News | Santiago, Pulido, and Peciar Represent SIU at 2025 World Championships
07/25/2025 | 11:01:00 | Swimming & Diving
CARBONDALE, Ill. – The 2025 World Championships are currently taking place in Singapore, and Southern Illinois swim and dive is represented at the event by Celia Pulido, Tomáš Peciar, and Alex Santiago. Peciaralready competed at the Open-Water Division of the Championships last week while Pulido and Santiago begin their run at the event starting this Saturday, July 26, at 9 p.m. CST.
"It speaks volumes about our program to have three Salukis representing their home countries at the World Championships in Singapore," says head coach Geoff Hanson. "We are very proud of the performance that Tomas had in the open water five-kilometer last week and are excited for Celia and Alex to compete in the pool in just a few days. All three of them have worked extremely hard this summer and have big goals on the international stage. Go Dawgs."
Peciar, a rising-junior at SIU, already competed in the open-water division of the Championships for his home nation of Slovakia. First, on July 16, he placed 53rd in the 10-kilometer with a 2:17:48.70 mark. Then, on July 17, Peciar finished 62nd in the 5-kilometer with a time of 1:07:01.80.
Pulido, who just completed her final season in the pool for the Salukis and now joins the coaching staff as a graduate assistant, will represent her home nation of Mexico in the 50-meter backstroke and 50-meter butterfly. The Leon, Guanajuato, native is coming off a fantastic senior season at SIU where she earned First-Team All-American in the 100-yard backstroke while also being named the Missouri Valley Conference Women's Swimmer of the Year. After her time at SIU, Pulido currently holds four individual school records and is a part of five relay records; her name is also stamped five times across the individual section of the MVC record book and four times throughout the relay team section. The last major international event Pulido participated in was the 2024 Paris Olympic Game where she finished 21st in the 100-back.
Santiago is also coming off his final season in Carbondale as he prepares to represent Puerto Rico at the Championships in the 50-meter freestyle and 50-meter butterfly. In his senior season, the Buffalo Grove, Illinois, native was named the MVC Men's Swimmer of the Year and participated in the NCAA Championships in the 100-yard butterfly and 50- and 100-yard freestyle. Following his SIU career, Santiago currently holds two individual school records, four relay records, and is in the MVC record books eight times across the individual and relay sections. Santiago's last international event was the 2025 Puerto Rico International Open, where he took home gold in the 50-butterfly, 100-butterfly, and 100-freestyle. And while no longer competing, Santiago will return to SIU this upcoming season as a student assistant.
The 2025 World Championships begin on Saturday, July 27, and run through August 3. More information regarding the event, including detailed schedules and results, can be found at https://swimswam.com/world-aquatics-releases-entry-lists-for-2025-world-championships/.
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