Busy Weekend for Bears Swimming Includes Home Opener vs. Omaha

Thursday, October 29

Westmont, Ill.

10:00 a.m.

Missouri State University

Short Course World Championship Trials

October 28, 2026 | Swimming and Diving

By: Teodora Jovic

Missouri State vs Omaha
Location	Springfield, Mo.
Site	Hammons Student Center Pool
Dates and Times	Friday, Oct. 30 - 4:00 p.m. CT \| Saturday, Oct. 31 - 10:00 a.m. CT
Live Results	Meet Mobile
Missouri State	Swimming & Diving Home Page
Omaha	Swimming & Diving Home Page
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SPRINGFIELD – Sophomore Kiefer Roemer and freshman Elias Mendez will represent Missouri State swimming and diving at the US Short Course World Championship Trials in Westmont, Ill. on Thursday, Oct. 29 with races beginning at 10:00 a.m. The Missouri State men's and women's swimming & diving teams will then host Omaha on Friday, Oct. 30 for a two-day meet in the Bears home-opener. Friday's competition begins at 4:00 p.m. and Saturday's competition begins at 10:00 a.m. at the Hammons Student Center Pool.

Roemer is seeded 12^th in the 100 breaststroke whilst Mendez is seeded 15th in the 200 backstroke heading into the US Short Course World Championship Trials.

I'm excited for Kiefer and Elias to compete at the Short Course World Championship Trials, stated associate head coach Chelsea Dirks-Ham. They both had some really impressive swims over the summer and have carried that momentum into the start of our collegiate season. It's rewarding to see their hard work create opportunities like this, and I'm looking forward to watching them compete!

Head coach Dave Collins is further looking forward to hosting Omaha, We are very excited to host Omaha this weekend. After being on the road to start the season, we are looking forward to competing in front of a home crowd and building on the early season momentum we have created. Now that we have some races under us, it is time to really elevate our performances and bring the energy this weekend.

Bear Splashes (Women)

The women's team beat Omaha on the road last year with a 179-118 scoreline.

Standout performances in the previous dual meet against Missouri and Indiana State included:

Ané Meier (Sr., Pretoria, South Africa) dominated the 200 individual medley, winning with a time of 2:00.53.
Makenzie Kurre (Sr., Savannah, Mo.) collected silver in the 200 freestyle (1:49.32).

Bear Splashes (Men)

The men's team beat Southern Illinois in the Bears' season-opener, with a dominant 196-157 scoreline.
The men's team beat Omaha on the road last year with a 182.5-109.5 scoreline.

Standout performances in the previous meet against Missouri included:

Anderson Brown (Sr., Kyle, Texas) set a new Mo State school record in the 200 butterfly with an impressive second place finish (1:43.72). He was also second in the 100 butterfly (47.31).
Zach Mendez (So., Lansing, Kan.) took the victory in the 500 freestyle with a stunning time of 4:23.60, as well as the 200 freestyle (1:36.79).
Kiefer Roemer (So., Bettendorf, Iowa) won the 100 breaststroke (52.61) and the 200 breaststroke (1:56.53) continuing his dominance in the breaststroke this year.

Series History vs. Omaha

Missouri State men's swimming & diving holds a 2-0 dual record against Omaha.
Missouri State women's swimming & diving holds a 3-0 dual record against Omaha.

Head Coach Dave Collins

Missouri State swimming & diving head coach Dave Collins is in 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.

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