SPRINGFIELD – Two duals remain for the Missouri State swimming and diving teams this season, as the Bears look ahead to two strong opponents that they’ll face in a three-day span beginning Thursday.
MSU opens competition against crosstown rival Drury at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21, at Breech Pool. The Bears close out the weekend hosting No. 10/19 Missouri on the Missouri State campus at Hammons Student Center at 12 p.m. Saturday.
The Bears and Panthers meet Thursday in the second edition of the ‘Duel in the Pool’ this season. MSU swept Drury in the prior meeting held at Hammons Student Center in October, with the men’s team earning a 135-87 win, while the women’s team took down Drury 150-87.
The Missouri State men’s squad took a 16-15 all-time lead in the series between the two schools after its victory this fall. The Bears have won the last three meetings and seven of the past nine duals over the Panthers. Drury holds a 5-14 all-time edge over MSU on the women’s side, which includes an undefeated mark at Breech Pool against the Bears.
Both of Drury’s squads are ranked among the top 10 in Division II swimming and diving. The Panthers’ men’s team sits in sixth in the most recent College Swimming Coaches Association of America/TYR Top 25 Division II Poll, while the women’s team is ranked third.
Thursday’s dual will be broadcasted on tape delay by Mediacom on MC22 at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, as well as 1 p.m. Sunday.
Missouri State hosts its final dual of the season when it takes on the Missouri Tigers Saturday. The Bears will be celebrating Senior Day by recognizing 12 MSU swimmers. Among the seniors being honored include Rebecca Amparano, Andi Burroughs, Emily Chesser, Miguel Davila, Olivia Gean, Uvis Kalnins, Dora Kiss, Ibby Simcox, Isaac Springer, Jack Snow, Heather Snyder and Carly Wright.
The Tigers hold a 16-8 all-time series lead over the Bears on the men’s side, while they also hold a 14-0 edge in women’s swimming and diving. In Mizzou’s last two meetings to Hammons Student Center in 2011 and 2013, the Tigers and Bears have combined and still own 23 of the pool’s record times.
Both Mizzou teams are ranked in the most recent CSCAA/TYR Top 25 Division I Poll, with the men’s team sitting in 10th and the women 19th. The Tigers’ men’s squad finished sixth at last season’s Southeastern Conference Championships and the women’s squad placed eighth.
Last Meet Overview
Missouri State won 23 of 28 events en route to a men’s and women’s swimming and diving dual sweep over Truman State, 198-64 and 148-114, Saturday, Jan. 16.
The MSU women’s team picked up a win in the 400-yard medley relay to start and eventually had a first-place finisher in 10 of 14 events. Heather Snyder (500 free), Rebecca Amparano (200 free), Lauren Pavel (100 breast), Dora Kiss (200 fly), Loretta Stelnicki (50 free), Briana Horozewski (200 back), Ibby Simcox (500 free) and Josie Pearson (200 IM) all won events for the Bears, with Pavel making a clean sweep in her races by also finishing with the fastest time in the 200 breast.
The Bears’ men’s team won all but one of its races that it competed in. MSU jumped out to a solid start by taking the top three spots in the 400 medley relay, then went 1-2-3 in the 200 free relay to close out the dual.
Kevin Douglas (1000 free), Kacper Cwiek (200 free), Brenden Bolman (100 back), Isaac Springer (100 breast), Artur Osvath (200 fly), Nicholas Theunissen (200 back), Bryce Blattner (500 free) and Will Frisbie (200 IM) all won at least one race Saturday.Three Bears eventually took first place in two events including Bolman (47.05) in the 100 free, Springer in the 200 breast (2:09.78) and Osvath in the 100 fly (50.05)
Bears Highlighting NCAA Division I Top 100 Times
The Missouri State swimming and diving teams have multiple performers that currently hold top 100 times among Division I swimmers. Four men’s swimmers have at least one top 100 time while two MSU women’s swimmers join them.
Men
Uvis Kalnins (100 breast/26th, 200 breast/84th, 200 IM/4th)
Minki Kang (1000 free/66th, 1650 free/51st)
Artur Osvath (200 breast/18th, 200 IM/72nd, 100 breast/61st, 100 fly/84th)
Isaac Springer (100 breast/87th)
Women
Dora Kiss (500 free/39th, 200 fly/19th)
Josie Pearson (400 IM/74th)
MSU Record Updates
Four school records and one pool record have already been set by Bears swimmers during the 2015-16 season.
Men’s senior Uvis Kalnins broke the only Hammons Student Center pool record of the season to this point in the first dual of the year against Evansville in the 100 breast. Kalnins’s 55.78 finish on Oct. 9 took down fellow MSU swimmer Isaac Springer’s previous record of 55.89, which was set a season prior.
All four MSU team records set this year occurred during the Purdue Invitational from Nov. 20-22.
Women’s senior Dora Kiss set both the 100 fly (54.82) and the 200 fly (1:57.18) school records over the three-day meet. Kiss topped her own 200 fly mark of 1:59.13 she had set at last season’s MVC Championship, but also took down current Bears assistant coach Chelsea Dirks-Ham’s 55.34 record that had stood since the 2009 MVC Championship.
