Missouri State University released the 2009-10 Swimming and Diving schedule today. The Bears are looking to continue the success from their 2008-09 season in which the men placed second in the Sun Belt and the women won their sixth Missouri Valley Conference title in seven years.
The Bears will begin their season in Columbia, Mo. for the Missouri Show-Me Showdown on October 10. On October 24, MSU travels to the University of Iowa for a highly competitive meet. On November 20-22, the Bears will compete at Purdue University. Last year, Purdue sent two divers, Kara Cook and David Colturi, to the World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia.
This season, head coach Jack Steck will return for his 27th season as the Bear’s leader. Among the key returners for the women are junior Chelsea Dirks-Ham (Lawrence, Kansas) and seniors Matana Wellman (South Hampton, England) and Chelsea Ray (Anchorage, Alaska). Dirks-Ham was the top swimmer for the Bears in both butterfly events, Ray is one of the top divers in the Missouri Valley Conference and Wellman has proven herself to be an elite distance swimmer and a great all-around talent. For the men, senior Nicolas Villarroel (Caracas, Venezuela) leads the way, but right behind him are the dynamic juniors Cajun Skinner (East London, South Africa) and Roko Simunic (Zagreb, Croatia). Skinner was the top breaststroker for the Bears last season and Simunic was recently ranked by FINA, the international swimming governing body, as the 12th best athlete in the world in the 50m Backstroke. Simunic also holds the Croatian National Record for that event, with a time of 25.62.
This will be the first season the men will compete in the Mid-American Conference. The last two seasons, the Bears have been a member of the Sun Belt Conference. The MAC championships will take place on March 4-6 in Ypsilanti, Mich. The women remain in the MVC and look to defend their title on February 11-13 in Carbondale, Ill.
The Bears will compete at home for the first time this school year on October 30 at 5:00 p.m. This will be this first of two meetings against cross-town rivals Drury University.
