fiveÂ
Baobao Ji
• 1st - One-meter dive (319.35)Â
• 2nd - Three-meter dive (330.14)
Beibei JiÂ
• 1st - Three-meter dive (356.55)
• 2nd - One-meter dive (305.77)
Sierra ForbordÂ
• 2nd - 100-free (51.03)
• 4th - 200-free (1:51.03)
Samantha ParsonsÂ
• 2nd - 200-breast (2:18.21)
Rita NaudeÂ
• 2nd - 100-fly (55.62)
Sarah VogtÂ
• 3rd - 100-breast (1:03.72)
Laura CarverÂ
• 4th - 200-breast (2:18.57)
• 4th - 200-IM (2:02.13)
• 4th - 400-IM (4:20.74)
Eden GirloantaÂ
• 4th - 1650-free (17:04.47)
• 5th - 1000-free (10:19.20)
Juliana Carvalho
• 5th - 200-back (2:01.11)
Payton ParmanÂ
• 5th - 200-fly (2:03.99)
LAST TIME OUT
Southern closed 2019 with team titles at the SIU Invitational. Saluki swimmers combined for 27 individual event wins during the three-day stretch which featured Evansville and Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater. Laura Carver and Adam Cernek placed themselves into the Saluki record book in the process. Carver opened the home invite in fashion, as she swam a school-record mark of 2:02.13 in the 200-yard individual medley. Cernek shattered the 14-year old school record in the 200-yard backstroke with a NCAA "B" cut time of 1:45.02.Â
CONFERENCE HONORS
The Salukis racked six weekly conference honors in the first half of the season. Swimmers Cernek and Carver led SIU with a team-high two weekly honors. Divers Beibei Ji and Baobao Ji each earned MVC Diver of the Week once.Â
11/21/19 – Adam Cernek – MAC Swimmer of the Week (2nd of career)Â
11/19/19 – Beibei Ji – MVC Diver of the Week (9th of career)Â
11/19/19 – Laura Carver – MVC Swimmer of the Week (2nd of career)Â
10/8/19 – Baobao Ji - MVC Diver of the Week (3rd of career)
10/9/19 – Adam Cernek - MAC Swimmer of the Week (1st of career)
10/15/19 – Laura Carver - MVC Swimmer of the Week (1st of career)
A NEW ERA BEGINS
Geoff Hanson was named head coach of the Saluki swimming and diving program in late May, taking over for 32-year coaching veteran Rick Walker, who retired at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season. Hanson has over 19 years of collegiate coaching experience. He was an assistant coach at Arizona and Wisconsin and most recently had head coaching stints at Western State Colorado and Colorado Mesa. Hanson has mentored five Olympic finalists and four individual NCAA National Champions since joining the coaching ranks.Â
FOLLOW THE ACTION
For the latest updates on the Salukis at Little Rock, follow the team on Twitter @SIU_SwimDive, on Instagram @SIUSwimAndDive and on Facebook at Saluki Swimming and Diving.
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Players Mentioned
