COLUMBIA, Mo. - Missouri State swimming and diving came up short Saturday morning here against SEC Missouri in a dual. The Tigers outscored the Bears, 201-96, on the women's side and, 210-86, on the men's side.

Five MSU swimmers earned first place in individual events. On the women's side, Sami Roemer grabbed first in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 55.90, Cabrini Johnson snagged first in 200-yard breaststroke with a mark of 2:14.93, Lily Despain earned first in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:56.72 and Yuliya Zubina captured first in the 100-yard breaststroke with a mark of 1:02.32. The 100-breast proved to be a stellar even for the Bears, with Johnson (1:02.89) and Alessia Puleo (1:04.22) coming in second and fourth place as well.
 
"It's really exciting to see the progression of my 200-breast. especially leading up to conference," Johnson said. "Knowing that the training since Purdue has been tough, a swim like the one I had today helps me stay motivated and driven towards a strong conference meet."
 
"I think the result of my 500-freestyle swim today was due to two things: the incredibly supportive environment that our team fosters, and the helpful advice of our coaching staff," Despain added. "I'm extremely grateful that I've had the chance to train with and race against my teammates, and I can't wait to continue to develop as a swimmer and person as my time in college progresses. I'm excited to see what we accomplish as a team in conference action."
 
Roemer's time in the 100-backstroke was a personal best, breaking her previous fastest time of 56.40 by half a second, a mark that she set back on Feb. 29, 2020.
 
"I am really happy with that swim," Roemer said. "It was fun putting down a solid time in that event after having not swam it in a while."

On the men's side, Brunno Suzuki led the way for MSU, recording a first-place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:02.58. In the same event, Brayden Goeldner snagged second with a mark of 2:03.22.
 
Robbie Hill also stood out for the Bears, racking up three second-place finishes in the 100-yard backstroke (48.95), the 200-yard backstroke (1:47.45) and the 100-yard individual medley (50.05).
 
"After coming off Thanksgiving break and a hard week of training, it was great to see the team earn times close to or faster than our mid-season meet," Hill said. "This shows that the team is doing what they need to do in and out of the pool to improve every meet."
 
After a six-week break, MoState returns to the pool Saturday, Jan. 14 at 11 a.m. in Evansville, Ind., squaring off against the Purple Aces, Bellarmine and UIC.