CARBONDALE, Ill. – A 1-2-3-4 sweep in the mile and a pair of individual awards in the 3-meter dive and 200 breaststroke boosted the Missouri State men's swimming & diving club to a Mid-American Conference championship title Saturday evening at the Shea Natatorium.

The Bears claimed the conference crown with a four-day cumulative team total of 892 points. Runner-up honors went to Miami University (Ohio), who produced a final session push to finish with 812 while Southern Illinois (622), Ball State (420), and Evansville (346) filled out the MAC leaderboard.

"I am so proud of this group," said MAC Coach of the Year selection Dave Collins. "Winning the trophy is great but more important than that is how much they care about one another and the program."

MSU opened the final session with a bang, as Antonio Thomas (15:08.99), Pawel Krawczyk (15:09.04), Sebastian Odent (15:25.22), and Jonathan Hill (15:42.36) captured the top four times in the 1650 free to reel in a combined 68 points.

"I couldn't be prouder of my teammates," said MAC Co-Swimmer of the Year and Outstanding Senior honoree Antonio Thomas. "We have put in countless hours in and out of the pool and seeing it all pay off is amazing and I couldn't share this championship with a better group."

Michael Claunch and Conner Funke contributed to the Bears' final day highlights, chipping in gold-medal efforts to solidify MSU's title. Claunch (310.80) earned the best dive total on the 3-meter boards, marking his first career individual championship win. Funke rounded out MSU's top performers in the 200 breaststroke, going 1-2 with fellow Bear Michael Hampel for the gold distinction.

"I feel blessed that I was given the opportunity to compete for my teammates and MSU," said Claunch. "I am happy to have placed first, but the glory goes to God for giving me the ability to compete and put forth my best effort."

The Bears scattered four silver finishes throughout seven individual and relay events to maintain their day-four cushion, placing a runner-up in the 1650 free, 200 back, 200 breast, and 400 free relay. Conner Ripp (1:46.92) paced MSU's A-final swimmers in the 200 back for the Bears' second-straight silver award of the night while MSU closed out the championship run with a second-place team finish in the 400-freestyle relay.

Bronze medal laurels belonged to Arthur Cury (44.94) and Sebastian Odent (15:25.22), who made podium appearances in the 100 and 1650 free, respectively.
 
Prior to the start of the final session, seniors Samuel Senn, Jacob Schultz, Conner Ripp, and Thomas Heye were recognized and Antonio Thomas was awarded the MAC Outstanding Senior Award.

For all the latest information on the Missouri State swimming and diving team, visit missouristatebears.com or follow @MoStateSwim on Twitter.