Courtesy: Evansville Athletics
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – For the first time in school history, the University of Evansville will serve as the host school for the 2024 Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships this February. The four-day event featuring nine teams will come to the Deaconess Aquatic Center in Evansville from Wednesday, February 21, 2024 through Saturday, February 24, 2024.
“We are extremely excited and honored to be named as the host site for the 2024 MVC Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships,” said UE head swimming coach Stuart Wilson. “The be able to bring an event of this caliber to the Evansville swimming community has been our goal since the Deaconess Aquatic Center became a reality a few years ago. I am extremely excited to be able to provide this type of experience to our student-athletes as well.”
The Deaconess Aquatic Center opened in the fall of 2021, and UE was able to host the first-ever meet at the $30 million state-of-the-art facility on November 6, 2021. The facility features the ability for a stretch 50-meter competitive pool, plus a separate diving well with both one-meter and three-meter springboards. For the Valley Championships, the main pool will feature a 10-lane, 25-yard pool, as well as a warm-up/cool-down area.
The Deaconess Aquatic Center features raised spectator seating for just under 1,000 fans, with the deck-area also able to house all nine competing squads. The DAC has hosted various competitive meets since its opening, including the Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships, as well as various UE and city swim meets. It is located at 24 Don Mattingly Way in Evansville, across the street from historic Bosse Field.
Missouri State is the defending MVC women’s swimming and diving champion. The MVC features women’s swimming and diving teams from regular Valley members UE, Missouri State, Illinois State, Indiana State, Southern Illinois, UIC, UNI, and Valparaiso, and affiliate member Little Rock.