Saturday, March 7
Carbondale, IL
Southern Illinois University
vs
MAC Championships (MEN)
Salukis place third at MAC Championships, earn three speciality awards
03/07/2020 | 11:46:00 | Swimming & Diving
CARBONDALE, Ill. — The Southern Illinois men's swimming and diving team finished in third place with 622 points at the Mid-American Conference Championships. The point total was SIU's highest since joining the MAC in 2009. Missouri State won the conference team title with 892 points.
"I think we built as the meet went on and ended on our best session," first-year head coach Geoff Hanson said. "To end with two individual titles and well-earned recognition for Kai (Hoffmann-Dussome) and Adam (Cernek) was special. We lose a lot of seniors, so there is a lot to replace. But a lot of our freshman stepped up and made A-finals. We really show a bright future, but for now, we're going to enjoy these seniors and how they performed in their last meet."
The Salukis earned a bevy of specialty awards at the conclusion of the meet.
Adam Cernek was named MAC Co-Swimmer of the Year with MSU's Antonio Thomas. He was also awarded MAC Freshman of the Year. The Turany, Slovakia native became the first Saluki since Till Pallmann in 2015 to earn Swimmer of the Year.
"We used Adam everywhere we could," Hanson said. "For him to finish with another best time was great to see. He led off our freestyle relay with a time that would've been in the top-three. The guy is a workhorse. He is a freshman, so we got three more years with him. He is someone we can rally and build around moving forward."
Kai Hoffmann-Dussome earned conference Diver of the Year. He won the one-meter dive on Thursday and followed with a fourth-place mark in the three-meter dive. Kegan Skelton last won the award for SIU in 2015.
"Kai had a breakthrough meet," Hanson said. "Our diving program is strong and coach Joy (Chunhua Zhao) does a great job with all of them. For Kai to finish with a win and fourth-place mark was big for us."
SIU broke a two-year drought with three individuals named First team All-MAC. The three honorees were Cernek, Hoffmann-Dussome and Tamas Hajtman. Another three Salukis in Chris Phillips, Zheng Yang Yeap and Eli Mercado tabbed Second team All-MAC status.
Both Cernek and Hajtman won events on the final day of competition. Cernek broke his own school record in the 200-yard backstroke en route to winning the event with a NCAA "B" cut time of 1:44.29. Hajtman claimed his first-career MAC title, as he won the 100-yard freestyle at 44.44. The senior edged out frontrunner Nick Ward of Miami (OH) by .07 seconds in the race. Cernek and Hajtman teamed up with Yeap and Phillips in the 400-yard freestyle relay, which placed third overall (2:59.39).
"It was awesome to see Tamas win like that," Hanson said. "I would've lost a lot of money on that race before the meet started. But when I saw his race earlier and how he closed out prelims, I knew he had a good chance. It was one of those senior swims that was special to watch."
Mercado impressed with a runner-up score of 305.20 in the three-meter dive. He was of only two individuals to reach the 300-plateau. Hoffmann-Dussome was close behind in fourth place at 278.50. Kyle Campbell rounded out the Saluki divers in the A-final with a seventh-place finish (233.75).
Southern also earned a pair of fifth-place marks in A-finals competition. Ryan Lehane concluded his Saluki career with a time of 1:48.47 in the 200-back. He finished a mere .25 seconds outside the top-three. Max Ransom swam a career-best 1:50.29 in the 200-yard butterfly.
"Max had a great meet with top-eight finishes in two events," Hanson said. "It was his top time in both events. He is a walk-on who's busted his butt all year and proved a lot. He'll be one of our leaders in the future."
A trio of Salukis — Yeap, Phillips and Ian Marshall — raced to sixth-place finishes in the finals. Yeap was timed at 45.58 in the 100-free, Phillips touched the wall at 2:00.46 in the 200-yard breaststroke and Marshall finished at 16:00.89 in the 1650-yard freestyle.
Uriel Tejeda Barajas and Kevin Kluge rounded out Saluki competitors in an A-final. Tejeda Barajas was seventh in the 200-fly with a time of 1:51.24. Kluge also earned a seventh-place spot with a mark of 16:03.06 in the 1650-free.
The MAC Championships marked the end of the season for most Salukis. Select individuals will compete at the CSCAA National Invitational Championships and NCAA Zone Diving next weekend.
Follow @SIU_SwimDive on twitter, @SIUSwimandDive on Instagram and Saluki Swimming and Diving on Facebook for the latest updates on the Salukis.
