IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Missouri Valley Conference Swimming and Diving Championships concluded Saturday, with Illinois State finishing in fourth place with 393.5 points.
Missouri State took first in the MVC Championships with a final score of 832.5. Southern Illinois finished second (649), followed by Northern Iowa in third (615). Evansville took fifth (365), while Little Rock earned sixth (303). Indiana State finished in seventh place (148).
Rachel Root led the way for the Redbirds, taking fifth in the 200-yard backstroke (2:00.21), followed by Karley Licking in sixth (2:01.16). Maia Cain finished sixth in the 200-yard butterfly (2:05.58), while Jensen Keck earned seventh in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:18.41).
The team of Laura Paskoff, Root, Mary Katherine Tillotson and Kristin Verkler took sixth in the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:30.21).
"We finished out the meet well today. We had some good swims with lifetime-best times to close out the meet," ISU head swimming coach Scott Cameron said. "This group performed well and battled throughout the entire meet, and I couldn't be prouder of them for what they have done this year as a team."
Kristen Larson led the Redbirds in the 3-meter diving event, finishing 10th  (185.40). Kelsey Toland finished 11th (166.95), followed by Rachel Stein in 12th (148.35).
"I was very proud of the way the divers finished out the 3-meter competition," ISU head diving coach Phil Hoffmann said. "It is so important to help the team and score some valuable points, and we did just that. It was a great end to a great season for Redbird diving."
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