Lecoeur Named MVC Diver of the Year; Redbirds Finish Fifth At MVC Championships

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Illinois State sophomore diver Caroline Lecoeur was named the Missouri Valley Conference Diver of the Year on the final day of competition at the 2019 MVC Swimming and Diving Championship, as the Redbirds finished in fifth place overall as a program with 438 points.

Julia Oostman had a great night in the water, as she placed eighth in her A-final heat of the 1650 freestyle, clocking a time of 17:23.26. Other impressive performances came from Kierston Farley-Sepe in the 200-yard butterfly, taking a second-place finish and clocking a time of 2:02.19. Jensen Keck also performed well in the 200-yard breaststroke, finishing sixth in her A-final heat, turning in a time of 2:18.52. 

The Redbird relay team consisting of Morgan Clark, Katie Tillotson, Jessica Nichols, and Farley-Sepe also finished fifth in the 400-yard freestyle relay, turning in a time of 3:28.52. 
 
"I'm very proud with how the team competed the entire weekend," head swimming coach Scott Cameron said. "They showed a lot of heart, and they battled all the way to the last event. Tonight, we did a great job in the pool, on the board and in supporting each other. I couldn't be more proud of this group with how much they have improved throughout the season, and I'm excited for the future of Redbird swimming and diving."
 
Lecoeur was awarded the honor of being named one of the MVC's Diver of the Year after a season of hard work. Following her third-place 1-meter performance on Thursday, Lecoeur also finished third in the 3-meter final Saturday with a score of 275.20.
 
"What a great way to end a very strong weekend for the divers," head diving coach Phil Hoffmann said. "The 3-meter contest was one of the deepest contests in many years and they competed well, earning the team valuable points. The final contest tonight was a great battle and great end to the championship."
 
B-Final
 
Tillotson won her heat of the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 52.55, also competing in the event was Nichols who turned in a seventh-place finish with a time of 53.18. The 200-yard backstroke had several Redbirds competing, including Sarah Hein in fifth-place (2:06.07), Clark in seventh-place (2:07.27) and Julie Kolar in eighth-place (2:08.26). Haley Rivera turned in a second-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly, clocking a time of 2:05.80, followed by Sarah Hein in third place (2:06.73) and Liz Thull in fifth-place (2:08.16). Emily Aument competed in the 3-meter diving event scoring, 200.80. 
 
C-Final
 
Alyssa Reinholz and Molly Hill competed in the 100-yard freestyle, placing second and fifth place, respectively. Reinholz clocked a time of 53.17 and Hill turned in a time of 53.49. Maia Cain took fifth place in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:07.33. Janise Everest turned in a second-place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke, clocking a time of 2:28.03. 
 
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