Bears Swimming & Diving Opens Season at Southern Illinois

Friday, October 2

Carbondale, Ill.

3:00 p.m.

Missouri State University

Southern Illinois - Day 1

Bears Swimming & Diving Opens Season at Southern Illinois

October 01, 2026 | Swimming and Diving

By: Teodora Jovic

Missouri State vs Southern Illinois
Location	Carbondale, Ill.
Site	Shea Natatorium
Dates and Times	Friday, Oct. 2 - 3:00 p.m. CT \| Saturday, Oct. 3 - 10:00 a.m. CT
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SPRINGFIELD - The Missouri State men's and women's swimming & diving teams commence the 2026-27 season this Friday, Oct. 2 by hitting the road for a two-day meet in Carbondale, Ill. to face off against Southern Illinois. Friday's competition begins at 3:00 p.m. and Saturday's competition begins at 10:00 a.m. at the Shea Natatorium.

Head coach Dave Collins is looking forward to diving into the season, "We are excited to finally get the competition season underway this weekend against Southern Illinois. There has been a tremendous amount of energy and excitement around our program, and our athletes have done a great job carrying that into their preparation this fall. We have a lot of new faces mixed with a strong group of returners, so it will be fun to see how we respond in a meet atmosphere on the road against a good Saluki program."

Bear Splashes (Women)

Missouri State women's swimming & diving has won 20 of the last 24 Missouri Valley Conference championships and looks to return to the top spot this season after a third-place finish in 2026.
Four of its seven MVC first-team selections from 2026 return: junior Lillie Freulon, senior Makenzie Kurre, and juniors Ané Meier and Delaney Nickles.
Four more MVC honorable mentions return: Seniors Lindsey Hervey, Evie Kolb, Olivia Sala, and sophomore Aleca Howard.
The Bears welcome five new faces to the women's squad: freshmen Macie Kunz, Brylie Ray, Laurel Hunter, Lauren Konarske, and junior Valeria Meza.

Bear Splashes (Men)

Missouri State men's swimming & diving is also looking to emulate their victorious first-place finish at the MVC Championship in February. The team has won 22 conference championships in its history, including six MVC championships.
Eight of its nine MVC first-team selections from 2026 return: Juniors Jack Ailshire, Carter Crook, Ilias El Fallaki, Máté Miszlai, and Gonzalo Ruiz, sophomores Zach Mendez and Kiefer Roemer, and senior Anderson Brown.
Three more MVC honorable mentions return: seniors Matvei Chesakov and Tomas Chocholaty, and sophomore Kayden Hedrick.
Roemer also received the Missouri Valley Conference Men's Freshman of the Year award, and finished in 29th place at the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Swimming and Diving Championships in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 52.15.
The Bears welcome five new faces to the men's squad: freshmen Reece Pangburn, Ethan Nguyen, Britton Hooper, Emery Robison, and Onur Oksuz.

Series History vs. Southern Illinois

Missouri State men's swimming & diving holds a 23-13 dual record against the Salukis. Last season the Bears took victory at home with a 275-171 scoreline.
Missouri State women's swimming & diving holds a 13-16 dual record against the Salukis. Last season the Salukis took victory with a 260.5-181.5 scoreline.

Head Coach Dave Collins

Missouri State swimming & diving head coach Dave Collins enters his 16th season and will look for his 13th women's conference championship and fifth men's league title. He has been named MVC Swimming Coach of the Year nine times. He was also a five-time MAC Swimming Coach of the Year.

List of Events

Friday

3:00 p.m. Swimming Competition Begins