
Recap | SIU Collects Four Medals in Men’s MVC Championships Day Two
02/20/2025 | 11:56:00 | Swimming & Diving
OXFORD, Ohio – The Southern Illinois swim and dive team returned to Miami (OH) on Thursday for day two of the Men's Missouri Valley Conference Championships. There was plenty of success across the board for SIU, with four podium spots in the finals belonging to the Salukis. Southern now sits in second place in the standings, trailing only Miami (OH).
Inside the Results
How it Happened
Prelims
The day started with prelims in the morning. First up was the 500-yard freestyle. Tomáš Peciar and Joshua Aceves both finished top-eight to secure their spots in the A-finals. Meanwhile, Rodrigo Ramos Chávez was 12th in the prelims, which locked him into the B-finals.
Moving to the 200-yard IM, Andor and Henrique Pacheco Januario placed sixth and seventh, respectively, good enough for spots in the A-finals. Juraj Barcot came in ninth, just missing out on the A-finals cut but locking up a spot in the B-finals.
In the 50-yard freestyle, Santiago finished first with his time of 19.27. Not only did this secure his spot in the A-finals, but it is also a new conference and MVC Championship record. Joining Santiago in the A-finals was Csuvarszki,Aj Terry , and Willem Huggins. Tiago Faleiros finished 14th in the event to head to the B-finals.
Finally, the prelims ended with the 1-meter diving event. Oliver Mebs just made the cut for A-finals with his eighth-place finish. In the meantime, Lucas Lauzon and AJ Stone also grabbed spots in the B-finals.
Finals
Finals started with the 500-yard freestyle. Aceves was the highest finisher for SIU, just missing out on the podium with his swim of 4:29.03, good for fourth place. Southern's first podium finish in the finals was Andor's third-place finish in the 200-yard IM, which he did with a time of 1:46.23.
SIU saw plenty of success in the 50-yard freestyle. Santiago took home gold and once again broke the conference and MVC Championships record with his 19.18 swim. Right behind Santiago was Csuvarszki and his time of 19.83.
In the one-meter dive, Mebs just missed out on the podium after his score of 289.20 earned him fourth place. The evening ended with the 400-yard medley relay, which SIU's squad of Huggins, Faleiros, Santiago, and Terry won. Their time of 3:07.79 set a new conference and MVC Championships record.
Up Next
The Men's MVC Championships continue tomorrow, Friday. Prelims start at 10:30 a.m. EST and finals are set for 6 p.m. EST.
Follow the Salukis
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the swim and dive teams by following the them on X at @SIU_SwimDive, on Instagram at @siu_swimdive, and on Facebook at facebook.com/SIUSwimDive. Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.
Inside the Results
- Two gold medals in the finals belonged to SIU, with Alex Santiago winning the 50-yard freestyle and the 400-yard medley relay team winning their event.
- The Salukis set three new conference and MVC records. Santiago did so in the 50-yard freestyle twice, in the prelims and again in the finals, and the 400-yard medley relay team broke the event record as well.
- Benedek Andor and Donat Csuvarszki medaled in the finals too.
How it Happened
Prelims
The day started with prelims in the morning. First up was the 500-yard freestyle. Tomáš Peciar and Joshua Aceves both finished top-eight to secure their spots in the A-finals. Meanwhile, Rodrigo Ramos Chávez was 12th in the prelims, which locked him into the B-finals.
Moving to the 200-yard IM, Andor and Henrique Pacheco Januario placed sixth and seventh, respectively, good enough for spots in the A-finals. Juraj Barcot came in ninth, just missing out on the A-finals cut but locking up a spot in the B-finals.
In the 50-yard freestyle, Santiago finished first with his time of 19.27. Not only did this secure his spot in the A-finals, but it is also a new conference and MVC Championship record. Joining Santiago in the A-finals was Csuvarszki,Aj Terry , and Willem Huggins. Tiago Faleiros finished 14th in the event to head to the B-finals.
Finally, the prelims ended with the 1-meter diving event. Oliver Mebs just made the cut for A-finals with his eighth-place finish. In the meantime, Lucas Lauzon and AJ Stone also grabbed spots in the B-finals.
Finals
Finals started with the 500-yard freestyle. Aceves was the highest finisher for SIU, just missing out on the podium with his swim of 4:29.03, good for fourth place. Southern's first podium finish in the finals was Andor's third-place finish in the 200-yard IM, which he did with a time of 1:46.23.
SIU saw plenty of success in the 50-yard freestyle. Santiago took home gold and once again broke the conference and MVC Championships record with his 19.18 swim. Right behind Santiago was Csuvarszki and his time of 19.83.
In the one-meter dive, Mebs just missed out on the podium after his score of 289.20 earned him fourth place. The evening ended with the 400-yard medley relay, which SIU's squad of Huggins, Faleiros, Santiago, and Terry won. Their time of 3:07.79 set a new conference and MVC Championships record.
Up Next
The Men's MVC Championships continue tomorrow, Friday. Prelims start at 10:30 a.m. EST and finals are set for 6 p.m. EST.
Follow the Salukis
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the swim and dive teams by following the them on X at @SIU_SwimDive, on Instagram at @siu_swimdive, and on Facebook at facebook.com/SIUSwimDive. Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.
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