Freshmen Artur Osvath and Josie Pearson also achieved new school records at the November meet. Osvath’s 200 breast time of 1:56.39 took another record away from Springer (1:58.22), while Pearson’s time (4:18.08) in the 400 IM became an MSU best over current Bears swimmer Briana Horozewski’s previous record (4:20.58) achieved at the 2014 MVC Championships.
Swimmer of the Week Round-up
The Missouri State men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams have combined to be honored with 10 swimmer of the week awards between the two squads.
Seniors Uvis Kalnins and Dora Kiss, junior Lauren Pavel, and freshmen Artur Osvath and Josie Pearson have all earned weekly honors from their respective conferences.
Pavel was the most recent Bears swimmer to be honored. She was named the MVC Swimmer of the Week on Tuesday after winning all three events she appeared in at Truman State Saturday in MSU’s dual victory. She was also selected as the MVC recipient on Oct. 27 after her performance at the Kansas Double Dual. The junior was involved with two season-best times and placed an individual high third in the 200 breast. Her 2:21.89 finish in the event took over the top time in the MVC.
Kalnins has been honored by the Mid-American Conference a team-high three times this season, previously being recognized as the MAC award winner on Jan. 12, Oct. 27 and Oct. 8. The senior’s first honor came after the Show-Me Showdown, where he won the 200 IM and finished runner-up in both an individual and relay event. He was rewarded with his second honor after two first-place finishes and two runner-up showings at the Kansas Double Dual from Oct. 23-24. He was most recent men’s swimmer to earn the weekly award after a two-win performance versus Texas A&M on Jan. 7.
Both Kiss and Osvath were named Swimmer of the Week by the MVC and MAC, respectively, for the second time this season for their efforts in the Purdue Invitational from Nov. 20-22.
Kiss shattered two school records and helped lead the Bears to a sixth-place team finish at Purdue behind a first-place showing in the 200 fly, fifth place in the 500 free and seventh place in the 100 fly. Along with her MVC award on Nov. 24, Kiss also earned Swimmer of the Week on Oct. 20 for winning all three events she took part in the ‘Duel in the Pool’ against Drury at Hammons Student Center. She won the 1000 free (10:24.34), 200 free (1:54.46) and the 500 free (4:59.09). All three of those finishes were among top-three times in the MVC, including her season-best times she set in the 200 and 500 free.
Osvath earned four NCAA consideration times and broke a school record in the men’s team’s appearance at Purdue. He earned the MAC Swimmer of the Week selection on Nov. 24 behind top-four showings in all four of his individual events. He earned his first career weekly honor on Oct. 12 after he gathered five first-place finishes and had a runner-up showing in conference duals against Evansville and Southern Illinois from Oct. 9-10. He won his first collegiate race in the 200 free (1:43.12) and his 2:03.44 finish in the 200 breast gave him the fastest time in the event among all MAC swimmers.
Pearson was recognized as the MVC Swimmer of the Week by finishing with two top-10 finishes at the Show-Me Showdown on Oct. 2. The freshman had one of the top showings for Missouri State at the meet by earning runner-up in the 100 fly (57.49). She earned seventh out of 50 swimmers in the 200 IM (2:07.94), placing behind five members of the host Tigers and a member of the NCAA Division II 2014-15 runner-up Drury squad.
Glancing at the Rankings
After beginning the season at No. 18 in the opening CollegeSwimming.com Rankings, the Bears’ men’s team has been in and out of the top 50 list. Currently, MSU is ranked 46th among all Division I schools with 758.35 points. The rankings utilize a point system based on NCAA time standards, predicted qualifying times and percentile rankings from the past four seasons.
Both MSU teams also appear in the Division I Mid-Major Rankings.
The men’s squad currently sits in 13th with its 758.35 points captured at the Purdue Invitational in November. The women’s squad currently sits at 35th with 727.48 points after its performance at the Purdue Invite.
Both Drury and Missouri sit atop its respective divisions in the CollegeSwimming.com Rankings.
The Tigers’ men’s and women’s teams are each rated 12th with 830.93 and 829.59 points, respectively, among Division I schools for their efforts at the Tennessee Invitational. The Panthers’ women’s squad ranks second (723.41) among Division II schools, while the men rank fifth (750.90) for their Hawkeye Invitational appearances.
Men’s Swimming and Diving Second in Preseason Poll
The Missouri State men’s swimming and diving team was selected to finish second in the Mid-American Conference preseason coaches’ poll, announced Thursday, Oct. 1.
Behind a roster that returned 13 letterwinners and six all-conference performers with the addition of seven newcomers, the Bears received two first-place votes and were picked ahead of MAC members Buffalo, Southern Illinois, Miami, Ball State and Evansville. Eastern Michigan received five first-place votes and was selected as the preseason favorite to win the MAC Championship.
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Swimming news courtesy of Missouri State Swimming & Diving.