MVC Championships Results: Day One

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Thanks to a record-breaking victory in the 200-yard medley relay, the Missouri State women's swimming and diving team finished day one of the 2017 MCV Championships in the lead with 74 points at the University of Iowa Campus Recreation and Wellness Center Natatorium, Wednesday evening.
 
"It's awesome to start off the meet with relays," head coach Dave Collins said. "We have talked a lot about momentum and excitement and we have been really ready to get to this meet. To start the championship with a 200 medley relay that was a conference and school record was amazing and it really got us going."
 
After two events, the Bears lead the league with 74 points, followed closely by Southern Illinois who racked up 72. Hosting the championship, UNI sits third with 66 points followed by Evansville (56), Little Rock (54), Illinois State (30) and newcomer Indiana State (28).
 
"It was really exciting to see the team come together and cheer for one another," senior captain Lauren Pavel said. "Today has been the best first day of swimming I have seen in my four years at Missouri State."
 
Kicking off the championship meet, the Missouri State 200 medley "A" relay – made up of Sarah Allegri, Lauren Pavel, Sydney Zupan and Loretta Stelnicki – demolished the competition, taking home the crown while setting a new Missouri State and MVC record with a time of 1:39.30.
 
"I'm incredibly proud of how everyone performed today," Zupan said. "Sarah got us off to a really good start and put us in the lead and then Lauren had an awesome split, so it was nice to have that lead diving in. Loretta really brought it home with her freestyle after that, so it was an awesome race all the way through."
 
Topping its own conference record, Missouri State shaved nearly three seconds off its season record (1:42.20) as well as almost two seconds off the program and conference record (1:41.19).
 
In the final event of the evening, Missouri State swam neck-and-neck with UNI and SIU in the 800 free relay, ultimately taking home silver in the event. The Bears held a slight lead the first three quarters of the race before SIU's final swimmer finished her leg of the race in 1:47.05, giving the Salukis almost a two second advantage over the Bears. SIU won the event in 7:19.71 while MSU placed second and topped its season record with a time of 7:21.01 – nine seconds faster than the previous record set this season.
 
"I'm really proud of the 800 free relay," Collins added. "Going into that race we knew it was going to be a tough one for us, but we really battled and it is really motivating for this team. I think we're going to have a really good week."
 
Final Details
Leading the league with 74 points, the Bears look to maintain their lead tomorrow during the 500 free, 200 IM, 50 free, 1-meter diving and 200 free relay. Thursday's prelims are slated for 11 a.m. and finals will begin at approximately 6 p.m. Live stats will be available for tomorrow's events, along with a live stream of tomorrow's finals session. For more information on the Missouri State women's swimming and diving team, visit www.missouristatebears.com or Twitter (@MoStateSwim).