The Missouri State men’s and women’s swimming and diving squads brought home three trophies after competing in the Henderson State Invitational on Friday and Saturday in Arkadelphia, Ark. The meet consisted of four teams on the men’s side, and five for the women.
The Bears took nine swimmers from each squad for the meet arranged in Dallas Morning News format. This format requires a team effort and is designed to keep scores close. The men won the team title with a point total of 348, only nine points ahead of Ouachita Baptist. The women also won the invitational by three points with a total of 345. The combined total of 693 was enough to win the combined men’s and women’s trophy.
Second place in the combined men’s and women’s team results was Ouachita Baptist at 681, followed by Henderson State with 620 points in third. Fourth, with a combined total of 488 was Hendrix College. Only competing on the women’s side was Arkansas-Little Rock which came in third for the women’s competition with 250 points.
On the women’s side, team medalist honors were decided in the last relay. The Bears won the 400 free relay to win by three points over Ouachita Baptist. The team, comprised of sophomore Breanna Hollar, senior Jordan Hawkins, sophomore Chelsea Dirks-Ham, and junior Matana Wellman, won the race with a time of 3:35.32.
The Bears were led by senior co-captain Hawkins who tied with two other women for Simmer of the Meet honors. Hawkins recorded season best races in the 50 and 100 free with times of 23.94 and 52.48, respectively.
Freshman Brianna Willoughby, Wellman and Hollar also provided highlight swims for the Bears’ women. Willoughby won the 200 individual medley race with a time of 2:13.37. Hollar captured first place in the 200 fly with a time of 2:11.33 and Wellman, with a time of 5:11.32 in the 500 free, also finished in first.
On the men’s side, the Bears climbed out of a 32 point deficit caused by a disqualification in the first relay of the meet to win with a total of 348 points. Senior co-captain Eduardo Pajares was awarded Swimmer of the Meet for his performances in the 100 backstroke, 500 free and 400 IM. Pajares won all three individual races for the Bears. He finished with a time of 51.65 in the 100 back, 4:44.16 in the 500 free, and 4:03.85 in the 400 IM.
Senior Victor Serra and sophomore Cajun Skinner had notable swims as well for the Bears’ men. Serra won the 100 fly with a time of 50.30 and Skinner took first in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 57.74.
The men continue to climb up the College Swim Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) poll. In the most recent release, the Missouri State men were ranked 29th nationally in NCAA Division I swimming and diving programs. This was the third of eight polls that will be published throughout the season.
The men and women will be back in action Friday, December 5 in Little Rock, Ark., swimming in the UALR Christmas Invitational.