FINAL STANDINGS
1. Missouri State - 892
2. Miami (OH) - 812
3. Southern Illinois - 622
4. Ball State - 420
5. Evansville - 346
"I think we built as the meet went on and ended on our best session," first-year head coach Geoff Hanson said. "To end with two individual titles and well-earned recognition for Kai (Hoffmann-Dussome) and Adam (Cernek) was special. We lose a lot of seniors, so there is a lot to replace. But a lot of our freshman stepped up and made A-finals. We really show a bright future, but for now, we're going to enjoy these seniors and how they performed in their last meet."
The Salukis earned a bevy of specialty awards at the conclusion of the meet.
Adam Cernek was named MAC Co-Swimmer of the Year with MSU's Antonio Thomas. He was also awarded MAC Freshman of the Year. The Turany, Slovakia native became the first Saluki since Till Pallmann in 2015 to earn Swimmer of the Year.
"We used Adam everywhere we could," Hanson said. "For him to finish with another best time was great to see. He led off our freestyle relay with a time that would've been in the top-three. The guy is a workhorse. He is a freshman, so we got three more years with him. He is someone we can rally and build around moving forward."
Kai Hoffmann-Dussome earned conference Diver of the Year. He won the one-meter dive on Thursday and followed with a fourth-place mark in the three-meter dive. Kegan Skelton last won the award for SIU in 2015.
"Kai had a breakthrough meet," Hanson said. "Our diving program is strong and coach Joy (Chunhua Zhao) does a great job with all of them. For Kai to finish with a win and fourth-place mark was big for us."
SIU broke a two-year drought with three individuals named First team All-MAC. The three honorees were Cernek, Hoffmann-Dussome and Tamas Hajtman. Another three Salukis in Chris Phillips, Zheng Yang Yeap and Eli Mercado tabbed Second team All-MAC status.
Both Cernek and Hajtman won events on the final day of competition. Cernek broke his own school record in the 200-yard backstroke en route to winning the event with a NCAA "B" cut time of 1:44.29. Hajtman claimed his first-career MAC title, as he won the 100-yard freestyle at 44.44. The senior edged out frontrunner Nick Ward of Miami (OH) by .07 seconds in the race. Cernek and Hajtman teamed up with Yeap and Phillips in the 400-yard freestyle relay, which placed third overall (2:59.39).
"It was awesome to see Tamas win like that," Hanson said. "I would've lost a lot of money on that race before the meet started. But when I saw his race earlier and how he closed out prelims, I knew he had a good chance. It was one of those senior swims that was special to watch."
Mercado impressed with a runner-up score of 305.20 in the three-meter dive. He was of only two individuals to reach the 300-plateau. Hoffmann-Dussome was close behind in fourth place at 278.50. Kyle Campbell rounded out the Saluki divers in the A-final with a seventh-place finish (233.75).
Southern also earned a pair of fifth-place marks in A-finals competition. Ryan Lehane concluded his Saluki career with a time of 1:48.47 in the 200-back. He finished a mere .25 seconds outside the top-three. Max Ransom swam a career-best 1:50.29 in the 200-yard butterfly.
"Max had a great meet with top-eight finishes in two events," Hanson said. "It was his top time in both events. He is a walk-on who's busted his butt all year and proved a lot. He'll be one of our leaders in the future."
A trio of Salukis — Yeap, Phillips and Ian Marshall — raced to sixth-place finishes in the finals. Yeap was timed at 45.58 in the 100-free, Phillips touched the wall at 2:00.46 in the 200-yard breaststroke and Marshall finished at 16:00.89 in the 1650-yard freestyle.
Uriel Tejeda Barajas and Kevin Kluge rounded out Saluki competitors in an A-final. Tejeda Barajas was seventh in the 200-fly with a time of 1:51.24. Kluge also earned a seventh-place spot with a mark of 16:03.06 in the 1650-free.
The MAC Championships marked the end of the season for most Salukis. Select individuals will compete at the CSCAA National Invitational Championships and NCAA Zone Diving next weekend.
Follow @SIU_SwimDive on twitter, @SIUSwimandDive on Instagram and Saluki Swimming and Diving on Facebook for the latest updates on the Salukis.
FINAL STANDINGS
1. Missouri State - 892
2. Miami (OH) - 812
3. Southern Illinois - 622
4. Ball State - 420
5. Evansville - 346
Players Mentioned
Diving
/ Swimming & Diving
Back/IM
/ Swimming & Diving
Free/Fly
/ Swimming & Diving
Diving
/ Swimming & Diving
Back/IM
/ Swimming & Diving
Fly/Free/IM
/ Swimming & Diving
Breast/IM
/ Swimming & Diving
Fly/Free
/ Swimming & Diving
Fly/Free/IM
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