NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State swimming and diving team was picked to finish third at the Missouri Valley Conference Swimming and Diving Championships, in a pre-championship poll voted on by league coaches, the conference announced Tuesday. The MVC Championships will be held Wednesday through Saturday on the campus of Southern Illinois, in Carbondale, Illinois.
Missouri State, having won eight-consecutive MVC titles, was picked to win the conference meet, with five of the six first-place votes and 35 total voter points. The Bears were followed by, in order, Southern Illinois (31 points), Illinois State (22), Northern Iowa (20), Arkansas-Little Rock (11) and Evansville (7).
The MVC Championships begin Wednesday at Southern Illinois' Dr. Edward J. Shea Natatorium.
Illinois State head swimming coach Scott Cameron is hoping to see his student-athletes peak at the right time of the season. Â
"It has been a good season and we've continued to get better throughout the entire year," said Cameron. "I'm excited to see our athletes put all of the pieces together and go out and compete against some very good competition."
Illinois State head diving coach Phil Hoffmann is also looking for his divers to turn in their best performances of the season.
"Top to bottom, the conference is very tight after Sherry Zhang from Southern Illinois," said Hoffmann. "I believe the divers will be able to contribute some very valuable points to the team totals."
Links for live video can be found at GoRedbirds.com. For updates and more, fans can follow @RedbirdSwim on Twitter.
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