ST. LOUIS - The Missouri State women's swimming & diving team has been selected to finish third in the 2025 Missouri Valley Conference Pre-Championship Poll voted on by the league's coaches. The poll released Monday has Southern Illinois tabbed as the favorite to snap Missouri State's streak of eight straight MVC Championships.
The Salukis got four of the nine first-place votes. Indiana State was selected to finish second with three first-place votes. Missouri State took the remaining two first-place votes to round out the top three. Little Rock, Northern Iowa, UIC, Illinois State, Evansville and Valparaiso complete the order of the poll.
Northern Iowa will host the 2025 MVC Women's Swimming & Diving Championships at
Waukee Community School District Natatorium from Wednesday, Feb. 26 to Saturday, March 1. Prelim events will start at 10:30 a.m. CT with final events starting at 6:00 p.m. CT.
Bears Splashes (Women)
- Missouri State women's swimming & diving will seek its 21st overall conference championship and ninth MVC title in a row. The Bears won eight straight championships from 2008 to 2015 before losing to Southern Illinois by .5 points in 2016. The Bears have since won another eight straight.
- Last season, the Bears were picked to finish second in the pre-championship poll before putting up a record 1,643.5 points. Missouri State held off pre-championship favorite Indiana State (1,294.5 points) for the top spot at Deaconess Aquatic Center.
- Head coach Dave Collins became the all-time winningest coach in MVC history last season with his 12th championship at the helm of the Bears. He is also an eight-time MVC Coach of the Year, including each of the last five seasons. He will seek his 16th total conference championship when adding his three Mid-American Conference titles with the men's team.
- Missouri State returns eight of its 11 All-MVC first-team swimmers and three of its five honorable mentions from last season's championships.
Previous Bears Medal Winners
- Fifth-year swimmers Cabrini Johnson and Samantha Roemer combined for five gold medals last year and have a total of 25 career MVC medals between them. Johnson won the 100-yard breaststroke last season by .01 seconds over 2023 MVC Swimmer of the Year Madyson Moore. Roemer won two gold medals in the 200 and 400-yard medley.
- Lana Janson and Ainsley Jenkins were part of last season's MVC record performance in the 800-yard freestyle (7:12.19). Janson was also part of the record-setting 400-yard freestyle (3:18.87) in the final event last year. She also won silver in the 200-yard individual medley (2:01.67).
- Missouri State earned two medals in the 1,650-yard freestyle last season. Sophia Coleta finished second in the event with a 16:52.16 time only behind Indiana State's Claire Parsons (16.40.94). Both Parsons (16:31.28) and Coleta (16:47.37) hold the fastest times in the event this season. Lindsey Hervey earned bronze in the 1,650 free last season with a time of 16:52.40. She set the Hammons Student Center Pool record in the event with a 16:57.28 back in January.
MVC Women's Pre-Championship Poll
1. Southern Illinois - 75 Points (4 First-Place Votes)
2. Indiana State - 72 Points (3 First-Place Votes)
3. Missouri State - 69 Points (2 First-Place Votes)
4. Little Rock - 45 Points
5. Northern Iowa - 43 Points
6. UIC - 40 Points
7. Illinois State - 33 Points
8. Evansville - 18 Points
9. Valparaiso - 10 Points
Day 1: Wednesday, Feb. 26
Finals: 6:00 p.m. CT (Watch)
- 200-yard Medley Relay
- Team Diving Event
- 800-yard Freestyle Relay
Day 2: Thursday, Feb. 27
Prelims: 10:30 a.m. CT (Watch)
Finals: 6:00 p.m. CT (Watch)
- 500-yard Freestyle
- 200-yard Individual Medley
- 50-yard Freestyle
- 1-meter Diving Prelims
(Watch) B-Final
(Watch)
- 400-yard Medley Relay
Day 3: Friday, Feb. 28
- 100-yard Butterfly
- 400-yard Individual Medley
- 200-yard Freestyle
- 100-yard Breaststroke
- 100-yard Backstroke
- 3-meter Diving Prelims, Consolation
(Watch)
- 200-yard Freestyle Relay
Day 4: Saturday, March 1
Prelims: 10:30 a.m. CT (Watch)
Finals: 6:00 p.m. CT (Watch)
- 1,650-yard Freestyle
- 200-yard Backstroke
- 100-yard Freestyle
- 200-yard Breaststroke
- 200-yard Butterfly
- 3-Meter Diving (Finals)
- 400-yard Freestyle Relay
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