Missouri State Swimming and Diving opened up the first of three days in West Lafayette, Ind. at the Purdue Invitational on Nov. 20. Though the competition is extremely challenging, some Bears have really stepped up to the challenge. The men's 200-yard freestyle relay team of junior Roko Simunic, junior Dillon Burns, senior Ciro Sauaia and sophomore Jeff Bentz turned in a time of 1:22.50, earning them a second-place finish in the event. Simunic also swam in the 200 IM for the Bears, touching the wall in 1:57.40. Burns took the success of the relay team to his own freestyle event, the 50-yard freestyle. Burns finished with a time of 20.56, tied for second. Close behind Burns, in the same event was Sauaia and Bentz, whose 21.26 and 21.49 were 10th and 12th place, respectively. Off of the diving boards, senior Chelsea Ray was the only Bear diver to earn points in a diving event, scoring a 248.55 in the 3-meter board.
Following a lackluster day one, the Bears rebounded and swam strongly in day two of the Purdue Invitational. The day had several standout swimmers, but foremost in the group was Simunic, whose time of 48.04 in the 100-yard backstroke not only won the event for the Bears, but is also currently the fastest time in the nation in the event. Both Simunic and Villarroel swam well in the 100-yard backstroke, placing first and third respectively. Their times also hit the qualifying time for the national "B" cut-line.
The day began with the 200-yard medley relay, one of the stronger events for the men's team. Missouri State came in with a time of 1:30.98, good enough for third place. Freshman Niklas Gustafsson kept the pace up with a sixth-place finish in the 400-yard IM (4:03.00). Not to be outdone, the junior Chelsea Dirks-Ham of the women's team placed 12th in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 57.02, a new season best for the bears. In the men's side of the 100-yard butterfly, Villarroel continued his winning ways with a 10th place finish (50.06), also a season best. Sophomore Nick Carter added to the mix with an impressive 1:41.97 in the 200-yard freestyle, good for ninth place. Junior Cajun Skinner also swam well, placing seventh in the 100-yard breaststroke (56.80).
The final day of the Purdue Invitational began with a bang, as Villarroel swam the 200-yard backstroke in 1:48.15, giving him second in the meet, while senior teammate Pat Bergin added on an eighth-place finish with his time of 1:53.12. In the next event for the men, Simunic continued his excellence by placing fifth in the 100-yard freestyle (45.74). Senior Fran Moody contributed for the ladies, swimming the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:22.40. The Bears ended the meet with the men tallying 320.5 points and a fourth-place finish, while the women ended with 134 points and a sixth-place finish.
Missouri State will return to the water on Dec. 19, to compete in the Delta State Invitational in Cleveland, Miss. Last season the Bears swept the honors with both the men and women earning first-place team finishes.
