Swim and Dive Falls at Missouri in Final Meet Before Conference Championships

Saturday, January 31

Columbia, MO

10 AM

Southern Illinois University

Missouri

Photo by: Zuzanna Gaik

Swim and Dive Falls at Missouri in Final Meet Before Conference Championships

01/31/2026 | 9:34:00 | Swimming & Diving

By: Peter Borkowski

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Saturday afternoon was Southern Illinois swim and dive's final meet before the 2026 Missouri Valley Conference Championships as the Salukis visited Missouri. Both Southern teams fell to the Tigers, with the women's squad losing 198-91 while the men fell 195-97.

How it Happened
Southern started the meet with both the men's and women's 400-medley relay team placing third. Individual events started with the 1000-freestyle, where Lívia Munkácsi-Nagy was the runner-up on the women's side and two Saluki podiumed in the men's event.

After Susy Hernandez, Alex Cimera, and Rodrigo Ramos Chávez all finished top-three in the women's and men's 200-freestyle, Liseska Gallegos Gutierrez brought SIU its first win of the day in the 100-backstroke. Willem Huggins followed suit by winning the men's side of the event.

Olivia Herron placed second in the women's 100-breaststroke, and Tiago Faleiros came in third in the men's version of the event. Brooklyn Anderson was the lone Saluki in the top-three of the women's 200-butterfly, taking second. The Salukis would not see another medalist until the women's 100-freestyle when Hernandez placed second.

Gallegos added another win to her total in the women's 200-backstroke while Huggins rounded out the event's men's podium. Herron and Madalyn Booker bookended the women's 200-breaststroke while two male swimmers claimed spots on the podium in the men's event. Joshua Aceves then stood on the podium for the first time this afternoon after snagging third place in the men's 500-freestyle.

In diving events, Oliver Mebs, Lucas Lauzon, and Ron Latwis filled the top three for the three-meter dive. Back to swimming events, Herron won once more in the 200-IM, and Juraj Barcot and Nate Worsham came in second and third on the men's side of the event. The day concluded with the 400-freestyle relay, in which the women's "A" squad placed second and the men's top team rounded out their podium.

Up Next
The Salukis now have nearly a month to prepare for the MVC Championships, which take place from February 25-28 in Evansville, Indiana.

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.