SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – After reclaiming the league crown a year ago, the Missouri State women's swimming and diving team looks to repeat as champions at the 2018 Missouri Valley Conference Championship, held at the University of Iowa on Feb. 14-17.
 

2018 Missouri Valley Conference Championship
Day 1	Wednesday, Feb. 14 | 6 p.m.
Day 2	Thursday, Feb. 15 | Prelims - 11 a.m. • Finals - 6 p.m.
Day 3	Friday, Feb. 16 | Prelims - 11 a.m. • Finals - 6 p.m.
Day 4	Saturday, Feb. 17 | Prelims - 11 a.m. • Finals - 5 p.m.
Site & Location	University of Iowa Recreation/Wellness Center Natatorium • Iowa City, Iowa
Order of Events	2018 MVC Championship Swim & Dive Schedule
Directions	Google Maps
Ticket Info.	Session Passes
Follow Along	Live Stats • Watch
Missouri State	2017-18 Record Book | Swimming & Diving Home Page | Twitter

Last season, Missouri State earned its 13^th conference championship in a landslide, 183.5-point victory. The Bears led every single day of the meet and broke a total of nine school records and six Missouri Valley marks. MSU won five individual events and claimed both medley relay events.
 
Championship Favorites
Receiving eight first-place votes from coaches around the league, the squad was unanimously selected to win the 2018 MVC Championship. Finishing second in the pre-championship poll was Southern Illinois, followed by UNI, Illinois State and Evansville. Indiana State and Little Rock tied for sixth and Valley newcomer Valparaiso rounded out the pack in eighth-place.
 
Leading the Way
The Bears hold the top spot in six individual events and four relays. Freshman Libby Howell leads the way in both the 200 and 1000 free, and has held the top time in those events for the majority of the season. Sarah Allegri controls the 100 back while fellow sophomore Vikte Labanauskaite ties for first in the 200 breast. Showing major speed in her events, senior Emma Wall holds the top spot in both the 100 and 200 fly. In a group effort, Missouri State's relay squads lead every freestyle relay and have posted the fastest time in the 400 medley relay as well.
 
On the Big Stage
Nationally, Howell ranks 79th in the 1000 free with a time of 10:01.67 and Wall's time of 1:58.37 sits No. 61 in the 200 fly. Howell set her time at the Bears' senior day meet, where she blew out the competition in the distance event. She broke a 12-year pool record with her time of 10:01.67 – which also serves as the new program record in the event. In her senior season, Wall set her time at the Purdue Invitational back in November. Wall improved her individual record in the 200 fly to 1:58.37 – which beats her second-place time in the program record book.
 
Springing to Success
Missouri State's divers have found loads of success on both the 1-meter and 3-meter boards this season. Newcomer Ashley Yarbrough has paced the Bears all season and broke through to the all-time top-five list on both boards. Dayana Popa and Payton Smith have both seen steady improvement throughout the season and look to compete well at the championship.
 
Final Details
Competition at the 2018 MVC Championship will take place at the University of Iowa on Feb. 14-17. Live results will be available on Twitter and Meet Mobile, while finals sessions on Feb. 15, 16 and 17 will be live streamed on YouTube. All Session passes can be purchased online at bit.ly/2BV43sW and Single Session tickets will be available at the door with cash. Single Sessions are $10 for adults and $5 for youth ages 2-12. For all the latest information on the Missouri State swimming and diving team, visit missouristatebears.com or follow @MoStateSwim on Twitter.