The Missouri State swimmers split their dual against Truman State, with the men winning 92-30 and the women dropping a tough one 69-53. The Bears' dual records now stand at 4-1 for the men and 3-2 for the women. Though many regular swimmers did not compete, the Bears filled in nicely.
For the men, the backstroke events were the team's forte. In the both backstroke events, seniors Nicolas Villarroel (Caracas, Venezuela) and Pat Bergin (Newcastle, Australia) finished one and two, respectively. Villarroel, the reigning MAC Swimmer of the Week, also finished first in the 50-yard freestyle event. Sophomore transfer Nick Carter (Rogers, Ark.) had top honors in the 100-yard freestyle (49.06), 200-yard freestyle (1.46.64) and the 200-yard butterfly (2:01.52). Carter also swam the first leg of the 400-yard freestyle relay that captured a first-place finish.
Many of the women's races were tightly contested. Freshman Marta Nogueroles (Barcelona, Spain) was a top-finisher for the Bears yet again, finishing first in the 1000-yard freestyle (10:27.91) and the 500-yard freestyle (5:09.06), while tacking on a second-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly (2.08.23). Meanwhile, MVC Swimmer of the Week, junior Chelsea Dirks-Ham (Lawrence, Kan.) was also sensational, winning the 100-yard backstroke (59.17) and 200-yard backstroke (2:08.39), while also leading both the 400-yard medley relay and 400-yard freestyle relay to second-place finishes. Nogueroles and Dirks-Ham combined for 23 of the team's 53 points.
Missouri State will get a week to recuperate before returning to action on Nov. 20 to swim in the Purdue Invitational. The Purdue Invitational is one of the most competitive events the Bears will take part in this season. The Boilermakers are 3-0 in dual meets for the men and women. Last season, Purdue finished 4th in the Big Ten Conference, but their diving squad finished their season ranked 3rd in the nation. Missouri State will begin the Invitational on Nov. 20 and will return to Springfield on Nov. 22.
