Missouri State Swimming and Diving will start the year off with the Saluki Mile and Saluki Open Water on Sept. 24-25. The meet will feature both the men's and women's teams from Missouri State, Southern Illinois and Evansville, and the Illinois State women's team.

The meet will begin with a 1,650-yard freestyle race held at Southern Illinois University's Dr. Edward J. Shea Natatorium at 6 p.m. on Sept. 24. There will be one men's race and one women's race. Following those races, the meet will resume on the following day, Sept. 25 at 9 a.m. with the 5K Saluki Open Water. This will be an open water race swam at Little Grassy Lake in Marion, Ill. Instead of a normal indoor format, the outdoor open water will be a circular course with no walls in a 5K distance. The scores from both the mile and the open water meet will be combined to determine total team score.

The next stop for the Bears will be the home-opener against cross-town rival Drury University on Oct. 22. Last season, Drury was the NCAA Division II national champion for men and women. They became the first school in NCAA Division II history to win back-to-back national titles for men and women. Though they are a Division II powerhouse, they match up well with the Bears. The all-time dual series record for the men is 8-10 in favor of the Panthers, while the women are 2-4. Last season, the Bears swept both teams at home, but lost at Drury.