Meet Results
 
OXFORD, Ohio – The Missouri State men's swimming and diving team jumped into a 92.5-point lead thanks to four gold medals and three record-breaking swims on day three of the 2018 Mid-American Conference Championship, Friday at the Corwin M. Nixon Aquatic Center.
 
Missouri State sits in first-place with 591.5 points and defending champion Eastern Michigan ranks second with 499. Host Miami (Ohio) ranks third (480), followed by Southern Illinois (303.5), Evansville (145) and Ball State (135).
 
"We had another very good day today," head coach Dave Collins said. "Today was a favorable set of events for our team so we had to make hay while the sun was shining."
 
After crushing the MAC record in the 100 breast earlier this season, Blair Bish posted one of the top times in the country and shattered the league record once more thanks to a 51.93-second performance that earned him the league crown. His time was .19 seconds away from meeting NCAA A-Standards and was nearly one second faster than the runner-up.
 
"We're excited to be putting up times that are top times nationally, winning events and moving up places in every finals we swim in," Bish stated. "With two more sessions to go, our team has more confidence than ever and we're ready to finish what we started."
 
Nicholas Theunissen earned the first league hardware of his MSU career, bringing home the bronze medal after touching the wall in 53.85 seconds – a personal best for the junior. Phillip Willett finished just after Theunissen in fourth (54.28) and Samuel Senn ranked seventh overall in the event.
 
Continuing their success in the medley events, four Bears – Willett, Bryce Blattner, Christopher Heye and Minki Kang – swam their way into the 400 IM championship final. Willet won the preliminary round and clocked in at 3:49.97. Blattner and Heye went 3-4, respectively, and Kang rounded out the field in eighth.
 
Later in the evening, Heye emerged as the 2018 champion after logging a personal-best time of 3:47.99. His time met NCAA B-Standards and was a whole four seconds faster than the runner-up from Miami. Willett was the third swimmer to touch the wall, earning the bronze in 3:52.56 while Blattner took fourth and Kang finished eighth.
 
"It was nice to go a lifetime best in my last 400 IM and also accomplish a long-time goal of mine to win the event," Heye explained. "I am so proud of what this group of guys is doing and I am excited to see what the last day of competition holds."
 
Junior Artur Osvath paced the league in the 100 fly, beginning in the prelims where he ranked first and broke the school record with a 46.82-second swim. Jacob Schultz and Will Frisbie were the other Bears to make it to the A-final while Lucas Paloschi qualified for the consolation final.
 
After finishing second in the 100 fly last season, Osvath pushed through and clinched the 2018 title in 46.84 seconds. Schultz followed in fifth place and Frisbie, in his second A-final appearance, finished seventh overall.
 
"I was very impressed with our performance today," Osvath said. "I think the morning session was one of the best we have ever had and we were able to carry the momentum into tonight's finals."
 
Kacper Cwiek, the only Bear to compete in the 200 free A-final, shined as he picked up the bronze medal with his third-place time of 1:37.97. Led by senior Will Brand, the Bears went 1-2-3 in the consolation race. Brand took first in 1:38.75, followed by Antonio Thomas in second and Kevin Douglas in third.
 
A sophomore-heavy group of swimmers represented MSU in the 100 backstroke. Thomas Heye led the Bears with a fourth-place finish in 48.64 seconds while Conner Ripp clocked in at 48.82 seconds for fifth and Schultz placed eighth overall.
 
MSU found success on the 3-meter diving board as freshman standout Michael Claunch earned an appearance in the championship final after placing eighth in the preliminary round. Fellow freshman Connor Cox placed 15^th overall in the prelims and brought in a total of 223.15 points.
 
Bringing in its third relay win of the weekend, MSU snapped another MAC record and claimed gold in the 400 medley relay. Heye, Bish, Osvath and Paloschi teamed up for a 3:10.46 win in the race, eclipsing the record that was set by MSU's 2015 squad. EMU finished two seconds behind the Bears in second and Miami took third.
 
"We really wanted to carry the momentum from yesterday into today," Thomas Heye said. "Dave told us to swim every session as if the score was 0-0. That was the mindset we had tonight and that is the mindset we will bring into tomorrow."
 
2018 MAC Standings

1. Missouri State - 591.5
2. Eastern Michigan – 499
3. Miami (Ohio) – 480
4. Southern Illinois - 303.5
5. Evansville – 145
6. Ball State - 135

 
Coming Up Next
The Bears close out the 2018 MAC Championship tomorrow with a 9:30 a.m. prelims session, followed by the final session of the 2018 championship at 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.