Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
Missouri State University
Salukis Open 2026-27 Season at Home with Missouri State
10/02/2026 | 11:10:00 | Swimming & Diving, Swimming & Diving
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois swimming and diving opens its 2026-27 season this weekend, welcoming Missouri State to Shea Natatorium for a two-day meet beginning Friday, Oct. 2.
The Salukis will compete at 3 p.m. Friday, then return to the pool at 10 a.m. Saturday. The meet marks Southern Illinois' first home competition of the season.
MVC opponent Missouri State returns to Carbondale as a familiar conference foe for the Salukis. The two programs competed at the 2026 Missouri Valley Conference Championships in Evansville.
The Bears opened last season with a two-day meet against Southern Illinois in Springfield and also met at the 2026 MVC Championships. This weekend's matchup gives both programs an early chance to test themselves against a familiar conference opponent.
New Season
For Southern Illinois, the weekend provides the first opportunity to see the 2026-27 team compete in a meet setting. With nearly half the roster new to the program, Hanson emphasized the importance of learning about the team early in the season while relying on the leadership of its upperclassmen.
"We are looking forward to getting the competition season under way this weekend," Head Coach Geoff Hanson said. "With close to half of our team new to the program, we will learn a lot about who we are early in the season. However, we have phenomenal upperclassmen leadership and lots of potential as a team. Go Dawgs!"
The meet also gives the Salukis their first chance to compete in front of the home crowd at Shea Natatorium this season.
Details
- What: Swim and Dive vs. Missouri State
- Date: Oct. 2-3
- Time: Friday, 3 p.m. | Saturday, 10 a.m.
- Location: Shea Natatorium, Carbondale
- Live: Results – Meet Mobile
The Salukis will also look to a new group of captains to provide leadership throughout the season. This year's captains are Sam Vega, Tia Jankovics, Dylan Walsh, Benedek Andor and Lucas Lauzon.
Impactful Newcomers
Bolstering the returning group is a strong class of newcomers. Southern Illinois welcomes 17 newcomers to the program this season, including 16 freshmen and one transfer.
Ryan Serbia joins the Salukis as a transfer from George Mason, while the 16 freshmen will make their collegiate debuts as Southern Illinois opens the 2026-27 season.
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.
