The men and women's SIU swimming and diving teams took home team titles at a three-school meet. | SIU athletics
The men and women's SIU swimming and diving teams took home team titles at a three-school meet. | SIU athletics
The Southern Illinois University swimming and diving men’s and women’s teams recorded wins in a three-school meet in late October.
The teams faced off against McKendree University and Truman State University (TSU) and claimed convincing wins. The women’s team knocked off McKendree 228-74 and topped TSU 238-70. The men’s team faced a stiffer challenge but still managed to claim a 161-134 win over McKendree and a 158-130 win over TSU.
The Salukis were especially strong in the diving portion of the meet, with both men and women divers claiming wins. The women’s diving team turned in one of its best performances of the year as three of four divers in the 3-meter set personal best marks. Twin sisters Beibei and Baobao Ji placed first and second in the event, respectively. Beibei took first place with a score of 315.38, the 26th best score in the nation, and Baobao recorded a 307.65.
The Ji sisters also performed well in the 1-meter dive, with Beibei taking first place with a score of 299.77 and Baobao finishing in third place.
SIU’s Eli Mercado set personal best scores in two events. In the 3-meter diving competition, Mercado scored 345.52, which helped him defeat Thad Zubar of McKendree by 159.75 points. Mercado’s score is the 43rd best in the nation. He also set a personal best in the 1-meter dive with a score of 340.27, for first place.
Following his strong performance at the meet, Mercado was named MAC Swimming and Diving Athlete of the Week for the second time this year. Mercado is currently ranked as the No. 1 MAC diver in the 1- and and 3-meter dives. He is also ranked in the top 50 in the nation in both events.
SIU also performed well on the swimming side of the meet. Bryn Hadley won several events, claiming wins in the 200-yard freestyle, the 400-yard freestyle relay, and the 200-yard medley relay. Another highlight came in the 200-yard butterfly, which SIU’s Audrey Snyder won with a time of 2:05.64, the best time by a Saluki in the event this year.
On the men’s side, freshman Sam Drew continued his stellar season with a win in the 200-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard medley relay. Drew set the top breastroke mark by an SIU swimmer this year with a time of 2:06.02. Alex Crawford also notched a pair of wins for SIU. His first win came in the 200-yard backstroke with a personal best time of 1:51.17, and he then took the honors in the 100-yard backstroke.
SIU’s Ryan Lehane took third place in the race.
Chris Cole kept the strong performance rolling for the Salukis and set a school record in the 1,000-yard freestyle with a time of 9:33.83, while SIU’s Kevin Kluge came in second with a time of 9:35.93.
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