Meet Results
 
OXFORD, Ohio – The Missouri State men's swimming and diving team set a Mid-American Conference record in the 200 medley relay and is tied with defending champion Eastern Michigan after day one of the 2018 Mid-American Conference Championship in Oxford, Ohio.
 
The Bears and Eagles lead the pack with 72 points while host Miami (Ohio) sits third. Southern Illinois occupies fourth place (60), followed by Evansville (56) and Ball State (52).
 
"We got out to a great start in the medley relay tonight," head coach Dave Collins said. "Lowering the team and conference record was a great way to grab some good momentum going into tomorrow. We left a little out there in the 800 free relay, but I have a ton of confidence in these guys and they will be ready to go tomorrow."
 
Setting the conference record for the second time this season, the Bears dominated the 200 medley relay and brought home the gold medal with a time of 1:25.25. Jacob Schultz led off the relay with a 22.25 second split in the backstroke, and was followed by a 22.93 second breaststroke split from Blair Bish – which is one of the fastest splits recorded in the country this season. Artur Osvath kept up the Bear's pace with a 20.66 second mark in the butterfly and Samuel Senn brought the race home with his 19.41 second split in the freestyle leg.
 
"It's exciting to put together a group of four guys that are the best in the conference and see the results be in our favor," Bish said. "We still have a lot of work to do over the next three days, but as a group, we are excited about this meet and what's to come."
 
The 200 medley squad was just .4 seconds behind the automatic qualifying time for the NCAA Championships. Host Miami took second in the relay in 1:27.17 while EMU took bronze with a time of 1:27.89.
 
Returning to the pool for the night's second event, MSU took third in the 800 free relay behind first-place EMU and Miami. Kacper Cwiek, Osvath, Minki Kang and Will Brand combined for a time of 6:32.85 in their bronze-medal finish.
 
"We didn't graduate anyone from our championship 800 free relay last year, so third place was not our goal," Brand explained. "However, this is a great reminder of what caliber athletes this conference produces each year. I'm very excited for the fast meet ahead."
 
2018 MAC Championship Standings
1. Eastern Michigan - 72
1. Missouri State - 72
3. Miami - 68
4. Southern Illinois - 60
5. Evansville - 56
6. Ball State - 52
 
Coming Up Next
The Bears return to the Corwin M. Nixon Aquatic Center tomorrow for day two of the 2018 MAC Championship. Prelims begin at 9:30 a.m., diving will take place at noon and the finals session is slated for 5:30 p.m. For all the latest information on the Missouri State swimming and diving team, visit missouristatebears.com or follow @MoStateSwim on Twitter.