Swim and Dive Set for MVC Championships Run

Wednesday, February 25

Evansville, IN.

Southern Illinois University

Women's MVC Championships

02/24/2026 | 2:29:00 | Swimming & Diving

By: Peter Borkowski

CARBONDALE, Ill. – Championship season is here for Southern Illinois swim and dive. From Wednesday, Feb.25, through Saturday, Feb. 28, the squad will be in Evansville, Indiana, for the 2026 Missouri Valley Conference Swim and Dive Championships.

Details
-What: Swim and Dive at MVC Swim and Dive Championships
-Date: February 25-28
-Time: Prelims: 10:30 a.m. | Finals: 5:30 p.m.
-Location: Deaconess Aquatic Center, Evansville, Indiana
-Live Results: Meet Mobile
-Watch: Missouri Valley Conference YouTube Page

Last Time Out
Both Saluki squads were last in action at Missouri on January 31, where the men's squad fell 195-97 and the women's team lost 198-91. Winners at the meet included Liseska Gallegos Gutierrez in the 100- and 200-backstroke, Willem Huggins in the 100-backstroke, Olivia Herron in the 200-breaststroke and 200-IM, and Oliver Mebs in the three-meter dive.

Season Review
The Saluki men enter the championship with a head-to-head record of 4-5 while the women's squad currently sits at 7-3. The Salukis have already faced several MVC teams this season. The season opened with a visit to Missouri State, who the women's beat while the men lost to. Both squads then took down UIC on October 10, 2025, before both losing to Miami (OH) on October 11, 2025. The women's squad defeated Illinois State on October 24, 2025, before losing to Indiana State on January 10. That same day, both Southern teams prevailed over Evansville.

Championships of Years Past
At the 2025 Championships, both Saluki squads finished in second place. Following the championships, a handful of Salukis were handed year-end awards. Celia Pulido was named the Women's Swimmer of the Year for a second straight season, becoming the conference's first back-to-back winner since SIU's Julie Ju in 2007 and 2008. Additionally, Gallegos was named the Women's Freshman of the Year and Herron was named the Scholar-Athlete of the Year. On the men's side, Alex Santiago was named the Men's Swimmer of the Year, Lucas Lauzon was the Freshman Diver of the Year, and Alex Cimera was the winner of the Elite 18 award.

The women's team was last crowned champions in 2016 when the event was hosted in Carbondale, while the men's team last won in 2002 before moving conferences up until last season.

Pre-Championship Poll
Both Southern teams were named runner-up in the MVC's pre-championship poll. The men's team trailed Miami (OH) by 11 points, 64-53, while the women's squad was picked second behind Indiana State by a difference of one point. The Salukis were the only other women's team besides the Sycamores to earn first place votes.

Follow the Salukis
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.