The Illinois State swimming and diving team received good news on both the swimming and diving side for the Redbirds when the Missouri Valley Conference honored both Jenny Klicka and Krystal Featherston as Missouri Valley Conference Swimmer and Diver of the Week, respectively.
Last week, the Redbirds traveled to Southern California to participate in a two-day competition, the 25th annual Ayres Hotel & Suites Invitational hosted by California-Irvine.
A four-time Missouri Valley Conference Diver of the Week honoree, Krystal Featherston placed first on both the one-meter and three-meter boards. Featherston scored 497.15 on the one-meter board, while finishing with a score of 447.60 on the three-meter board. The Indiana native will return to her home state to participate in the NCAA Diving Regionals at Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind. on Mar. 11-13.
Sophomore Jenny Klicka received the MVC honor after a tough weekend of competition. Klicka swam the 200-yard freestyle in a time of 1:59.93 and the 200-yard back in 2:22.25. Along with the sprint events, Klicka also swam the 400 IM in 4:49.60 and the 1650- yard freestyle in 18:24.47.
Head swimming and diving Coach
Steve Paska is pleased that Klicka was honored as swimmer of the week.
Jenny stayed very focused throughout the entire two-day competition, said Paska. Her intensity and aggression this past weekend was remarkable.
Head diving coach Carly Weiden was also pleased with Featherstons first place victories on both boards and being recognized by the conference.
Krystal works very hard at what she does, said Weiden. Her awards and nominations are very well deserved.
The Redbirds will host the Illinois-Chicago on Jan. 14, at 5 pm in Horton Pool.
